February 28, 2016
Paul has always been a favorite of mine. I know that for some, Paul seems oppressive, particularly when he is alleged to have talked about the limited role of women in the church. Even as a teenager, I did not buy this—and it turns out that many scholars are quite clear that Paul did not write that in a letter; someone else inserted the statement at a later time.
Years ago my former husband and I would have dinner and talk about whom we would like to invite to dinner the following night. He would always want Lenin and perhaps Chomsky. I would always want Paul, Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Cosby. Wouldn’t you love to hear those three talk about God’s work in the world?
Last fall, under the leadership of David Dorsey, our mission group studied the authentic letters of Paul. It was a wonderful study. This morning I would like to focus on Paul’s letter to Philemon.
Some have called this letter a “rhetorical gem”—meaning it is exceptionally well crafted. It demonstrates Paul’s persuasive mastery in confronting a very thorny question facing some of his good friends. The setting is this: Paul is in prison and he meets a fella named Onesimus. It turns out that Onesimus is a runaway slave. Well, Paul gets to know him and introduces him to Jesus’ teaching, and one thing leads to another and Onesimus becomes a follower of Jesus. The problem is: Onesimus is a runaway slave.
This was a very big deal in the first century. Hey, it was a big deal in Southern states in our country only 150 years ago. Slaves were property. So, when Onesimus runs away, his owner, whose name is Philemon, has lost his property. He also has lost face in the community because his slave made a run for it and got away. I’m sure he was also concerned that other slaves might see this and decide to run away too.
Paul decides that Onesimus needs to go back and turn himself in … despite the fact that Onesimus has been very helpful to Paul. The twist in the story is that Paul knows Onesimus’ owner—Philemon. Let’s call him Phil for short. Paul knows, of course, that Phil is going to be quite upset because Onesimus has insulted his honor by running away—not to mention his pocketbook. Normally in this situation the returning slave would have to be harshly punished, if not killed, in order to restore the social hierarchy.
Even knowing all of this, Paul sends Onesimus back with a letter in which Paul makes an outrageous request … a revolutionary request. He asks Phil not only to forgive Onesimus for running away, but also to accept Onesimus back as he would welcome any of “God’s People.” It is mind-boggling to think how this might actually play out.
The letter is going to have to be written very, very carefully. Paul has to give Phil the grounds to accept Onesimus back on totally unexpected and outrageous terms. This letter was going to have to be very persuasive.
Paul starts the letter out with a tip-off to his strategy because he appeals to Phil not in a private venue but in the presence of Phil’s entire house church, all of whom knew Paul. This is not to embarrass Phil but actually to give him support to do something that would act against the usual social protocol of master and slave.
He offers thanksgiving, recalling the good deeds of Phil so he can establish goodwill between himself and Phil.
Then in the body of the letter, he offers reasons why Phil can make a decision to accept Onesimus as a “beloved friend.” He refers to Phil’s noble character. He brings up the advantages of having Onesimus back as a friend and colleague. He even does a play on Onesimus’s name—saying he will no longer be “useless,” but rather “useful.” He asks Phil to bless Paul's heart by making this difficult decision. And, at the end, he promises to personally make up any losses that Phil has experienced. Then he flatters his listeners once again.
This letter shows just how radical Paul’s vision was of a new world order based upon Jesus’ teaching. And, it shows just how much courage Paul had in expressing this vision. It is this radical Paul that I came to admire growing up.
Let me read the letter and you see if Paul is persuasive enough.
Philemon: New International Version (NIV)
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:3 Grace and peace to you[a] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus,[b] who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Unfortunately, we don’t know what Phil’s response was, but it is certainly clear what Paul’s values were—and his gifts at persuasive writing.
Well, I have been thinking a lot about this letter and so I decided to write a modern-day letter that might be equally radical in making Jesus’ teaching apply in today’s world. Here is my letter written in the style that Paul used in his letter: This is a sample letter, not (yet) a call to action. Not all of the facts are accurate, but you will get the idea.
Dear Neighbors:
I write this to all of you in hopes it will be read aloud at the next Neighborhood Association meeting. I have said it before, but let me say once again how fortunate I feel that I and my family of five children can live in a neighborhood in which we all look out for one another and genuinely care for one another’s wellbeing. I thank God for each of you.
Because of the long and valued friendship I have for all of you, I am about to make an unusual request—one that I know each of you will seriously and genuinely considered. I do so because it is my experience of each of you that when we have faced difficult issues in the past, we were able to listen and respond creatively, looking for solutions that may not have been readily apparent. What an unusual ability it is in today’s world that we who do not always agree can come together and talk in confidence that all will be heard and valued. This is such a treasure.
As you know, I have spent the last ten years of my career helping men and women returning from prison. What I have faced every day is the fact that when folks come home from having paid their debt to society, they often have no place to live. It is for them that I write this letter.
Some of you have heard the latest news that the large house next to mine is about to go on the market. I would like to arrange to buy that house, remodel the inside of it, and make it possible for up to ten men to live in the house when they come home from incarceration.
Even though I have the ability to buy the house without your blessing, and because it is on the corner of a busy street, I can go through the legal process of getting the house re-zoned, I did not want to go that route in light of my regard for each of you. Rather I am appealing to you out of our shared commitment to making our community safe and welcoming to all. I firmly believe that if we as citizens of our city, and caretakers of our neighborhood, do not step up and help find housing for those coming home, our own safety is in danger.
There are several advantages to my plan. I know that there are others looking at the property because it is such a large lot located on a busy street. I suspect there are those who might buy the house, tear it down and either put up a McMansion or a high-rise. Either option would completely destroy the neighborhood’s ambiance.
My plan is to have a full-time house manager in the house who will work with each resident so that each is able to access all of the support services we have in the city and, as quickly as possible, find employment. The house would hold daily AA meetings, making it very convenient for some of us to attend. The residents would be available for work parties to help keep the neighborhood clean and beautiful. I would love to talk about the possibility of having a subcommittee of the Association be the Admission’s Committee to review the applications for living in the house. In that way, everyone can come to know what I have found in my work: namely, those coming home from prison are some of the most courageous people I have ever met. They simply need a second chance to get their lives back on track. The men who will come to live in the house are not the same people they were six, eight, ten years ago. They have changed their lives and simply want a chance to start over. As you can see in my words, I have come to respect most of the men who have come to OAR for services. They have blessed me immensely, and I am confident that when you meet them, you too will be blessed.
I know there are risks associated with this decision to invite former offenders into our community. I am prepared to take out an insurance policy that will generously cover any damage that a resident might cause. We could also limit the residents to men age 40 and above, if that would make this request more acceptable. And we could work out a carefully structured eviction policy for bad behavior.
Writing this letter would not be possible without your prior friendship and trust. I know you all know that I value our neighborhood, having served as President of the Association for the past six years. So it is with confidence that I know that all of you will consider this request carefully and even come back to me and the Association with ideas about how to improve upon my plan. I look forward to those discussions.
Blessings on each of you.