i have read Philemon several times already. first few times aloud, and subsequently i became quite lost in the content of the chapter. as i first read it, the book did not make any sense at all. the plot centred around this mysterious character named Onesimus, a slave of Philemon from the extract. Initially i thought that this letter was to encourage Philemon to treat Onesimus as an equal in the body of Christ as Paul had a certain favour for him, perhaps due to his spiritual growth, as the example of Epaphroditus in Philippians (Philippians 2:19) and thus expanding on the theme of equality in the body of Christ. but according to this assumption, most of the content did not make sense. it was only after checking up on the background of Onesimus, that i realized that he was a runaway slave who had joined Paul in his ministry. this finally helped me understand the entire passage in more entirety, and hence also the theme of forgiveness from this letter.
content:
paul begins this letter with the same structure as the others:
- greetings
- exaltations, prayers, thanksgiving, and encouragements
- main body
- ending
the flow of the thanksgiving and prayers is very straightforward, expressing paul's joy in the spiritual growth of the people around him. and as a person, i can identify with this happiness that comes from the knowledge that people are indeed alive and growing spiritually. as a cm, it is a blessing to know that although your members are struggling and in pain, they are still growing and i realize that is also important to encourage them to struggle and persevere just as we need the encouragement of others in this aspect.
v6 was one of the verses that spoke to me the most. it explains how sharing our faith, not only with other believers' (accountability) but also with non-christians (evangelism) is crucial for the spiritual growth of one person. by being accountable, one's understanding of the truths in the bible and his own learnings are reinforced. through sharing, one naturally learns to see God's hand in the dealings of the situation, and through this, we begin to understand how God is indeed in control of the situation, and also this can be strengthened by the affirmation of other Christians. the sharing of one's faith to pre-christians also is important because before we can share about our faith to others, we first have to be certain and definite about our own beliefs. and i realize that sharing is more than just telling others how i feel and what is god doing in my life, but it is a measure rather of how much one is growing, because to share, one must first grow. it is a system of checking and reaffirming, and it is also one taking stock of his own spiritual growth, because to share, one first must be open to others. this system is so intricate that i am just beginning to grasp it. i believe this verse spoke to me the most because in the area of accountability, i admit i am very weak. i always feel that people do not understand the things that i go through, and in a way, i isolate myself and i realize that this is an expression of self-pride. and i pray that i will have the humility to let others know and help me grow in my weaknesses.
v7 of this letter explains how a person's spiritual growth can be a source of comfort and joy and encouragement to others whenever they are crushed (Paul was in prison as he wrote this letter). perhaps that is why paul affirms the growth of the churches and his friends in the beginning of his letters: to let them know that they are encouragement to him, and at the same time to encourage them not to stay stagnant in their growth. v7 also shows how much love can build up a person in his darkest moments. i also realize that my view on love is very warped, it is with respect to how much one does for another. simply put, more things i do for you, more i love you. but being in a sports class, has accentuated the fact that everyone can settle their own problems for themselves and hence, i seem to have no value to them whatsoever. having this mentality would also mean acting out this mentality, and in addition, it not only adds on to pride, but it also creates this vicious cycle, that i have to break. love is found in the mundane, like spending time, hanging around, just chilling with friends; simple acts that allow one to get close to another person, and not only when he or she is in dire condition that they need help. it is a serious pride issue that i must deal with.
main body
v8 is the beginning of the main content of this letter. as suggested, the content centres about this character named Onesimus (Useful). the structure of the entire main body is as such:
- Paul's appeal
- Paul's action
- Paul's task
Paul begins his appeal by clarifying his choice to reproach Philemon in love and not rebuke. while the extent of Philemon's dissent for Onesimus is not known, from this passage, it can be inferred that this incident was affecting Philemon so much so that it was affecting his relationship with Paul and also his spiritual life; and Paul being in prison with so much free time, found it necessary to confront Philemon on this issue, hence the need for the letter. however, with regard to his choice of reproaching over rebuking, i believe that Paul understood the background of the situation, Philemon's maturity in Christ, as well as the extent of his love for the other brothers, and in lieu of such factors, Paul chose this gentler approach as opposed to "ordering".
from this, we can see the aftereffect of unforgiveness, and how it takes root and spreads its seeds in the fallow of one's spirit. unforgiveness corrupts the spirit and deceives the person into believing that others do not deserve their forgiveness. this is a manifestation of pride and self-righteousness, when we in turn do not deserve the grace that God freely gave to us. and i suddenly remember the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35). and as i read this verse, i realize that the when we continue to bear such burdens on ourselves, we are unable to see God's providence and his grace. this in turn blinds our spiritual eyes, and leaves us agitated and insensitive. during prayer & power service (29/2/08) the invitational pastor, Pastor Christopher Alam spoke of unforgiveness and faith, "when you go to the altar with unforgiveness, your faith is nullified" and these words really impacted me. i find that we when nurse a grudge or do not properly deal with or confront a person in love, oftentimes, we find ourselves unable to bring ourselves to release healing to ourselves and love towards others. it stifles how much we can do and prevents us from attain our full potential in Christ. this is deadly towards Christ-like growth, as it will slowly choke our spirit, leaving us angry, resentful, hateful and eventually, we unknowingly direct all these emotions towards God and it becomes a struggle with him.
Paul's task to Philemon is indeed another challenge on top of forgiveness. he challenged Philemon to welcome Onesimus with the same generosity as Philemon would to himself. given the current social context, this act of accepting in addition to forgiveness is probably the hardest part of his task. in Rome during that time, slavery was an accepted practice and to forgive a runaway slave and to welcome him was unheard off. the punishment meted out to such perpetrators was simply death; forgiveness would entail a branding of the letter F (Fugitivus) on the forehead of the person. however in this context, Paul was requesting that Philemon forgo all such punishment that could be dealt upon the runaway slave, and thus it was really a great challenge for him.
analysis
Paul's appeal
Paul appeals to Philemon on several levels, and with his persuasive skills, applies pressure on Philemon to make the right decision regarding Onesimus, namely:
- his authority in the church - v1
- his maturity as a Christian - v9
- his friendship with Paul - v10
- his justification for Onesimus' absence - v 15-16
- directing the letter to the church - v2
- addressing his "debts" - v19
- the promise of a personal visit - v22
in this simple manner, Paul sets up a challenge for Philemon but yet at the same time showing the due respect for his friend. the maturity that Paul demonstrates in handling the issue can be seen from v14; how he did not want to wish to undermine their relationship by hiding the fact that he had been in contact with Onesimus, and yet at the same time, dealing with the crux of the issue: how Philemon would handle the situation. His honest and blatant confrontation of Philemon demonstrates a maturity that is only guided by the Holy Spirit. Paul states his reasons and yet mentions nothing of the consequences that would befall Philemon. In this manner, he attacks the conscience, the discerning voice of truth, and applies pressure on the truth. However, in essence, this means of handling conflict can only be applied on people who are firstly spiritually mature, and share a close and intimate relationship.
Paul's action
all of Paul's actions in this letter are purposeful and with intent to create an impetus for Philemon to make the right decision. these actions, from the verses 17-22:
- acting as a debtor for Onesimus - v18
- writing this letter "with my own hand" - v19a
- affirming his confidence in Philemon - v21
- the promise of a personal visit - v22
these actions demonstrate Paul's desire for Philemon to make the right choice when dealing with Onesimus as well as imply the severity of the issue at hand. Philemon probably knew what was the right decision, however, blinding by emotions such as anger, he would probably not be able to choose wisely, and Paul was taking full responsibility of guiding Philemon towards this choice. It is always the aforementioned reason why people usually fall into temptation, being too blinded by emotions that they are unable to make a rational and wise decision. However, it is also implied that the counsel of a mature Christian is necessary in directing us towards the end point, because assuming that there was no letter from Paul, Philemon would have definitely acted on impulse and hanged Onesimus, and the consequences of such an action would be disastrous. We all need that tangible support especially in times of our spiritual blindness, and hence, we need each other; not to tell us the easiest way to handle the situation, but the spiritual way of handling it.
Paul's task
Paul's task indeed has extreme implications behind it. Firstly, he was not only advocating forgiveness, but also acceptance for Onesimus as in the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Secondly, he asking Philemon to defy social convention. The challenge behind this test was a choice between God and Man, daring to be different for God.
Application Question:
Would we be able to choose God over Man given the circumstances of Philemon?
in conclusion, it is quite unbelievable that such a short book has so much meaning behind it, and so many lessons. I believe that in the end it is with the power of God that Philemon could then show compassion and love towards Onesimus.
