Philemon 8-22
For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love — and, I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly, he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and me. I am sending him back to you…my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in this place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother — especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So, if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account. I, Paul, am writing this in my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. One thing more — prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you. Philemon 8-22
Ever get a pebble lodged in your shoe? As a boy growing up on a farm, I did. It always happened while I was busy doing something.
I did not want to stop. But eventually, it hurt enough to force me to take off my shoe to find and dispose of the pebble, to put the shoe back on, and to get back into action.
Until I removed the pebble, I could not function as well. Looking back, I wish I had chosen to deal with it immediately instead of limping along.
Today’s scripture passage is about a pebble that got lodged in the shoe of the church. As it turned out, the church hobbled along for centuries rather than remove it. At times, the church even tried to convince itself that the pebble was the will of God and so a good thing.
This particular pebble was slavery. Paul’s letter to Philemon helps us glimpse the challenge it posed, not only to the early church but for long centuries.
Several stories converge. Paul is getting on in years. He has been under house arrest for some time. He hopes he will soon be set free and able to travel to the home of his brother in Christ, Philemon.
But there’s a complication, and the complication’s name is Onesimus. Onesimus is a slave who belongs to Philemon. He ran away from Philemon and somehow found his way to Paul. Paul takes him in, and Onesimus helps him in many ways
Onesimus, like Paul and Philemon, is a Christ follower. He is part of the family of Christ, a brother in Christ to Philemon and Paul. But he is also a slave owned by Philemon.
We have no idea how he became a slave. In those days, one could be enslaved because of birth, debt or as the spoils of war. But we do know that Onesimus went AWOL.
He ran away and, in doing so, broke the law — which was a serious matter. The possible repercussions for runaway slaves included horrific physical punishments, being sold to work in the lead mines, and even execution.
So, Paul finds himself wrestling with how to break the news to Philemon that his runaway slave has been with Paul for some time. He also has to deal with a civil law that requires runaway slaves be returned to their owners. And, perhaps for the first time in his life and certainly for the first time in the church’s history, Paul asks the question: “Is it possible to reconcile slavery with following Christ?”
Paul responds to the challenges by writing a remarkable letter.At the very least, the letter is a masterpiece of persuasion. He pulls out all the stops to convince Philemon to take Onesimus back, treat him kindly, and — indeed — treat him as a sibling in Christ.
In essence, Paul attempts to “baptize” slavery. He tries to make an awful thing less awful by encouraging the slave owner to treat the slave like a brother in Christ.
Now, you and I might wonder why Paul did not go further. Why didn’t the apostle, who once wrote there was neither Jew nor gentile, slave or free, male or female in Christ, just declare slavery to be wrong, evil, and with no place in the community of Christ? Here’s why.
First, the scriptures of the early church (what we call the Old Testament) assume slavery is a normal, God-sanctioned part of life. The Old Testament attempts to provide for humane treatment of slaves and even stipulates they must be freed after a certain period of service. But it leaves slavery intact.
Second, all the cultures included in the Roman world assume slavery is a natural part of life. It’s just the way things are and the way things have always been. Folks cannot imagine a world without slavery.
Neither can Paul. He is out in front of the culture of his day in many ways, but even Paul cannot imagine a world in which slavery does not exist. The most he can do is imagine a world in which slaves are treated better. This puts him a step ahead of most people in his time.
Paul is clearly uncomfortable. He recognizes Onesimus is fully human and a sibling in Christ. But trapped by his reading of his scriptures, cultural assumptions, and church politics, the most Paul can do is to urge a slave owner to be kind toward his slave.
Did you know some Christians today believe and proclaim that Paul got it right? They point out both the Old and New Testaments assume slavery is normal and therefore God-sanctioned. In essence, they rely on the old saying: “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it.”
Are we willing to settle for such an approach to the Bible? Or is there a better way?
The better way is not something new. Instead, it’s the way Christians have lived into the way of Christ over the centuries. We start on the way when we acknowledge many things were not settled in the first century of the Christian era.
The New Testament writers, including Paul, had the story of Christ’s actions and teachings available. To the best of their abilities, they tried to evaluate their beliefs, assumptions, and actions in light of Jesus Christ. The New Testament is the record of their efforts.
They made great progress, but they did not complete the task. Does that statement surprise you? If so, why
Remember, even Jesus admitted he could not reveal all he wished to share with his disciples, for they and the world could not yet comprehend it all. He went on to promise the Holy Spirit would guide those who came after him into what he called “all truth,” not just in the first century but as an ongoing action.
Catch the implication? It’s just this: It’s never enough for us to say we’re just doing what the Old and New Testaments tell us to do. Instead, it’s best to say, we look to Jesus to help us evaluate scriptures and discover God’s overarching intention for worship, how we treat God’s world, and how we treat one another. And we do so prayerfully, seeking the guidance of Holy Spirit.
Which is precisely what happened over time with regard to slavery.
The Quakers led the way. In 1688, some of them declared slavery against the will of God. John Woolman, a Quaker, toured the American colonies from 1750 onwards, urging Quakers to abolish slavery. It took 26 years, but eventually they declared slavery forbidden among Quakers.
Mind you, they went right on reading and honoring the scriptures, even as they did so. But following the lead of Holy Spirit, they pushed past the text.
William Wilberforce became a member of the English Parliament in 1787 and launched a crusade against slavery. Eventually, his efforts led to the Slave Trade Act of 1807 and the Slavery Abolition Act of 1822, which combined to end the slave trade and free all slaves in the British Empire.
And Wilberforce and all those who joined him went right on being good Christians and reading the scriptures. But following the lead of Holy Spirit, they pushed past the text. The same was true for Christians who opposed slavery in America in the years leading up to and through the Civil War, and throughout the Civil Rights movement.
Mind you, they read and honored the Old and New Testaments. But following the lead of Holy Spirit, they pushed past the text.
All these reformers remembered the promise Jesus made. They realized Jesus did not come to found a text-bound church but instead a living community of Christ followers, who would choose again and again to love and treat all persons as fellow children of God, regardless of the cost.
Which leads me back to the pebble in a shoe. The story of Onesimus became a pebble in the church’s shoe — an irritant, something that nagged at the conscience of some Christ followers, until the time came when it could no longer be ignored or accommodated.
Eventually, some of the people of Christ decided it was time to do something about it. And they did.
My hunch is that many of us have a pebble of some kind in our spiritual shoe. My hunch is that the church of today has a few pebbles in its shoe, too.
And I wonder: Is God watching and wondering how long we’ll leave that pebble unattended?
Michael Smith delivered this sermon as interim pastor of Monte Vista Baptist Church in Maryville, Tenn.