Pentecost 13 “Backstory”

September 4, 2022 – Philemon 1:21

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

For every story there is a backstory. For every story, there is something that has happened, some new information to discover, some perspective to look through that helps us understand the story at hand. There is always greater depth than we first see. I am talking in absolutes here. Of course, God is outside of this. He knows every bit of information, he knows all perspectives, he sees all and knows all. For us, there is always more to learn.

Our Epistle reading this morning is from a small book of the Bible, it’s actually a small letter or an epistle. It’s called Philemon after the person the letter is primarily addressed to. The letter was written by the Apostle Paul.

Reading this letter, hearing it read as we did earlier, can feel like listening to one side of a phone call. We don’t know why it was written or what the backstory is. 

To add to your knowledge of this book of the Bible, here’s the backstory. 

Paul is travelling around after having been converted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. He is preaching Jesus’ love and forgiveness to people all around and helping establish churches all over. In the Greek city of Colossae, the city the book or the epistle ‘Colossians’, is written to is where Philemon lives. After hearing the good news of Jesus from Paul, Philemon and a friend Epaphras they start a church together that meet on Sundays around God’s Word and His Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Colossians 1:7, Philemon 1-2).

Their lives are changed. They view their world through the lens of Jesus’ love and forgiveness for them and devote themselves to the teachings of Jesus – as we do.

Yet, even as they live their lives as Christians, bad things still happen. Philemon had a slave, a man named Onesimus. Now, if the term ‘slave’ is too hard on your modern sensibilities, think of him as a full-time employee of Philemon. Philemon cared for him, provided him food and a place to live. Safety and security. Philemon cared for him and provided a life for him. Onesimus wasn’t the kind of slave you think of when you think of the more recent American history and the horrible slave labour and terrible abuses that existed. “Full-time, long-term, employee” better fits who Onesimus is to Philemon.

Now, for whatever reason, we don’t know, Onesimus wrongs Philemon and flees. Maybe he stole from him, destroyed something, made a bad judgement call, racked up massive debt against Philemon, something! We just don’t know the details. In part, because they are not important to the point. One person has hurt another and their relationship is split. Onesimus adds to the damage by fleeing taking even himself and all he was of value to Philemon. 

Onesimus runs away and ends up finding Paul. In Paul’s presence, the Holy Spirit works through Pauls’ words about Jesus and Onesimus becomes a Christian! His heart is turned.

Philemon is raging mad. He’s been wrongfully hurt. Attacked! Totally ripped off and he wants the justice he deserves. He wants Onesimus back so he can exact his rightful revenge. 

Let’s take a quick pause here. Can you identify with Philemon? Have you ever been hurt? Attacked? Been wronged by somebody who just ran away? Maybe you had a break in, maybe somebody damaged your reputation, maybe someone enticed your spouse or kids away from you, or maybe you’ve been hurt by someone in even smaller ways. Is it wrong to want justice? Is it wrong to want the hurt you’ve experienced to be made right?

Let’s turn to Onesimus. Have you ever hurt someone? Intentionally or even unintentionally? Have you ever run away for fear of getting the punishment you deserve? Have you done damage and wanted to make it right but not know how? Maybe you hit your sibling intentionally, said something spiteful and regretted it later, ripped someone off simply because you could at the time? Have you hurt somebody and hoped and prayed that it could simply be forgiven by them because you weren’t willing, or coulnd’t give them the justice they deserved from you?

Okay, unpause. 

Here we have the bulk of this letter from Paul with the offender Onesimus in his care, to Philemon, the one who has been wronged. 

Paul doesn’t talk directly about Jesus’ death and resurrection in this letter because he’s talking to two Christians who he is sharing the implications of being a Christian with. In this heated and hard situation, he is reminding Philemon of the love and forgiveness Christ has shown to them all. He is reminding Philemon of their equality before Christ as equal sharers in God’s gift of love and forgiveness. 

Paul even goes so far as to ask of Philemon, not in command or compulsion, but in Christian love, to receive Onesimus back no longer as a slave, but as a beloved brother in the Lord. Paul asks Philemon for the sake of the love all three of them have received from Jesus, to welcome him back and whatever Onesimus owes him to charge it to himself. Paul offers, living out in life Christ’ story of love and sacrifice, to pay the debt that is owed. 

This story, this scenario Paul is asking, is UNHEARD OF! What master would let a slave rip him off and take off, and then welcome him back as in a hugely elevated state as a brother??? It’s insane. It’s illogical. Yet, it is exactly what Christ has done for you and me. He has paid all our debt. He has loved us undeserving ones and welcomed us into the kingdom of heaven as heirs.

He calls you and me to do, to live, as Paul is asking Philemon treat Onesimus. It’s insane, it’s illogical, it even seems unjust – if Christ’ payment for us all is left out of the equation.

Yet, Christ is in the picture. He has paid all our massive debts of sins against Him. He has given us back our lives that were damned to Hell. He asks us to use our forgiveness to love and forgive those who are underserving in our lives and tell them of His love and forgiveness for them, too. 

The effect that the gospel reading from today has, you know the one about hating your family, is that we should not love our earthly family more that our family of God. We should not deny our faith in Christ and all he has done in favour of our family. It’s the cost of discipleship and in faith Christ has paid for all our shortcomings and still calls us to love him and our family of faith above the rest. 

He calls us to love and forgive all people even as He has loved and forgiven us all in Christ. 

We don’t know what happened with Philemon and Onesimus. The Scriptures do not tell us. We do not know if Philemon turned him away and never forgave. We do not know if Onesimus chickened out and ran off again. But Paul is confident they will both do the right thing out of their love for Christ. Regardless, of how the story ended we know what the right thing is to do. May God continually give us the strength to do it all our life through.

In Him Name, 

Amen.