DAILY WORD
3/11/21
10. I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison.
11. Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us.
12. I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.
Philemon 1:10–12 NLT
Today’s Passage takes us from the setup to the subject matter. Paul has been setting up his subject throughout the beginning of this Letter, while letting the man he was writing to, Philemon, know just how it was that he felt about him and his service to the Church.
There is an obvious Love and Appreciation shared between these two men, however, Paul has a very heavy request to make of Philemon. This is the reason he has spent so much time addressing his Gratitude toward him.
Now, as we approach Verse 10, we finally get to the meat of the matter. Paul has written this entire Letter to address the return of a runaway slave named, Onesimus. He apparently ran away from Philemon’s home, presumably taking with him food and supplies to aid him on his journey. And what a journey it was!
The trek from Colosse, in what is now Western Turkey, to Rome in Italy, is over 1300 miles, with at least one sea voyage involved. It is highly unlikely that Onesimus would have been able to make this journey without having stolen either money, food, or other essential supplies from his master, Philemon.
The reason for his leaving is not mentioned. It may have been mistreatment or any number of other reasons but to be sure, he left without his “employer’s” permission, and even given the laws of that day, he was subject to severe punishment if he was caught and returned to his master, even up to and including death.
How Onesimus made it all the way to Rome, and why he ended up with Paul, ministering to him as he languished in prison, is not clear either. What is clear is what happened next. Onesimus was converted to Christianity through his exposure to Paul’s teaching and influence. Paul writes, “I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:” (KJV) This is an indication that he both became a Christian and Ministered to Paul all while he was in prison.
Paul knows full well what could befall Onesimus if he is captured. He is well aware of the laws and he surely would have known what Onesimus had taken, as well as his behavior prior to his departure for Rome. This is made clear by what he writes in Verse 11, “Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:”
This shows us that Paul and Onesimus have had conversations specific to Onesimus’s situation. He’d have known why he left, what kind of treatment he was receiving, and what he may have taken to help him complete the trip to Rome. However, it is also clear that Onesimus has done some growing along the way.
He had been all but useless to Philemon, likely being a bad worker, recalcitrant, unmanageable, and noncompliant. He ran away, stole, and then had the audacity to go and tell on his master to a higher authority. But Paul had Onesimus’s number.
He not only made sure Onesimus repented of his poor behavior but he converted him and then sent him back to Philemon. He became useful to Paul in prison and through his actions, Paul knew that he would finally be of some use to Philemon as well. Now all he had to do was accept him back without killing him!
Paul is still a Christian Leader, and as such, given that slavery was still a legal practice in the region at the time, he knew that he had an obligation to have Onesimus return to Philemon. This would have been a difficult conversation to have with the new convert but it was essential to the moral responsibility of both Paul and his new convert.
Just because doing the right thing is difficult that does not mean that as Christians, we shouldn’t do it. On the contrary, it is the difficulty of the action that makes such tasks the model of Christianity.
So many people think that Christians, because of our submission to Christ and His Statutes, are weak and spineless, irresolute in our convictions, only relying on God as a crutch, never standing up on our own strength.
Nothing could be further from the truth and this Letter is a clear example of this Fact. It takes more inner strength and determination to go against the grain, and even many times our own emotion, than it does to acquiesce and fold to the pressures of conformity.
Once Onesimus became a Christian, Paul knew that it was only a matter of time before he sent him back to Philemon. Now, knowing all this, it becomes abundantly clear why he approached the early portion of the letter the way he did.
Paul is about to ask Philemon to do something that goes against the mores of the law, and he is doing it not to defy the rules but to promote Christ’s Love. He writes, “Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:”
Paul has sent Onesimus back to Philemon after he ran away, sending him with this Letter, and he asks him to receive him like he is, in essence, Paul’s own son. This is a big ask from a man that has had a slave run away from him and likely his possessions stolen in the process.
But Paul is not done, there is more to come in this Letter that shows us both Paul’s Leadership Qualities and just how much influence he wields, as well as his love for both parties, and his desire to see the Church grow through the conversion of all people, regardless of their social or economic status.
Paul is a True Leader in the fact that he refuses to shirk his duties and let Onesimus off without doing the right thing. However, he does not just send him off like a lamb to the slaughter. He sends him back into the potential lion’s den with the protection of God’s Love and his own recommendation.
As Christians, we have to do the right thing, even when it may mean our receiving punitive recompense for our actions. We are responsible for our behavior which is why we should always try to act right in the first place.
But when we do slip up, just because we confess to God and He forgives us, that does not mean that we get off scot-free. There are often penalties to pay for our actions that have to be remunerated before we can be in line with God’s Law.
When you try to hide your sin, God sees, and He will make sure that you pay the price one way or another. Like Numbers 32:23 tells us, “Be sure your sin will find you out”. It is always better, regardless of the pain, to face your transgressions and take the punishment, because man’s penalty is temporal, God’s is Eternal. The last thing you ever want to do is miss out on Heaven over a simple mistake!
Have a Thought-Provoking Thursday and Remember; It’s Better to do what’s Right, and Feel Some Pain than to Hide your Sin and Feel the Burn!
#dailyword
