December 28th
Fourth Day of Christmas
For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality. Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Colossians 3:25- 4:1
Philemon was both a Christian and a slave owner. This does not justify slavery. Instead, this shows the complicated nature of spiritual transformation. We all hold onto cultural sins. And God invites all of us to let go, to allow Him to change us. And for those that refuse to act justly, God will judge.
Philemon owned a runaway slave named Onesimus. Paul somehow met Onesimus who became a believer in Jesus Christ. According to Philemon 1:10 and 12, Paul describes Onesimus as “his child” and “my own heart.” In other words, Paul loved Onesimus. But Paul felt an obligation to send Onesimus back to his master. So, Paul sent Onesimus home, but with a short letter for the church, a letter that later becomes Scripture.
In this letter, Paul argues for Onesimus’ freedom, appealing to Philemon in love. Paul doesn’t “cancel” Philemon, but appeals to his faith. Paul also appeals to community persuasion. Paul intends this letter to be publicly read, yet the letter seems very personal. With such a public reading, I can imagine some loving pressure put on Philemon.
So, how does this apply to us? These passages show us a Godly perspective on power and provides us an alternative pathway for addressing social justice concerns. In Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, Andy Crouch says this:
“Paul chooses something different. Though he is ‘able to command,’ he does not. Instead, he wants Philemon’s good deed to be ‘voluntary and not something forced.’ For all the direct and indirect pressure Paul is placing on Philemon, he is concerned above all to preserve Philemon’s capacity to act in his own right as an image bearer, not to grudgingly acquiesce to Paul’s authority. Nor will Paul let Onesimus off the hook of his own image-bearing responsibility. He is called to stay in relationship with his master… What Paul seeks above all is to restore true power to everyone in Philemon’s social world – to Philemon and Onesimus, Apphia and Acrchippus – the power that comes from love, faith, family, partnership, generosity, hospitality, and ultimate grace.”
Paul’s goal was to reorient the power structure, but in such a way that preserved the image bearers. True power comes from love, faith, family, partnership, generosity, hospitality, and grace.
Jesus’s birth, life, and death embodied this power. Today, Jesus invites us to follow in His footsteps, to live in true sacrificial power. During this season of Christmas, let us seek justice, not through coercion, but through love and grace.
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