Aaron Shelton. An Exegesis: Philemon Dr. Kelly Liebengood 11/21/11. Paul s Prison Letters

Transcription

1 ! Aaron Shelton An Exegesis: Philemon 8-22 Dr. Kelly Liebengood 11/21/11 Paul s Prison Letters

2 Shelton, 2! The book of Philemon is an extraordinary letter sent from the Apostle Paul to a dear friend in Colossi. This letter reveals the love and transformation of a slave and begins to unravel the mystery of life in the church. There are a few interpretive options of the text that we must pay attention to. Within this paper we will discuss the background information and the context, analyze the main message and its interpretive options, and look at a modern application of the text. Context! Paul begins his letter with his usual greeting and thanksgiving. He thanks Philemon and the church in his home for their love and faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. He thanks them for their refreshing spirit and prays for their ministry to be effective and useful. Next, Paul shifts from his normal letter writing and begins to plea for Onesimus. Onesimus, a slave, has come in contact with Paul in Rome and has become a Christian. It quickly becomes clear that Paul has written this letter to argue for Onesimus. He is writing on behalf of a slave who has, as some commentators would say, stolen from his master and fled to Rome. Paul is writing to Philemon, the owner of Onesimus, to forgive his slave and to welcome him back not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Paul is not just addressing this specific situation, but beginning to reinterpret how the early church was to view Christian slaves. In today s world we would say this is a rather simple fix. We see slavery as wrong, therefore the early church should just abolish it. This would be ignoring the cultural factors impinging upon the text.... We know far less than we thought we did, since the status of slaves in the Roman world is still problematic. (Wilson, 91) Paul is fighting not only against a personal offense

3 Shelton, 3 committed by Onesimus 1 but also against the Roman cultural mindset. The Greco- Roman slave system was an integral part of every aspect of life in Paul s time. (Hawthorne, 881) Slaves did everything from farming to running Roman estates. They were given quite a few liberties including a peculium 2 and choice of religious worship. However, slaves were also held to strict laws that prohibited them from running away from their masters. Often runaway slaves were executed or crucified for fleeing their owners. Anyone found harboring a runaway slave was severely punished if not executed with them. Paul is now showing the church that Rome doesn t have the final say in the treatment of slaves. They aren t to just treat them as slaves like society is saying they should, but as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul is begging for Onesimus freedom because he is useful to him in his ministry. Thus the test for freedom for slaves was not an abstract moral imperative calling for the abolition of slavery but an answer to the question Given the fact of slaver, what are its advantages for the proclamation of the gospel? (Hawthorne, 882) This begins scratching the surface of what Paul is truly trying to address in this letter. The Main Message! Paul, beginning this letter as he did any other, has now dropped an unexpected bomb on Philemon in the heart of the letter. He asked a man to forgive a slave who stole from him and ran away. All Philemon s friends would have been telling him to turn Onesimus in and have his slave made an example of for the other runaways. Paul is 1 Assumed with support from verse Slave wages accumulated over time to purchase things, often their freedom.

4 Shelton, 4 exposing the true nature of Christ, his forgiveness and love. Onesimus, a slave who is now reconciled to God, is now in the process of being reconciled to a fellow believer. Paul called out Philemon in front of his entire congregation 3 to receive him 4 as you would receive me. It s very important here to recognize the language Paul used. Paul had the authority as an Apostle to tell fellow Christians what they should do. In the English translations it appears he was ordering Philemon to forgive Onesimus, but in the Greek he was not demanding. Rather, Paul was appealing to Philemon on the basis of love. Paul himself was demonstrating Christlike actions as he was willingly laying down his authority to demand Philemon like Christ willingly laid down his authority over life. 5 He was asking Philemon to accept Onesimus back not of his own accord, but as a reflection of the love Philemon has experienced from Christ. Philemon was then forced to make a decision to either follow the culture or follow Christ.! This text shows us that we as Christians are to no longer live in the way that culture or society dictates. Rather, we are to follow the example Christ has shown us. The book of Philemon shows us that love and forgiveness are to be at the heart of who we are. We have been transformed by the power of the gospel 6 and this transformation affects our lives and our relationships. 7 We are now to see our fellow brothers and 3 This letter was likely read to the entire church that met in Philemon s house. 4 Onesimus 5 For a short time. 6 formerly he was useless but now he is indeed useful. 7 Receive him no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother.

5 Shelton, 5 sisters in Christ through a new lens. We are not to view them by social status or rank but by the simple fact that they are followers of Christ.! As for any section of Biblical text, there is always some uncertainty in interpretation. Philemon is not exempt from this, and many scholars argue who Onesimus was and why he came to Paul. One view claims that he was a commissioned servant, sent by Philemon to aid Paul and he simply overstayed his commission. This fails to stand up to examination as Philemon wouldn t send a useless slave to attend to Paul. There is also the matter of reimbursement that Paul speaks of in verse 18 that disproves this theory. Another view see s Onesimus as a prodigal brother who wronged the family and fled to Paul to right the situation. This is based on the argument that nowhere in the letter was Philemon referred to as a master. This now relies on how you interpret verse 16 as either literally or metaphorically. For me, Onesimus name, meaning profitable or useful, disproves this theory because this name was commonly given to slaves. The last view is that Onesimus was a runaway slave and came across Paul in Rome. Paul was then attempting to right the wrong that was done. I personally agree with the last interpretation based on the language used in the text as well as the overall tone of the letter. Application! The application for this passage seems simple enough; love and forgive just as Christ has done for you. Christians have been chasing this timeless principle since it was first taught and we all have fallen short. Due to our sinful nature it seems as if we

6 Shelton, 6 are unable to achieve this, but through Christ we can be transformed and live out a life worthy of his name. Romans 12 teaches us that in him we can be changed through the renewal of our mind to live a new life. Here Paul was teaching us that we need to be transformed and not let our cultural influences get in the way of loving and forgiving as we should. Today I feel like many Christians get so caught up in their social circles that they forget who they serve. Christians remove are wronged by someone and rather than forgive, they will gossip and store up bitterness for weeks. Christ didn t die for us to continue in our sinful ways. Just as Paul asked Philemon to forgive a man who wronged him, we are to forgive those who wrong us. Not because it s the right thing to do, but because we have been transformed in Christ and this new life reflects the reconciliation we experienced. The current practice in the church is, for the most part, childlike and selfish. I often wonder if people truly have experienced the renewal of Christ when their lives show no evidence of his love. As Paul said, Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. We need to let what the Lord has begun in each of our lives become a reality in our relationships with one another.! Paul broke ground on how we are to live as Christians and how we are to treat one another with his letter to Philemon. The treatment of one Christian, a slave, was in the balance between Imperial social justice and the Christian walk. This letter has laid the foundational application of love and forgiveness in the church today. We analyzed the background information and the context, looked into the main message and its interpretive options, and investigated a modern application of the text.

7 Shelton, 7 Works Cited Garland, David. The NIV Application Commentary From Biblical Text... to Contemporary! Life Colossians/Philemon. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Print. Gorman, Michael. Apostle of the Crucified Lord, A Theological Introduction to Paul & His! Letters. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Print. Hawthorne, Gerald. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity! Press, Print. O'Brien, Peter. Word Biblical Commentary, Colossians, Philemon. 44. Waco, Tx: Word! Books, Print. Wilson, Robert. "Colossians and Philemon." Interpretation. January. (2008): ! Print. All scripture references come from the ESV translation. Some information was adapted from the ESV Study Bible.