1 RADICAL FORGIVENESS Philemon April 13, 2008 Crossroads, La Paz, Mexico Pastor Joyce Anderson-Reed This morning we are going to study an entire book of the Bible! It is one of the letters of Paul and you=ll find it sandwiched between the books Titus and Hebrews in the New Testament. (Read the book of Philemon) As we read the opening verses of Philemon, we quickly discovered several things about his letter. First, it was written while Paul was in chains, and, due to the contents of this letter & studying Paul=s travels, most scholars believe he is probably in Ephesus. Second, we learn that this letter is a personal letter to three friends: Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus. But it is also a corporate letter, as Paul addresses the church that meets in their home. This alone makes the letter somewhat unusual as all the other letters written by Paul and preserved in the New Testament are written solely to churches, and not individuals. Third, because this particular letter was named APhilemon@ in the New Testament, it is safe to assume that the body of the letter is specifically addressed to Philemon. Obviously a Christian since a church meets in his home, he is a man whose faith has a strong influence. Even Paul has heard about him in prison. Paul commends Philemon on his gift of Arefreshing the hearts of the saints.@ It appears that Philemon=s house was like an oasis in the desert, where God=s people came away refreshed and rested. In verse 6, Paul encourages Philemon to be active in sharing his faith, because his sharing will bring him to a fuller understanding of God. We learn about Christ by giving to others, says Paul. By emptying ourselves, we are filled with Christ. When you are openhanded and open hearted, it is a sure way to learn more about the wealth of Christ. Paul has begun his letter by establishing a relationship with Philemon. He encourages him in his faith, and gently prods him to keep growing in Christ. And then, in verse 8, Paul begins to move towards his intent for writing to Philemon in the first place. He begins by appealing to Philemon in love, and not by authority. He says, AI could order you what I am about to request, but I am choosing not to. Instead, I am appealing to you out of love, as a Christian brother, as an old man, and a as a prisoner of Jesus Christ.@ He begins to peak Philemon=s interest. Just what is it that Paul is going to ask him to do?! And then Paul drops the bombshell in verse 10: I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who
became my son while I was in chains. Onesimus. The name means nothing to you and me, until verse 16, when we learn that he is Philemon=s run away slave. But Philemon would have recognized the name immediately. A variety of emotions must have flashed through him simultaneously: anger, frustration, confusion, fear. A runaway slave was a very serious matter in the Roman Empire. At this point in history, probably 60A.D., there were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire. They made up a critical component of Rome=s social and economic structure. An unpunished, runaway slave was seen as a threat to the whole structure. As a result, runaway slaves were considered criminals. Upon discover they were either immediately put to death, or were branded on the forehead with the letter AF@, standing for fugitive. As a Roman citizen, Philemon had very few choices for how to deal with Onesimus. But Paul offers him a new option: a Christian alternative: radical forgiveness. It was a considerable risk, for all parties involved. Paul begins to state his case. First, he makes a play on the name Onesimus, which in Greek means Auseful.@ Paul points out to Philemon that while once Onesimus was useless to him, he is now very useful to Paul. In fact, by sending him back to Philemon, Paul is sending a bit of his own heart. Onesimus has become like a son to Paul. We do not know how Onesimus and Paul met. Onesimus ran away to Ephesus, became a Christian while there, and somehow met Paul. He comes into Paul=s service while Paul is in prison. While with him, a bond grows between them, and eventually Onesimus confesses to Paul where he came from. They then faced the dilemma of what to do next. Their answer appears to be this letter to Philemon by Paul on Onesimus= behalf. Paul knows he must send Onesimus back and await Philemon=s assessment of the situation. The behavior of Onesimus could not be excused. But in sending him back, Paul was going to plead his case well. Paul does not make excuses for Onesimus. But he does state the changes in Onesimus= lifestyle. He is useful now. Paul claims that in Christ, the useless person has been made useful. Christianity does not allow Onesimus to escape his past and run away from it, but instead enables him to face his past and rise above it. Yes Philemon, Onesimus did run away, but he comes back as a Christian. Yes Philemon, Onesimus did run away as a slave, but he comes back as a brother in Christ. Yes Philemon, Onesimus has done you wrong, stolen from you, made a mistake, but he comes back to you humbly, asking for forgiveness. Welcome him as you would welcome me, says Paul. 2
3 If he has done you any wrong, charge it to me, says Paul. I am confident of your obedience, says Paul. In fact, Philemon, I know you will do even more than I ask!, says Paul. Wouldn=t you like Paul to be your defense lawyer! His plea in a nutshell: If Christ can forgive Onesimus, if I can forgive Onesimus, then you, Philemon, can forgive Onesimus too. Regardless of race, economic condition, social status, Paul points out that we are one family in Christ. He is attempting to persuade Philemon to forgive the crime and receive Onesimus as a new friend in Christ, despite the fact that he is Philemon=s runaway slave. Radical Forgiveness: letting go of the old, and embracing the new. This type of forgiveness is a theme we have all struggled with in our lives. Perhaps you can identify with one of the three persons in our story this morning. 1. Perhaps you can identify with Philemon: someone has seriously offended you, stolen from you, violated you, but now he or she seeks reconciliation. How will you respond? 2. Perhaps you can identify with Onesimus: you have seriously offended another person, but because of Christ in your life, you now seek forgiveness and reconciliation. Will the offended party accept you back? 3. Perhaps you can identify with Paul: you know someone who has run away from a serious situation, but now this person has changed, they have repented in Christ, they wish to go back and correct their mistakes, and you are serving as their advocate. What do you say on their behalf? How can you persuade the offended party that a true change of heart has occurred? This entire situation hinges on how these three men will live out the Gospel message. For Philemon, if he truly believes in the forgiveness of Christ in his own life, then he must evaluate the conversion of Onesimus in this same light. The knowledge of the truth has set Onesimus free. Philemon should welcome Onesimus back as a Christian brother. For Onesimus, if he has truly integrated the love and forgiveness of Christ into his life, then he knows that he must go back to Philemon. He must right his wrongs and face the consequences of his actions. And he must trust God=s will at work; he must trust that God=s Spirit will prepare Philemon to accept him back. For Paul, he has placed his trust in both Philemon=s and Onesimus= conversion experience. He expects the best from both of them. If they both have experienced the transforming power of God in their lives, then he can be confident of their reconciliation and reunion in Christ.
4 So, how does this story end? What really happened to Onesimus? Scripture does not record an answer elsewhere. However, we can assume a positive outcome based on two speculations. First, of all of Paul=s personal letters to countless people, why was this particular one saved and made a part of the New Testament? If Onesimus was on his way back to slavery, that question seems unanswerable. But, if he was on his way out of slavery due to Philemon=s forgiveness, then an answer immediately suggests itself! This letter was preserved to model the concept of radical forgiveness in Christ. Second, about 50 years after Paul wrote this letter, we have preserved in history another letter, this one by Ignatius, one of the great Christian saints & martyrs of his day. In his letter Ignatius records of his journey from Antioch to Rome. He is to be executed, and as he travels towards his execution in Rome, he writes letters to the bishops of the churches of Asia Minor. One of these letters is to the Bishop of the Church of Ephesus, about whom he has many wonderful things to say. The name of the Bishop of Ephesus: Onesimus. And in his letter, Ignatius makes the same pun on his name that Paul did: that once he was useless; but now he is useful in Christ. Scholars think it very likely that the great Bishop of Ephesus is the same runaway slave of Philemon. It appears that Philemon and Onesimus did reconcile, that Onesimus did return to Paul=s service, and eventually Onesiums assumed great leadership in the Christian church at Ephesus. Radical forgiveness can become a life changing event in the life of another person. Especially when it is done in the name of Christ. Let me close with this story: In his book Hidden in Plain Sight, author and pastor Mark Buchanan writes about a woman named Regine. Originally from Rwanda, Regine came to Christ while reading her sister's Bible during the genocide that ravaged her country. When she fled to Canada for refuge, she met her husband, Gordon. They decided to return to Rwanda to show the love of Christ to the people who had once been her enemies. Regine told Mark Buchanan this story of radical forgiveness based on agape love which is a self-sacrificing love: A woman's only son was killed. She was consumed with grief and hate and bitterness. "God," she prayed, "reveal my son's killer." One night she dreamed she was going to heaven. But there was a complication: in order to get to heaven she had to pass through a certain house. She had to walk down the street, enter the house through the front door, go through its rooms, up the stairs, and exit through the back door. She asked God whose house this was. "It's the house," he told her, "of your son's killer." The road to heaven passed through the house of her enemy. Two nights later, there was a knock at her door. She opened it, and there stood a young man. He was about her son's age. "Yes?" He hesitated. Then he said, "I am the one who killed your son. Since that day, I have had no life. No peace. So here I am. I am placing my life in your hands.
Kill me. I am dead already. Throw me in jail. I am in prison already. Torture me. I am in torment already. Do with me as you wish." 5 The woman had prayed for this day. Now it had arrived, and she didn't know what to do. She found, to her own surprise, that she did not want to kill him. Or throw him in jail. Or torture him. In that moment of reckoning, she found she only wanted one thing: a son. "I ask this of you. Come into my home and live with me. Eat the food I would have prepared for my son. Wear the clothes I would have made for my son. Become the son I lost." And so he did. Agape lovers do what God himself has done, making sons and daughters out of bitter enemies, feeding and clothing them, blazing a trail to heaven straight through their houses. (Mark Buchanan, Hidden in Plain Sight, Thomas Nelson, 2007, pp. 187-189) Where do you need to give forgiveness? Where do you need to ask for forgiveness? Where do you need to be an advocate for forgiveness? Philemon, Onesimus, Paul... a woman in Rwanda... to you and me here in Mexico: their stories intertwine with our stories, and change our live. Amen. may