Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 18, Year C
The Apostle Paul’s letter to Philemon has three main characters. There is Paul, a Jewish convert to Christianity, a former persecutor of the church who is currently in a Roman prison because of his teaching and preaching. He’s writing to Philemon, a wealthy leader of the church in Colossae who along with a quarter of the citizens of that time was a slave owner. The subject of their correspondence is the third character, Onesimus who is enslaved by Philemon. Onesimus has either been loaned to Paul to serve him while he’s imprisoned or has escaped slavery, met Paul and Timothy and is now a converted Christian.
The relationships between these three are complicated, to say the least! Paul is a respected leader in the church, a mentor to both Onesimus, to whom he is like a father and Philemon, who owes Paul his very self. Philemon is a co-worker, a dear friend, a generous donor to the ministry, perhaps even a bishop in the Colossian community. He is also the enslaver of Onesimus who because of his departure or escape has now become useless to Philemon, unable or unwilling to provide service and yet still holding financial value as a commodity.
Onesimus, who has served both men, is now a beloved brother in Christ, a fellow Christian, useful and valued by Paul, who hopes Onesimus will continue to be with him while he’s in prison.
Every time I’ve read or thought about the book of Philemon, I’ve focused on Paul’s position, his incredibly sophisticated rhetoric and argument, and his theology which is radical and upends the legal customs of the times. Paul’s writings and teaching have as their foundation, the grace and love of God which brings together people who might otherwise be estranged from one another into one Body in Christ. This is the same guy who wrote, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” This has resonated especially with my experience as a Christian convert. It is also reflected in the social and political values I was brought up with.
This time around, I also considered Philemon’s position. After all, he had a legal right in that time and place to own slaves. It was a common custom. It’s possible that Onesimus had escaped and was a fugitive. Even if Paul promises to make the financial loss right, he is asking Philemon to receive this returned slave as a full equal, a brother who might sit down at the same table with him. It will upset all the household dynamics and cause chaos. What if all the other slaves convert and ask to be freed? This would be a break with tradition and a strain on his own finances, let alone the larger economy. There is a legal process to be released from slavery, and that’s what should be followed. Besides, Paul is in prison and may soon be executed. What will happen to Onesimus then? Will he come back to Philemon asking for support, employment, and a return to his former state?
But there is a third character in this predicament, one whose very life and livelihood depend on the decisions and actions of the other two, one who doesn’t have a say in where he goes, what he does or how he lives. Onesimus. We don’t know what he wants, but I imagine it includes his freedom.
Recently I read a novel by Percival Everett. It tells the story of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, but instead of telling it from Huck’s perspective as a rambunctious, adventurous lad, the tale is told by Jim, the slave who goes with Huck. But as the title of the book makes it clear, the narrator is James, a fully formed character of great depth and complexity. Through his eyes, the adventures look very, very different – a matter of life and death, slavery and freedom, hope and despair.
Philemon risks losing his financial investment if he frees Onesimus. Paul risks losing a beloved and helpful servant if Philemon takes Onesimus back, but Onesimus has no say in the matter. We never hear what he wants, who he loves and where he wishes to be. It’s disturbing to think that despite all Paul believes and preaches about freedom in Christ, the systems of this world can continue to hold the precious children of God in bondage.
Jesus has come to set us all free. In Christ we are fellow heirs of God’s grace and mercy. Each one of us is “marvelously made,” a valued member of Christ’s Body. As Paul wrote and we proclaim whenever we celebrate baptism, “There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
And yet, through the centuries Christians have used the letter to Philemon and other passages from the Bible to justify chattel slavery, second class citizenship for women, rejection of full humanity for queer folk and many forms of discrimination and exclusion. In every generation, the forces of custom, law, family tradition, economic forces and prejudice may be in opposition to the transforming power of the love of God in Christ. Even now, the treatment of immigrants, antipathy towards the poor, homeless and addicted, political division, racism and heterosexism prevent us from sitting down at a common table with one another.
The unjust system of slavery separated Philemon and Onesimus. Even worse, the required punishment for Onesimus would be terribly harsh if he were to return to his master. And yet, that is what Paul has suggested should happen. He is sending Onesimus back to that horrible situation, with the added possibility of severe judgement for his desertion.
But Paul is hopeful that there is a force greater than slavery, greater than the self-interest of the powerful or an unjust system. What Paul is counting on is the transformative power of the gospel. He knows that the wealthy and powerful Philemon and the powerless and vulnerable run-away slave are also brothers in Christ. More than that, Paul is like a father to Onesimus. And Onesimus has become Paul’s heart.
Paul doesn’t deal with the unjust system or order Philemon to welcome Onesimus back. Instead he appeals to love, the greatest force in human relationships. He loves both Philemon and Onesimus and he hopes that they might live in love towards one another. Paul is willing to pay the price financially for whatever has been lost. He is willing to pay the price of his own reputation in standing up for Onesimus and risk the loss of Philemon’s support. He is even willing to give up Onesimus’s companionship so that the relationship between Philemon and Onesimus can be reconciled.
What Paul hopes and longs for is so radical that he even wonders if this whole situation came about for this very purpose, so that “Philemon might have Onesimus back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother, … both in the flesh and in the Lord.”
What would it be like if the transformative power of the gospel reached into the unjust systems in our society? What if illegal immigrants who work, raise families and participate in the community were given a path to citizenship rather than deported and walled away from the life they have here? What if drug users who are willing to try rehabilitation, could do so rather than be jailed? What if churches were no longer the most segregated, public gathering places on Sunday mornings? What if we took the risks to love ALL of our neighbors as if they were brothers and sisters?
I’m grateful that Jesus doesn’t say that this will be easy. Instead he makes it clear that we may end up in conflict with those closest to us. We will experience suffering and pain as we follow Christ in the way of the cross, sacrificing our own rights and comforts for the sake of others. We will no longer find ourselves only at tables with well-educated liberals like Paul or with wealthy conservatives like Philemon, but instead we will be sitting all together with Jesus as our host and Onesimus as the honored guest.
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