Be Still - January 14, 2023

Philemon 1-25 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker . . . The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (NIV)

[Read the entire passage.]

To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same thing as to be right in doing it.*

Paul’s letter to Philemon is a masterpiece of tact, diplomacy, and loving confrontation. He uses his powers of persuasion on behalf of Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave, who has become a Christian. 

Paul’s strategy is this: 

1. Say lots of nice things about Philemon. Who wouldn’t be swayed when someone tells you that you have “refreshed the hearts of the saints”? 

2. Remind Philemon of his (Paul’s) authority to order him to do the right thing while tossing in a little play for sympathy by mentioning that he is an old man and a prisoner. 

3. Say nice things about Onesimus. 

4. Tell Philemon what he should do – if he were going to tell him what to do! 

5. Offer to make restitution for Onesimus’ debts and wrongs while reminding Philemon that “you owe me your very self.” 

6. Threaten to drop in for a visit. 

This story has three main characters, each faced with an ethical dilemma. Putting aside your distaste for slavery, how would you handle each situation? Philemon, a Christian, was within his legal rights to own slaves and to enforce those rights. For Onesimus, now a Christian, it may seem like the right thing to return to face the consequences, but he could be marked for death. Paul, who was friends with both men, could have wielded his authority as an apostle to order Philemon to do what he should do, but he allowed Philemon to weigh his options for himself: to exercise his legal rights as a slave owner, or to accept Onesimus as a brother. 

Every day, Christians face sticky ethical dilemmas. Right and wrong are never interchangeable and yet, some things that we have the right to do - and which in themselves are not wrong – can still be wrong. How are we supposed to know what to do? And what if you were in Paul’s position? Would you be able to speak up for the sake of a brother who has been wronged? Would you be willing to confront a brother who is wrong? 

Well, what would Jesus do? Would he take action without first seeking guidance from his Father? Would he be prepared with the appropriate scripture to address the circumstances? Get ready to follow his example in an ethically challenged world.

What seems right and reasonable to human beings is often totally out of harmony with God’s ways.*