Jesus told us to make disciples. But what does effective discipleship really look like? And how
much would you sacrifice to disciple just one person? Philemon is the Apostle Paul’s shortest
letter, but as we take the time to understand the background of this book we will see that
it is one of the most personal, and applicational letters that he wrote. We’ll also see how far he
would go to disciple just one person, and in the process transform how we are to see one another.
At the time when he’s writing this letter, Paul was under house arrest
in Rome for preaching the Gospel. He was set to stand trial before Caesar Nero in Rome,
and was waiting there for about two years before he got his chance before Nero. He intended to
make the case before Caesar that both he and Christianity were not a threat to the peace of
Rome. While awaiting his trial, he could have visitors, and he continued to do his ministry,
spreading the faith and strengthening Christian communities by writing letters.
Eventually, a runaway slave named Onesimus shows up at his door… this isn’t just any runaway slave,
but this slave belongs to a Christian leader that Paul has discipled many years ago - Philemon!
Wait a second… what is a Christian leader like Philemon doing with a slave??
At this time, they were under the Roman Empire, and one of the biggest driver’s
of the Empire’s economy was its reliance on slavery. Many of the wealthiest people owned
slaves to do things like: work on their farms, oversee aspects of their business;
or even educate their children, or act as their own personal doctor. Though some slave
owners treated their slaves with a lot of cruelty, others were actually quite friendly
towards their slaves, even letting them free after a number of years of faithful service.
The Roman laws for slavery saw slaves as the property of the master,
and they came down very harshly on anything that could come across as slavery rebellion.
If a slave ran away, the owner could have them tortured or even branded.
And if that slave was a continuous problem,
the owner could have them crucified. And if someone showed hospitality to a
runaway slave, they could be held liable for any financial loss caused while the slave was away.
Now back to Paul and Onesimus, the runaway slave. When he arrived at Paul’s door,
that presented a very large dilemma for Paul. Remember, Paul is trying to make the case that
both he and the message of Christianity are not a threat to the peace of Rome.
At this point, Paul really has two options:
He can think of the “greater good” of his own upcoming case before Caesar,
and turn Onesimus away. After all, he’s got so much at stake: this is the legal reputation
of all Christians in the world, not to mention that Paul’s own life is at stake in this trial.
Or, risk it all for the sake of just this one individual despite the legal ramifications.
So what does he do? Like a loving father, he makes a decision that the life, salvation, and
well-being of this one person is more important than his own life, and even his own upcoming
trial. He takes him in; he disciples him; and he trains him up in what it means to ultimately be a
disciple of Jesus. Paul challenges Onesimus to take the next step in his journey with Christ:
he’s got to return to his slave owner Philemon, and ask for forgiveness for what he has done.
Onesimus knows what Philemon could do to him according to the law.
Paul also knows the laws concerning what he has done,
with showing hospitality to a runaway slave, and the trouble he could get into.
And yet, here they are… Knowing all of this, Onesimus is now returning to Philemon,
only holding onto this short letter from Paul, and his own apology. This is a very personal,
but also very powerful book, where Paul is challenging the social norms,
and giving tremendous value to an individual who their society views as the lowest of the low.
Now that you have this understanding of the background of the book,
and the weight of what is going on here, what can we learn about what it means to actually be
a disciple of Jesus? And what can we learn about what it means to disciple others? For instance,
now when we read the book, how does Paul continue to disciple a mature Christian
like Philemon in this circumstance? Or, how does Paul disciple a young Christian like Onesimus?
When Paul takes in Onesimus, he knows what is at stake here. And yet, in verses 18 and 19
what does Paul do? He takes on all of the debts and burdens that Onesimus may owe,
so that HE can be free. Paul is not only owning up to his own legal responsibilities should
Philemon seek them out, but he’s also showing us today what true discipleship looks like.
So in the end looking at Paul’s example, who is actually the slave in this book?
This book leaves us with a challenge: how much would we sacrifice to disciple just
one person? As their story impacts our lives today, this is called ‘the Philemon Effect’.