Start:Stop - Paul the Persuader

We are all one in Jesus Christ by Soichi Watanabe, 2009

Hello, my name is Phillip Dawson, welcome to this week’s Start:Stop reflection from St Stephen Walbrook, in which we stop for ten minutes to reflect on a passage from scripture. You can hear an audio recording of this reflection at this link.

Whether it’s the issue of Brexit or Free School Meals, our news bulletins are never short of personalities attempting to practice the art of persuasion. At times it can feel as though we are inundated with requests to sign online petitions aiming to precipitate yet another policy u-turn. Perhaps we have put pen to paper, writing to our MP or others in authority, encouraging them to change their position on an issue of concern to us.

Paul’s letter to Philemon might be seen as the epitome of persuasive Christian letter-writing and, I think, has much to teach us in this regard;

Bible Reading - Philemon 10-21

I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

Reflection

The Epistle to Philemon is the shortest of Paul’s surviving letters - just over three hundred words in the original Greek. Many believe it is also one of the last written before his martyrdom. Paul tells us that the letter was written by his own hand while he was in prison, during which time he had been attended to by Onesimus, a slave, who had fled from the house of his master, Philemon. Paul’s letter seems to imply that Onesimus stole - or caused Philemon to lose - a great deal of money or property before he fled.

We know from other writings that survive from the time that Philemon was an important and influential figure who converted to the faith after hearing Paul preach. Paul’s letter suggests he was a wealthy man; he owned a house in Colossae which was large enough to function as a meeting place for the church. Perhaps it was knowledge of this connection that brought Onesimus to Paul in prison? Whatever the reason, Paul’s letter suggests the result of their encounter was the baptism of Onesimus, who started to attend to the needs of the imprisoned apostle as a son attends to the needs of his Father. Onesimus means “useful” and Paul uses this play on words in his letter - asking Philemon to accept his disgraced slave back into his household “no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother” - because now, baptised into new life, Onesimus can be truly useful to Philemon both “in the flesh and in the Lord”.

Despite the modern translation, there is no suggestion that Paul is advocating for the abolition of slavery in his letter – a fact readers today might (understandably) find highly uncomfortable. Whilst Paul’s writing undoubtedly helped to pave the way for our concept of universal human rights, it would be many centuries before even the church caught up with the teaching of Jesus in this regard (some might suggest we are still doing so). In Paul’s day, as Tom Wright reminds us, any person of substance would have owned - and depended on - slaves “to them, this was as natural as owning a car or a television is for people in the Western world today...indeed most people would wonder how you could get on without them.”

Forgiveness is one of the most difficult things we can do, as C.S.Lewis wrote; “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive...” But being tasked with forgiveness that seemingly goes against every fibre of the complex and deeply entrenched identity politics of the time, makes Paul’s request of Philemon even more astonishing (and no less uncomfortable, we might imagine, for Onesimus). 

But reconciliation between Philemon and Onesimus lies at the heart of what Rowan Williams has called “God’s Universal Welcome” – a message conveyed by Paul so eloquently in another of his letters, to the Galatians – that God’s welcome transcends our rigid societal boundaries, so that there is no longer Jew or Gentile, citizen or slave, man or woman – all are one in Christ Jesus. Paul’s letter to Philemon seeks to persuade him that as a result of the baptism of Onesimus, they now have a new (and more important) relationship over that of master and slave; because of their oneness in Christ, Onesimus has something that Philemon needs (and vice versa); he is valuable to him like never before both ‘in the flesh and in the Lord’.

What can we learn from Paul’s approach to persuading Philemon to find the courage to forgive Onesimus? How can we best persuade others to follow the way of Christ – especially when doing so seems so counter-intuitive to the prevailing world view?

First, Paul doesn’t make this a personal issue. Whilst on the surface this seems to be a matter between a master and his runaway slave, Paul addresses his letter not only to Philemon and other members of his family, but also the church that meets in his house. The issue of accepting Onesimus back into Philemon’s household is presented not just as a private matter, but a mutual one, with wider implications for the community as a whole. In doing so, Paul gently reminds Philemon that it is not possible to separate his responsibilities as master of the house from his responsibilities to the wider church – the Body of Christ.  

Second, Paul doesn’t pull rank. He takes his own personality – and authority – straight out of the equation. He explains to Philemon that although he has undoubtedly earned the authority to command him to accept Onesimus he “would rather appeal… on the basis of love.” I can recall countless times I have got up on my high horse when writing to a politician or setting up a petition! Paul’s humility, despite his own considerable standing in the church, means he doesn’t even try to get on someone else’s Shetland Pony, let alone his own high horse!

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Paul appeals to Philemon not as a wealthy man in a position of authority, but as a human being – and acknowledges him as such. Throughout the letter, Paul places himself alongside Onesimus and Philemon in the context of their mutual relationship in Christ. There is no attempt to deprecate or deride; there is no ‘them’ and ‘us’ here; there is only ‘us’. Paul understands that this is the reality of “God’s Universal Welcome”.

Are you persuaded?


Prayer

A short prayer in response to the shortest of Paul’s surviving letters;

Lord, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Amen

Thank you for joining us for our Start:Stop reflection. Do join us in church on Thursday if it is safe for you to do so, for Choral Classics at 12.15pm and our Choral Eucharist at 12.45pm or join us via the recordings of both services online. Stay safe.