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Painting – Triumph of Faith by Eugene Thirion (19th century)

I want to suggest something as we view this painting and enter into this letter to Philemon.

The cross was once a symbol of terror, a deterrent for disobedience or disloyalty to the Roman way. 

In this painting we see the cross at the centre of the Coliseum. The killing of those who were not loyal to Rome continued for many years after Christ died on the cross. 

But, the cross was no longer a symbol of terror for the Christians. It was a symbol of loyalty to Christ and the hope of resurrection.

I bring this to your attention because we are talking today about power. Rome was one of the most powerful empires that ever existed. Yet, it was the Roman cross that eventually triumphed over Rome itself.

The cross is a symbol of a new source of power, a power that bends down to the lowest position in order that the lowest among us might be lifted up.

Last week we had a brief look at the purpose of this short letter written by Paul to a man named Philemon. 

We explored how this letter is connected to the letter to the Colossian church, that the instructions given to Philemon are a direct outworking of the description of the Christian faith and life that Paul wrote about in Colossians.

And, we saw how faith in Christ brings transformation to our vulnerabilities. Onesimus was being sent to be reconciled with his master, Philemon. 

This meant trusting God with his vulnerable position, and trusting that Christ had transformed Philemon so as to receive Onesimus as a brother.

I want to mention something about vulnerability that I should have included last week. There are two main understandings of vulnerability, one of which is used most prominently, which is related to personal and emotional transparency. This is not the sort of vulnerability I am referring to. 

What I really mean is exposure to meaningful risk, which is a term used by Andy Crouch in his book, Strong and Weak. 

It includes the possibility that something real or even irreplaceable may be lost. 

In the first definition of vulnerability, it is most often used as a form of calculated manipulation, a tactic often used to get people to be sympathetic and more willing to accept what they are saying as truth.

Vulnerability as exposure to meaningful risk is more along the lines of what Onesimus was being asked to do by Paul. The risk he faced was rejection or even punishment. 

But the meaningfulness of it was of far greater value than the safety of Onesimus. It was reconciliation and a movement within the church toward mutual love and dignity of all people, regardless of wrongdoing or status. It was a demonstration of the forgiveness and love of God.

Today, we will look at the instructions given to Philemon by Paul and how this instruction tells us that faith in Jesus transforms our power.

I read the entire letter of Philemon last week. Today, I’ll read the section with the direct instruction, starting at verse 8 until verse 21.

Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus,  who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

Who is Philemon?

A church leader, or at least the host of a house church. He lived in Colosse and was a well-known Christian who probably was converted upon hearing Paul preach in Ephesus.

Like most families at the time, Philemon and his household had slaves who worked for them. There is a much larger topic underneath this letter to Philemon, which is that of the abolishment of slavery. The question asked by many is, why didn’t Paul instruct all Christian slave owners to set their slaves free?

The short answer is that it would have likely made life more difficult for the slaves and for Christians in general. It would have drawn even more attention to the church, bringing more persecution. 

Instead, the call is to transform the relationship so that even within their position as slaves, they would experience the love and peace that comes through faith in Christ.

However, as would often happen, Onesimus ran away from Philemon’s home, perhaps taking some valuables as he left. Thus creating a new challenge on which Paul would need to provide instruction, which we will get to in a moment.

Philemon is also a spiritual son of Paul. And so is Onesimus. So, Paul says, the two are brothers and they should be reconciled to one another as brothers. 

In this way he is imitating Christ when he said in Matthew 10:40, “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”

This brings us to what Paul is asking of Philemon, which is related to the transformation of power that comes with faith in Christ.

What is Paul asking of Philemon?

In short, he is asking Philemon to use his power for the good of the powerless. This is the very heart of the Gospel.

Philippians 2:5-8 – In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

This passage is about the status of Jesus Christ. There is no one with higher status than him. His throne is above every throne. His authority greater than all other authority.

Can this King of all kings and Lord of all lords also be a servant? Yes, in fact, it is his very willingness to be made lower than all other humans that proves his worthiness.

The passage in Philippians continues in verses 9-11 – Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

His identity is revealed in his service and humility as much as it is in his exaltation. 

The self-giving nature of God as demonstrated in Jesus is the example of how we are to use our power. It is what Paul is asking of Philemon, to use his power to benefit the powerless, just as God does.

“The God who is high can also be low, because God is God not in seeking his own advantage but in self-giving. His self-giving in abasement and service ensures that his sovereignty over all things is also a form of his self-giving.”

The key difference between this use of power and the way the Romans used power was in to whose advantage the power was being used. 

So, Paul is instructing Philemon to use his power as the master of Onesimus and probably as an influential person in the community and the church, to not only free Onesimus but also set an example for others to use their power for the benefit of others.

How does this relate to us?

There are two lessons to be learned in this request of Paul to Philemon. The first is how Paul wrote this request. The second is the request itself.

Paul’s appeal to Philemon was not a command but a request out of love. We see in verse 8 and 9: “although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.”

Making a command and demanding obedience would not create the outcome that Paul is ultimately getting at. He is setting a vision for a new way of operating as brothers and sisters in Christ. Tom Wright, in a chapter on Philemon in his book Small Faith, Great God says it well:

“We must not rush into instant solutions in relationships between individuals or churches, under the impression that because we ought to be reconciled this can and should be achieved by the wave of a magic wand. Such engineering can be extremely arrogant, ignoring the delicate and deeply felt problems that really exist. Like Paul, we must seek to win over others by the strength of our gentleness and the power of our Christlike love. Paul avoided the danger of arrogance by imitating Christ. His love was his faith in action.”

Paul has the right as an Apostle to tell Philemon what to do. But, his request is not from the position of a lofty authority figure issuing commands, but on the basis of Christ’s demonstration of authority, which is from the position of the cross.

In the church today, this means we continue to make appeals, corrections, engage in disagreements and enter into reconciliation by the strength of our gentleness and the power of our Christlike love.

The second lesson is found in the actual request from Paul. Note in verse 13 that Paul actually would prefer to keep Onesimus for himself. And probably it would have been easier in some ways for Onesimus to stay with Paul. 

But, there is more going on here than the preferences of these two men. In order for real lasting change to occur in the world through the church, the sort of things like sending a runaway slave back to his master for forgiveness and reconciliation needs to happen.

What sort of things are we doing that are bringing lasting change? How are we treating one another and our neighbours that will continue to transform the world in the way of Jesus?

Last week I gave some examples of vulnerability that you may experience in your life. Today I want you to think about the power you have in your homes, workplaces, school, community.

Like vulnerability, there are different ways of thinking about power. You could think of it as coercion, the forceful type of power that is used when someone or something isn’t behaving in your favour.

You could also think of power as influence. This is a less ugly form of power but it can still be used for tremendous evil. Influence can be used to shift the thinking and decisions of groups of people in your favour.

Power can also take the form of creativity or flourishing. This is a much gentler form of power that requires patience, observation and curiosity, and an attentiveness to the needs of whatever or whomever we are in power over.

In all cases, they can cause destruction. Most often, destruction happens when power is being used for the benefit of the one holding the power.

If the church is to represent the character of Christ, we must be people who use our power to benefit others, particularly those who have very little power.

This is the essence of what Jesus meant when he told his disciples to welcome and become like children. Children have very little power, much less then than now. 

His instruction is to treat the low people, the humble and helpless people, as though they have just as much or more dignity as you do. Not to use your power to move them around like pawns, or dismiss them as useless. 

But, if there are any among us who are considered useless, to empower them, to lift them up to a higher status. 

This is not instruction to give up your power. This is often a misunderstanding of Philippians 2:6. Some translations say “although he was in the form of God.” Others says, “being in the very nature God.” The meaning of this statement is not that Jesus gave up his power by becoming human and dying on the cross, but that he demonstrated his power by becoming human and dying on the cross.

And so, to model our behaviour after Jesus, we use our position, our status, our connections, influence, and power in a way that looks like humility, service, and sacrifice.

Let’s look back at this painting Triumph of Faith by Eugene Thirion.

What is the triumph? Is it the slaughtering of all the dangers in the arena? Is it the removal of Caesar from his throne? Is it the liberation of those held captive by the Empire?

No, the triumph is the cross, it is sacrifice, humility, and service. And this is true power, the only power that can overcome our greatest differences. It is the power this world needs.

Let’s pray.

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