"Useful Again"

Have you ever kind of poked around in an old house or barn? Maybe you were just curious. Maybe you were looking for something that had been discarded or left that had a little value. Maybe you found a tool, like a post-hole digger that could be cleaned up, oiled up, sharpened up, the rotten handles could be replaced, and then it could be used as it was originally intended to be used. With a little work, the post-hole digger could once again dig post holes around the farm, and be useful again.

That is exactly what God does with us. He cleans off the rust, sharpens, oils, and replaces the rottenness of our discarded lives when we’re struck in the heart with the enormity of our sin and the junk we’ve become. Because of His love for us, he picks us up in his hands – those hands that were laid on the new wood of the cross – and starts to use us again.

If God could take people who were useless and even enemies of the church – people like Paul and Philemon, and Onesimus, and make them into useful instruments of his grace in the Roman world of the first century, then he can do the same with us. In Christ Jesus, God can take formerly useless people like you and me and make us into useful instruments of His grace in the modern world of the twenty-first century.

Only four of St. Paul’s thirteen Epistles are addressed to individuals. Of these four, Philemon is easily the most personal. Yes, there is a greeting for the church of believers that meets in Philemon’s house, but there are no other instructions or advice for that church.

There are several lessons that can be found in what the apostle has to say and the way that he says it, but this letter revolves around one major item of business: it’s a special request from Paul to Philemon regarding a runaway slave whom Paul was sending home to Colossae.

C.S. Lewis called Philemon "the most beautiful and intensely human of all of St. Paul’s epistles." Others have described it as the most gentlemanly letter ever written.

The letter to Philemon, was written around 60 AD by Paul. Paul is in prison at either Rome or Ephesus, and with him, either imprisoned or working in the area are some of the "heavy hitters" of the early church: Timothy, Epaphras, John Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.

Tychius and Onesimus are the men who will hand-carry this Epistle and Paul’s Epistle to the whole church in Colossae. There is an integral connection between the two Letters, because the new relationship that the master Philemon has to the slave Onesimus as a fellow saint in Christ is also described in Colossians 4:1.

Onesimus is a runaway slave who stole from his master, under Roman law he stood under the sentence of death. Through this personal appeal from Paul to Philemon, the slave’s life can be spared. Paul uses a lot of tact in his letter, and tries to build rapport with Philemon, and even uses a little wordplay to reach his heart.

Paul had been the preacher and teacher that the Holy Spirit had used to convert Philemon and Onesimus into Christian brothers. Now Paul is sending the slave back to the master as a personal extension of himself as a prisoner for the Gospel. Paul hopes that Philemon will receive Onesimus back, not as a useless runaway slave, but as a useful returning saint.

Paul uses carefully chosen words to describe Onesimus "no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a beloved brother." The Christian virtue of love puts a new perspective on even the vocation of a slave. Paul’s plea for Onesimus is a model Christian intercession.

Paul sees the evidence of Philemon’s sainthood in his love and faith. Paul prays that the whole church in Colossae may know the "full knowledge of every good thing" as Philemon shares his faith with them. By knowing the same salvation in Christ that has made Philemon a saint, all the people in the congregation that meets in his house are saints as well.

Now that we have all the background on this story of Philemon and Onesimus, it’s time to apply the lessons from this short, twenty-five verse letter to ourselves.

Without the love of Paul, without Paul’s willingness to put forth a little effort on Onesimus’ behalf, Onesimus was little more than a condemned runaway slave. Each of us stands condemned because of our status as sinners. Each of us rebel against not only our earthly masters, but we rebel against God. Our lack of love and the absence of faith leave us as little more than runaway slaves.

We choose death and evil by worshipping other gods – not necessarily the false gods of false religions, but the gods of our own making – the gods of the things we put before the One true God.

Roman slaves were considered property. Tracking fugitive slaves was a trade. Recovered slaves were branded on the forehead, condemned to double labor, and sometimes thrown to the beasts in the coliseum. The slave population of the time was enormous.

Onesimus had not only run away, he had stolen something from Philemon. Since Paul wrote this letter in his own hand, the offer to pay back any amount Onesimus owes Philemon and to charge it to Paul’s account makes this letter a type of signed promissory note. To view a runaway slave as a beloved brother was a radical departure from the accepted norm of the day.

But Christianity itself is somewhat of a paradigm shift isn’t it? The words of our Gospel lesson for today are the words of Jesus himself. Those words are somewhat of a foreign and different concept, they’re something we don’t think about while we try to walk a life of faith. They are words that test our commitment; to hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even one’s own life to be a disciple of Christ.

Or how about counting the cost ahead of time so we don’t look like a fool? Or how about renouncing all that we have? And here are some words that might sting – if we have lost our saltiness, we’re no good for the soil or the manure pile. Jesus concludes with the words of warning, "he who has ears, let him hear."

Philemon and Onesimus are spiritual children of Paul. Paul asks the one to serve the other by receiving him back without penalty – even though Paul wouldn’t mind retaining the services of Onesimus while he remains in prison. But Paul puts the best construction on the whole situation. The name Onesimus means "to profit or benefit." Paul’s words attempt to draw out a concession from Philemon that the whole affair has worked to everyone’s benefit, in that Philemon will now receive back not a slave, but a brother.

As saints, we don’t serve one another under some kind of compulsion. It’s not something we are forced to do. Instead, we serve each other as beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord by the goodness God has shown us.

The new reality, the paradigm shift is that we who were runaway slaves, we who were worthless servants are now blessed servants who eat at the same table of the Lord. We share the body and blood of Christ in the foretaste of the feast to come.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to live each day in the light of our baptisms, drowning our Old Adam every day and the new man arising every day. We are able to benefit others in the name of Christ.

Luther observed; "What Christ has done for us with God the Father, is what Paul did with Onesimus and Philemon." The once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the ground of our justification. Paul’s action of offering to redeem Onesimus, offering to pay his debt and taking his place before Philemon, reminds his friend that the whole Christian life, for the master and the slave, centers on the already-completed salvation they equally share in Jesus Christ!

Think of the ramifications of those words for us today. See how profoundly the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and the salvation that he won for us affects each man, woman, and child who shares in that salvation and how His sacrifice affects our relationship with each other.

By faith, we thank God for the sainthood that is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ. By love, we serve God as saints in the church. Christ’s intercession for us turns us into useful saints, and makes us useful again in His Church. Amen.