Addressing injustice
This week's verses are on Philemon 1:4-21:
Last week we wrote about how Paul spoke out elsewhere in the Bible against slavery, so it would make sense this week to look "elsewhere" to see how he did it. The way Paul does it is an important glimpse at how to confront injustice in a way that is loving and compassionate rather than smug and equally unjust. While he was imprisoned, Paul had gotten to know the slave, Onesimus, of another Christian he knew. In this letter, he writes to the owner of the slave, and asks for him to be set free.
The first thing you'll notice is that Paul addresses the slave's owner with an attitude of honor and respect. He thanks God for him. He lists his virtues. He prays for him sincerely, thanking him for his goodness. Is that how we would address someone we disagree with nowadays?
More likely, we probably wouldn't even speak to him at all. Instead we'd probably just tell everyone else about what a creep he is, maybe using some clever nickname. Maybe we'd rally others into shaming him on our behalf. If we did speak to him, we'd probably start right in with our condemnation and our list of demands. The slave owner wouldn't be a person to us. He'd be a fairy tale villain. But Paul addresses him as a person. And not just a person, but a person who is loved by God and even useful to God's people.
If someone takes a different position than you on a politically hot issue, or if they're dishonest, or are hurting someone you care about, or have hurt you, do you remember God's love for them first, or do you "other" them and turn them into fairy tale villains?
If you look at how the world handles conflict you'll see something very different to what Paul models. People edit stories and pictures to make their imaginary villains look more villainous, stalk people online and show up in restaurants and outside of people's houses screaming and harassing them. They get in street battles, and slander each other. They fire people and ruin people's businesses out of political spite. They chase each other down and kill each other over something as random as being cut off on the highway. The fight against injustice in the world around us is a histrionic witch hunt. Is that what we want to model in the church too?
Paul is blazing a different trail here. He basically says "I'm pretty sure I'm right on this issue, and I could puff myself up and make you do the right thing, but then you wouldn't get a chance to love me or Onesimus of your own free will." An act of love without consent is rape, right? If you force someone to do what you believe strongly to be the right thing, you could actually just be hurting them. Paul, who once literally tortured and killed people to try to force them to do what he believed at the time to be right, is in a great position to know the hell that road leads to. If he chooses a different path, it's for a good reason.
But Paul is even more loving and compassionate than just respecting the slave owner. He recognizes that there could very well be legitimate financial reasons why Onesimus is still a slave. Instead of being all "You need to bla bla bla, because Jesus, and you're a terrible person until you do," Paul is like "Look, if it's a money thing, I'll give you the money. I don't want your love to be held hostage to money." Paul is willing to pay the price himself to see justice done, rather than just pressuring and demanding others to do it. That's Christlike love: to be willing to pay the price yourself for someone else's sin, if it allows them to be free. (The philosophical question would be who is he freeing? Onesimus or his owner?)
Paul reminds the owner that Paul himself paid a price to see that he became a Christian. So he's like "Look you owe me one anyway, so let it be this." How cool is that? Paul is calling in his one favour not for money, or for some help getting out of jail, but to help his friend who is not owed favours by anyone!
At the end of what he has to say, Paul restates his high opinion of the slave owner. He's like "Look, if I didn't think you were a good guy who would do the right thing, I wouldn't have written to you. In fact, you're probably an even better guy than I give you credit for." How many of us would sincerely address someone that way who we thought was unjust? But Paul honours him for who he could be, rather than dishonouring him for what he's done already.
It's also important to note that Paul actually knows both parties involved. He knows at least part of the situation and admits he doesn't know the whole thing, at least as far as debt goes. He loves Onesimus and he loves his owner. He addresses the issue from a position of love, within an established relationship of love. Paul didn't just happen to run into a slave with his master and start kicking up a fuss in the street to try to fix the world himself. He's compassionately and patiently handling one situation, one time, amongst his neighbours.
Contrast that to how we try to handle injustice nowadays. We want to handle all of the things all at once. We're lucky if we even know one person involved, and if we do, it's always the victim. There's no relationship with the person we're accusing, no love, no patience, no compassion. Just impatient virtue signalling to the other Christians so they can see how very righteous we are to be so offended. We repost and repeat and retweet gossip without really knowing anyone involved. (Just because someone you trust is reporting it doesn't mean it's not gossip. The news itself is just gossip about the world outside.) We want to force justice to occur before our eyes, or at least guard the cloaks of those who do while we nod our approval.
But Paul's way is so much better. It's so much more of a demonstration of Christ's love than anything in this world. Paul (and the God he represents) loves not just the oppressed, but the oppressor. He's not forcing anyone to do anything, but instead is willing to pay the price himself to set things right. He gives people more of a chance than they deserve to turn around and do the right thing. Isn't that exactly what Jesus did for us?
I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ. I have had great joy and encouragement because of your love, for the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what is proper, I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—I, Paul, an old man and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus— I am appealing to you concerning my child, whose spiritual father I have become during my imprisonment, that is, Onesimus, who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you and me. I have sent him (who is my very heart) back to you. I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel. However, without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness. For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a little while, so that you would have him back eternally, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking and in the Lord. Therefore if you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. Now if he has defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he owes to me. I, Paul, have written this letter with my own hand: I will repay it. I could also mention that you owe me your very self. Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Since I was confident that you would obey, I wrote to you, because I knew that you would do even more than what I am asking you to do.
Last week we wrote about how Paul spoke out elsewhere in the Bible against slavery, so it would make sense this week to look "elsewhere" to see how he did it. The way Paul does it is an important glimpse at how to confront injustice in a way that is loving and compassionate rather than smug and equally unjust. While he was imprisoned, Paul had gotten to know the slave, Onesimus, of another Christian he knew. In this letter, he writes to the owner of the slave, and asks for him to be set free.
The first thing you'll notice is that Paul addresses the slave's owner with an attitude of honor and respect. He thanks God for him. He lists his virtues. He prays for him sincerely, thanking him for his goodness. Is that how we would address someone we disagree with nowadays?
More likely, we probably wouldn't even speak to him at all. Instead we'd probably just tell everyone else about what a creep he is, maybe using some clever nickname. Maybe we'd rally others into shaming him on our behalf. If we did speak to him, we'd probably start right in with our condemnation and our list of demands. The slave owner wouldn't be a person to us. He'd be a fairy tale villain. But Paul addresses him as a person. And not just a person, but a person who is loved by God and even useful to God's people.
If someone takes a different position than you on a politically hot issue, or if they're dishonest, or are hurting someone you care about, or have hurt you, do you remember God's love for them first, or do you "other" them and turn them into fairy tale villains?
If you look at how the world handles conflict you'll see something very different to what Paul models. People edit stories and pictures to make their imaginary villains look more villainous, stalk people online and show up in restaurants and outside of people's houses screaming and harassing them. They get in street battles, and slander each other. They fire people and ruin people's businesses out of political spite. They chase each other down and kill each other over something as random as being cut off on the highway. The fight against injustice in the world around us is a histrionic witch hunt. Is that what we want to model in the church too?
Paul is blazing a different trail here. He basically says "I'm pretty sure I'm right on this issue, and I could puff myself up and make you do the right thing, but then you wouldn't get a chance to love me or Onesimus of your own free will." An act of love without consent is rape, right? If you force someone to do what you believe strongly to be the right thing, you could actually just be hurting them. Paul, who once literally tortured and killed people to try to force them to do what he believed at the time to be right, is in a great position to know the hell that road leads to. If he chooses a different path, it's for a good reason.
But Paul is even more loving and compassionate than just respecting the slave owner. He recognizes that there could very well be legitimate financial reasons why Onesimus is still a slave. Instead of being all "You need to bla bla bla, because Jesus, and you're a terrible person until you do," Paul is like "Look, if it's a money thing, I'll give you the money. I don't want your love to be held hostage to money." Paul is willing to pay the price himself to see justice done, rather than just pressuring and demanding others to do it. That's Christlike love: to be willing to pay the price yourself for someone else's sin, if it allows them to be free. (The philosophical question would be who is he freeing? Onesimus or his owner?)
Paul reminds the owner that Paul himself paid a price to see that he became a Christian. So he's like "Look you owe me one anyway, so let it be this." How cool is that? Paul is calling in his one favour not for money, or for some help getting out of jail, but to help his friend who is not owed favours by anyone!
At the end of what he has to say, Paul restates his high opinion of the slave owner. He's like "Look, if I didn't think you were a good guy who would do the right thing, I wouldn't have written to you. In fact, you're probably an even better guy than I give you credit for." How many of us would sincerely address someone that way who we thought was unjust? But Paul honours him for who he could be, rather than dishonouring him for what he's done already.
It's also important to note that Paul actually knows both parties involved. He knows at least part of the situation and admits he doesn't know the whole thing, at least as far as debt goes. He loves Onesimus and he loves his owner. He addresses the issue from a position of love, within an established relationship of love. Paul didn't just happen to run into a slave with his master and start kicking up a fuss in the street to try to fix the world himself. He's compassionately and patiently handling one situation, one time, amongst his neighbours.
Contrast that to how we try to handle injustice nowadays. We want to handle all of the things all at once. We're lucky if we even know one person involved, and if we do, it's always the victim. There's no relationship with the person we're accusing, no love, no patience, no compassion. Just impatient virtue signalling to the other Christians so they can see how very righteous we are to be so offended. We repost and repeat and retweet gossip without really knowing anyone involved. (Just because someone you trust is reporting it doesn't mean it's not gossip. The news itself is just gossip about the world outside.) We want to force justice to occur before our eyes, or at least guard the cloaks of those who do while we nod our approval.
But Paul's way is so much better. It's so much more of a demonstration of Christ's love than anything in this world. Paul (and the God he represents) loves not just the oppressed, but the oppressor. He's not forcing anyone to do anything, but instead is willing to pay the price himself to set things right. He gives people more of a chance than they deserve to turn around and do the right thing. Isn't that exactly what Jesus did for us?
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