Pastor and 1st Lady Mims

Mims Chapel Church

Week 13, February 22

LESSON 13

Servant and Brother

Lesson Text:

Philemon 1-15; Colossians 3:2--25; 4:1

Memory Verse
"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven."
Colossians 4:1

Key Terms
Onerous • Involving, imposing, or constituting a burden; troublesome.

Paradigm • Set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them.

Velvet Revolution • The peaceful overthrow of a government.

Suggested Emphasis

An examination of servanthood in Scripture necessarily raises the question of slavery. In our English language Bibles, 'servant' and 'slave' are translations of the same Hebrew (ebed) and Greek (doulos) words. There is little distinction because most domestic servants were in bondage. Our modern sensibilities are shaped by the collective memory of chattel slavery as perpetrated against people of African descent in the Americas, so we are understandably offended by the concept of slavery. The treatment of slaves in the ancient world could be as cruel and dehumanizing as in 19th Century America; it is disingenuous to say slavery was less onerous as practiced in Biblical times. That leaves us to wrestle with the observation that Scripture does not explicitly invalidate the institution of slavery, but instead seems to condone it.

Emphasis 1:

Paul Sent Onesimus Back
to His Slave Master

The experience of the slave Onesimus perfectly illustrates some of the moral ambiguity we perceive around this topic. Having escaped from his master in Colossae, providence led Onesimus to Rome, and the prisoner Paul. Under the great apostle's guidance, Onesimus was converted to Christianity. He then ministered to Paul during the latter's confinement, like a "begotten" son. But at the time of writing his epistle to the Colossians, Paul thought it prudent to give Onesimus the task of carrying his letter back to Colossae. He also instructed the former slave to return to the service of his master Philemon. Of course, this was a tremendous concession to ask of someone who had escaped bondage! Yet Onesimus complied; presumably, he felt he owed a debt to God, Paul and Philemon.

Emphasis 2:

The Challenge to Philemon

In order to mitigate any displeasure that the aggrieved slaveholder might have toward Onesimus, Paul wrote another letter addressed specifically to him; we have come to call it "the epistle to Philemon." In it he petitioned Philemon to receive again his runaway slave; not in harshness, but as "a brother beloved" (Philemon 16), a fellow believer. Moreover, by explaining how Onesimus ministered to Paul in Philemon's stead (Philemon 13), the apostle put the best light on the entire episode: "His escape worked for your and my good," Paul seems to be saying. And I think we can assume by implication that Paul is asking that Onesimus be allowed to return to Rome with Philemon's permission.

Implicitly, Paul acknowledged he had no societal warrant to interfere with the relationship of a slaveholder and his slave; he resorted instead to his spiritual authority, and to some personal role he had played in Philemon's salvation (Philemon 19). Even more interestingly, the letter creates a functional equality between the apostle, his "partner" in ministry Philemon, and his "son" in the gospel Onesimus. It doesn't condemn slavery, but its appeal to brotherly affection certainly undermines the slave/master paradigm. As was more boldly asserted in the epistle to the Colossians, there is no respect of persons in God's eyes: the slaveholder had to demonstrate Christian character even in his relationship with his slaves.

Emphasis 3:

The Seeds of Change
in the Social Order

The Roman world of Paul's day was populated by more slaves than freemen. Sadly, slavery was integral to the Empire's economy. Direct attempts to overthrow the institution were always met with cruel suppression (e.g., Rome's harsh reprisals against slave revolts). And yet, as evangelism made inroads into the populace, the egalitarian doctrine of the early church permeated the known world; it sowed the seeds of a 'velvet revolution' and contributed to the rise of a new social order. Better treatment of slaves was promoted by the Church in the 1st Century; and although it took many centuries more before the Church finally championed total abolition, it is difficult to imagine how that would have been achieved without Paul's teachings on the dignity of all believers.

Missions Application Questions

What was the challenging assignment Paul gave to the escaped slave Onesi-mus?
How was Philemon supposed to respond to Onesimus' return? Why did Paul ask this of him?
Does the lack of explicit condemnation of slavery in Scripture hinder soi-ne people from accepting Christ?

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray for discernment as we read Biblical passages that seemingly tolerate slavery.
Let us thank God for the historic abolition movements that ended the acceptance of chattel slavery worldwide.
Let us intercede for those caught in the pockets of modern slavery (e.g., human trafficking) that still plague this world.