Preaching Philemon Barry McCarty School of Preaching Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Text-Driven Preaching Conference Spring 2017

Philemon is the 3rd shortest book in the Bible. 335 words Only 3rd and 2nd John are shorter. 22 sentences 6 paragraphs

Overview A personal letter from Paul to a Christian named Philemon. Written about AD 60, during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, at the same time as Colossians. Onesimus carries both letters to Colossae. Paul intercedes on behalf of Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, who had gone to Rome and had been converted under Paul’s ministry. Paul writes to urge Philemon to forgive Onesimus and receive him back not as a slave, but as a Christian brother. Philemon is about reconciliation and relationships between believers. It’s about how the Gospel is the change that changes everything.

Colossae was about 100 miles east of Ephesus, in the Lycus River valley near Laodicea and Hierapolis in Asia Minor (Turkey). Paul was never at Colossae, but the church was founded by some of his associates, most likely Epaphras.

Masters and Slaves in the First Century People could become slaves by: being born to a woman who was a slave as punishment for a crime being kidnapped from another land being conquered by another nation voluntarily becoming a slave to pay a debt. There were several million slaves in the Roman Empire. In the early Christian period one out of every two people was a slave. Many slaves became trusted servants and confidants. Some even ran businesses to their own and their masters’ benefit. The NT neither condoned nor called for the immediate overturn of slavery, but NT teaching transformed the relationship between master and slave. The Gospel begins to change social structures by changing the people within those structures. Eventually, Christians would drive slavery out of the whole civilized world. Paul takes the custom as a cultural given of the world in his day.

Scripture Genres Story/narrative genre (OT narrative, Law, Gospels, Acts), the scenes of the story are the key to discovering its structure. Poetry (Psalms, Prophecy, Wisdom Literature), the Hebrew strophes are the key. Letter genre (Epistles, Revelation), verbs are the key.

Genre of Philemon As a New Testament epistle, Philemon fits the usual pattern for the epistolary genre: A well-defined opening/greeting A body Close/benediction.

The core of Philemon is hortatory discourse that seeks to persuade the addressee to fulfill commands or requests that are made in the discourse. The usually pattern for hortatory discourse is: The statement of a problem The command Then reasons or motivation for obedience. Dr. Allen refers to Paul’s plea to Philemon as “mitigated exhortation.”

Paul’s appeal to Philemon uses the rhetorical figure of paralipsis (Latin praeteritio). Paralipsis (paraleipein, para + leipein, to leave to the side or omit, to pass by) is a figure of speech that says something by not saying it. The speaker describes what he will not say, and so says it, or at least a bit of it, after all.

“Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it “Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it. It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you. You are not wood, you are not stones, but men; And, being men, hearing the will of Caesar, It will inflame you, it will make you mad: ‘Tis good you know not that you are his heirs; For if you should, oh, what would come of it!” Mark Anthony on why he will not read Caesar’s will. –William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

The Pericopes ESV Greeting: 1-3 Philemon’s love and faith: 4-7 Paul’s plea for Onesimus: 8-22 Final greetings: 23-25 Greek Text Greeting: 1-3 Reason Paragraph: 4-7 Amplification: 8-16 Paul’s appeal: 17-20 Summary of Paul’s appeal (simultaneous hortatory paragraph): 21-22 Final Greeting: 23-25

Greeting: 1-3 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

People in Philemon and how they are addressed Paul, a prisoner (δέσμιος) of Christ Jesus Timothy, the brother (ἀδελφός) Philemon, the beloved (ἀγαπητός) and fellow worker (συνεργός) Apphia, our sister (ἀδελφή). Philemon's wife? Archippus, our fellow soldier (συστρατιώτης). Philemon’s son, family member, friend? The church (ἐκκλησία) in your house

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ This is Paul’s common greeting in his letters. Grace is God’s unmerited favor and the basis for our salvation. Peace is the reconciling force in our right relationship with God and one another. There is an unexpressed verb implied here (“may there be” grace and peace. This pronoun “you” here is plural and refers to all of those mentioned in verses 1 and 2. God and Christ together are the source from which Paul desires that the grace and peace may come.

Reason Paragraph: 4-7 4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

In a prayer of thanksgiving, Paul: Praises Philemon’s faith and love (verse 5) Prays that the fellowship that exists between them may result in a greater understanding of the blessings that are theirs as Christians (verse 6), and Says that he has great comfort and joy because of Philemon’s love that has refreshed believers (verse 7).

Amplification: 8-16 8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Paul’s “mitigated exhortation” to Philemon is done with extraordinary tact. Paul “circles the field,” informing Philemon that he has a request to make of him, but delaying the content of the request until later. Although Paul could command (ἐπιτάσσειν) Philemon, he does not, but pleads (παρακαλέω) on behalf of Onesimus (v. 8–9). Παρακαλέω is repeated in verse 10. Onesimus is not mentioned by name until the end of a long clause in verse 10.

Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of: Love (τὴν ἀγάπην). The love that should characterize Christians in their dealings. The mutual love of Paul and Philemon for one another. Paul’s love for Philemon and the love that Philemon should now have for Onesimus as a brother in Christ. Philemon’s love toward others that had “refreshed” the saints. Paul’s advanced age (πρεσβύτης). His position as a prisoner for Christ.

Paul recounts Oneimus’s past and present situation (10-11): He has become Paul’s spiritual child, whom he had begotten while in bonds. He was once useless (ἄχρηστον), but is now useful (εὔχρηστον) to both Paul and Philemon. His name means useful. He is Paul’s heart (σπλάγχνα).

But Paul will not do anything without Philemon’s consent (v. 14). This once useless slave had become so beloved by and useful to Paul, that Paul wanted to keep him. Paul said he is returning Onesimus to Philemon, even though he would have liked to keep him in order that he might help Paul (v. 12–13). But Paul will not do anything without Philemon’s consent (v. 14). Paul suggests that perhaps Onesimus’s flight was God’s divine providence to transform the relationship between the master and his slave (v. 15–16).

Paul’s appeal: 17-20 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

In the heart of the letter: Paul asks Philemon to receive (προσλαμβάνω) Onesimus back (v. 17). It is the first imperative verb in the letter. Paul promises personally to make good any loss Philemon may have suffered (v. 18–19). Paul indirectly mentions that he won’t mention that Philemon himself is a spiritual debtor to Paul.

Paul is suggesting that Onesimus be sent back to him. Paul concludes his appeal by asking Philemon for a favor or benefit (ὀνίνημι) in the Lord. What is this favor? Paul identified with Onesimus so closely that he will consider Philemon’s favorable treatment of Onesimus as a benefit to himself. Paul’s benefit could be in seeing that Philemon understands and acts in accordance with the gospel. Paul is suggesting that Onesimus be sent back to him.

“Refresh my heart in Christ.”

Summary of Paul’s appeal: 21-22 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

Paul summarizes his appeal: He expresses confidence that Philemon will comply with his request (v. 21) He couples that with the additional request that Philemon be ready to receive him, because he hopes to come to them before long (v. 22).

Final Greeting: 23-25 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Preaching Possibilities for Philemon Key idea: the Gospel radically transforms all relationships. Verse 17, “Receive him as you would receive me.” The Gospel changed Paul’s relationship to God. The Gospel changed Philemon’s relationship to God. The Gospel changed Onesimus’s relationship to God. The Gospel changed each man’s relationship with the others.

The Gospel makes us: Family Partners Fellow workers Fellow soldiers Sometimes fellow prisoners

What Paul does here is a picture of the Gospel What Paul does here is a picture of the Gospel. He is modeling the Lord Jesus. “So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.” Because of Christ’s relationship with the Father, he asks the Father to receive us as the Father receives him! “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” Everything we owed God as sinners and spiritual debtors has been charged to Christ’s account!

Philemon demonstrates: Christian grace, peace, and love in action. The power of affirming people. Reconciling broken relationships. The power of interceding on behalf of another. Gaining by giving up. Doing the right thing for the right reason. Going above and beyond the call of duty. Mentoring people rather than ordering them. The value of accountability (inspect what you expect).