Emphasis Preaching Journal

In this short letter Paul urges reconciliation between the runaway servant Onesimus and his Christian master Philemon. One imagines the scene of welcome when the repentant runaway returned home to Colossae and the forgiving welcome of Philemon. Paul strongly urged reconciliation and peace between these two brothers in Christ. Philemon is misunderstood if it is seen as a defense of slavery. Paul expected the imminent return of Christ, and therefore thought existing social order would remain in place. Philemon does ask, "Who is the master I serve?" Aesop tells the fable of a donkey and his masters. The donkey hated working for a gardener who made him carry heavy loads on his back. The donkey asked Zeus to allow him to serve another master, so the wish was granted and he became the slave of a potter. This work also proved burdensome to the donkey, so again he asked for a new master. Zeus turned the donkey over to a tanner. The donkey protested with the plea, "Why wasn't I content to serve my former master, for now I shall end up in the tanner's vat!" The moral of the fable is that servants don't know a good master until they have served a worse one. Through the gospel of reconciliation taught in Philemon we may realize that in Jesus Christ we are "neither slave nor free ... but one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
-- Mills