Philemon, Onesimus, and Paul

by Hugh DeLong

How do you respond when you read something in the New Testament that you have trouble agreeing with, or that you're unsure whether you would, in that situation, obey? I will not give you my list, but over the years of learning and growing as a disciple, there have been such passages!

The book of Philemon is one such situation. This isn’t an article on the evils of slavery, but it is one about my reaction to it. Slavery had been a part of every, or at least almost every, government and nation from the beginning. It often comprised the major part of a nation's economy. Not every aspect resulted in the inhuman treatment of others, but some did. Thus, we look at the Roman Empire, where slavery existed. Any reading on this subject will show that the situation was not, in most respects, parallel to our American history of such. Yet, even in the best of scenarios, I would not want to be a slave.

So, now I read that this runaway slave has been converted and is told to return to his master or owner. (I started to put those words in italics, but that isn’t how the New Testament used them.) He went! He went not knowing the reception he would get. He went, even though we know there was a reason he ran away to begin with.

Can you think of instructions that Jesus or the Apostles gave that are difficult for you to imagine yourself obeying? When you don’t understand exactly why such instructions are given? When you find yourself being uncomfortable with such?

In the extreme, the goal is to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Jesus – follow His teaching. Trust Him, even when such difficult instructions are ultimately for your good. I stand in awe of Onesimus's faith. I strive to meet his standard of discipleship! How about you?