In yesterday's post we looked at the encouragement of Paul's letter to Philemon. But then there was the challenge.
The main part of Paul's letter is taken up with a guy called Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave, and he had run away from Philemon. He had encountered Paul and become a Christian. And now Paul was sending him back to Philemon. But the punishment for a run away slave was death - something that both Onesimus and Paul wanted to avoid. We can't know whether or not Philemon would have considered the death penalty for Onesimus - but Paul urges Philemon to accept Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a brother, and to forgive him.
Philemon's values, now that he is a Christian, are going to impact every area of life - including the way he thinks about a slave. Verse 16 describes the slave as a fellow man, rather than a simple possession.
It can be easy to miss just how radical some of these instructions in the Bible are at times. The early church was made up of a whole range of people, who would have all known 'their place' in society. But Paul shakes it all up - everyone is equal - brothers and sisters, because of Jesus.
I wonder if Paul was writing to you today, whether there are people who you struggle to think of as dear brothers or sisters. What would Paul ask you to do?
