Have Mercy!
Philemon
It’s probably one of the most difficult commands Jesus ever gave:
I’m not saying that any of Jesus’ commands are easy…that we could
ever keep one of them completely…or that we could ever keep one
of them in our own strength
-but this one has to rank right at the top of the “now that’s just not
something I’m going to be able to do” list
--and trust me, of all y’all, I should know
I suppose I should introduce myself
-my name is Philemon...you can call me ‘Phil’
--I live in Colossae, a second-rate market town in Asia Minor—
what you good people now call Turkey
--around these parts I’m kinda considered to be sort of a big deal
---but to be honest, I’m more of the proverbial big frog in the
small pond
Anywho...a while back one of my slaves—yeah, that’s right, I am a
slave owner—well, one of my slaves named Onesimus ran away
-and then, to add insult to injury, he had the audacity to steal quite
a tidy sum of change from me on his way out the door
--remember, too, Colossae is a relatively small town and word
travels fast, so if my financial loss isn’t bad enough, now I’ve
been made a laughingstock because I’m not man enough to
control my own slaves
---trust me—I hear their whispers and their jokes—“Poor
Phil...can’t handle his slaves...and I hear he can’t handle
his wife, either!!”
----funny stuff, I tell you
I will give Onesimus credit for one thing
-he sure knew how to get out of town in a hurry
--yeah, because I wasted this ridiculous amount of money on
so-called “slave catchers”...I’ll tell you, they need to change
their name because they had as much chance of catching
Onesimus as I have of becoming the next emperor of Rome!
Well, after a while, I’d pretty much written it all off as a loss
-by now, I mean, Onesimus is long gone (along with the money he
stole), changed his name and identity, and is probably living the
high life in Ephesus or even Rome
--what can you do?
---I just know that I’d like to have a few minutes alone with him,
you know?
---no, ‘better make that in public—after all, I do have my
reputation to restore
And now...now I get this letter from my friend, Paul
-you know Paul?
--the missionary, church-starter, evangelist? yeah...him
--not to brag, but he and I are pretty “tight”
-but to be honest with you, I’m not really sure what to think of this
particular letter
It starts out okay and everything—actually it begins more than “okay”
because Paul is quite flattering
-and the thing is, with Paul, he doesn’t pull any punches...he
means what he says...and what he says means a lot
--for example...for a guy like Paul to call you a “good friend”...
well, it carries a lot of weight, you know?
-he goes on to say how he’s heard about my faith and my love for
Christ...and considering he’s sitting in a jail cell that’s rather
remarkable, in my humble opinion
--I really didn’t think I was doing anything that noteworthy...but,
well, it might sound sorta’ silly, but his words are really
encouraging...kinda’ like the pat on the back I needed
---huh...who’d have ever guessed that simple words could
be that powerful...that influential?
Oh, but I forgot to mention the hilarious part of this whole letter deal
-since the mighty Roman Empire hasn’t developed a postal service,
we have to depend on personal couriers to deliver our letters
--well, I’ll give you 3 guesses who Paul asked to carry this letter
---no...not Kelly Toole...not Reid or Natalie Stephens
---his name starts with an “O” and ends with...“nesimus”
-can you believe that?
--we hear a knock at our door, my wife, Apphia, goes to answer it,
and then says, “Uh, Phil...Phil, I think you should come here.”
---I figured it was a door-to-door salesman I was going to have
to deal with so I yelled, “Just tell him we don’t want any.”
---I could tell by the sound of her voice that something was
terribly wrong: “Phil, you need to come here now.”
-if I were to make a list of all the people I could’ve possibly imagined
standing at my door, Onesimus would have never made the cut
--but sure ‘nough, there he was...standing there...head down...
completely silent...and holding this letter
-if my wife hadn’t been there, I might have said a few choice words
that I would have regretted (but ones that sure would have felt
good at the time)...but I didn’t—wives are good for times like that
--Onesimus extended his hand and held the letter so that I could
readily see that it was from Paul
---I took the letter from him and said, “I would advise you to
stay right here. I will deal with you in a moment.”
----I really didn’t know how I was going to deal with him,
but it sounded real authoritative
-I closed the door firmly, and quickly sat down to read this letter
Like I said, Paul does an amazing job of encouraging me, my family,
my friends in the work we are doing for Christ here in Colossae
-but then he
switches gears and writes à In line
with all of this I
have a favor to ask of you.
--I figured he was going to ask for some money to support his
ministry...we’ve given before and we’d be more than happy
to do it again—yeah, if only his request would have been as
easy as simply giving money
-instead he tells me how he, while in jail, had the privilege of
leading a certain young man to faith in Jesus Christ...and who do
you think this “certain young man” is?
--Onesimus!
---isn’t that special? it all sounds like the plot of a cheesy
Hallmark movie
-oh, but the sappiness doesn’t end there
Paul wants me to accept Onesimus back like nothing ever happened
-like he’d merely gone on a long vacation...and now I’m supposed to
welcome him home like the father did in Jesus’ parable of the
prodigal son
--but Paul’s conveniently forgetting one important detail—
Onesimus isn’t my son!
---I have a son and his name sure isn’t Onesimus
----Onesimus is my slave...my runaway slave...my
runaway slave who stole from me—and if you don’t
happen to know Roman law, that’s a crime worthy of
the death penalty
But then Paul goes all theological on me...listen to what he writes à
Maybe it’s all for the best that you lost him for a while.
-let me interrupt and just ask you a question: the best for whom?
--Paul seems to have enjoyed himself...being Mr. Super Christian
and leading another poor, lost soul to Jesus
--and no doubt Onesimus has had a good time gallivanting all
over Asia Minor and Europe—yeah, my slave has seen more
of the world than I have
---let me ask you, “Where is the justice in that little scenario?”
So this whole situation has been a real hoot for everyone...but me
-yeah—remember me?
--I’m the one who’s suffered in all of this...I’ve lost money and I’ve
lost face in my community
-and now I’m simply supposed to kill the fattened calf, throw a party,
and let bygones be bygones?
--I don’t think so
-oh—oh yeah—get this...Paul tosses around the idea of God’s
providence in all of this...how Onesimus runs away...travels
hundreds of miles from Colossae...and then by divine intervention
runs into Paul...Paul, in turn, shares the Good News about
Jesus...how we all have rebelled against God...how we’ve all
demanded to do things our way instead of His way (and I can just
hear Paul pointing out the obvious parallels to Onesimus’ running
away)...and how our sinful rebellion demands God’s judgment and
earns us the death penalty (Paul’s probably saying, “See,
Onesimus, this is all vaguely familiar, eh?”)...but then Paul tells
him about Jesus, God’s Son, who came to earth...lived the perfect
life we couldn’t live...died a horrible death on a Roman cross like
we deserve...and then God the Father raised His Son from the
dead and offers us forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation with Him
--and then it suddenly all becomes clear to Onesimus...he
understands his sin against God because he knows so
intimately his sin against me
---and in faith, Onesimus says, “Yes!” to God’s gracious offer
of salvation and life
-and then Paul hints no-so-subtle-like: Hey, Phil, this was all part of
God’s plan...isn’t that awesome?
--and that’s when Paul steps over the line again...he writes à
Maybe it’s all for the best that you lost
him for a while. You’re
getting him back now for good—and
no mere slave this time,
but a true Christian brother! That’s what he was to me—he’ll
be even more than that to you. So...welcome him back as
you would me.
Yeah...that’s a good one...a real knee-slapper
-because you see, there’s something deep inside me that drives me
to give ol’ Onesimus exactly what he’s got coming to him
--and Paul and Jesus point to something deep inside the heart of
God that compels me not to give them what he deserves…in
other words, to show him mercy
--well, I’ll be honest with you, mercy runs completely counter to
my nature…and frankly, I’m not sure I want to...or even can
So I casually wander over toward the front window...and I look out to
see what Onesimus is up to (if he’s still there, that is)
-and guess what he’s doing?
--he’s on his knees...praying...praying hard like he means it, too
---and I have this uneasy feeling that he’s praying for me...my
slave praying for me, a leader in the church—now there’s
some real irony for you
And I guess that’s when it hit me that Onesimus realizes that I pretty
much hold his life in my hands
-I could have him arrested and crucified (which is what he deserves)
-I could tell him to leave and never show his face around here again
--(which is the best he could hope for, in my opinion
-or I could show him a lotta’ mercy...but I wouldn’t hold my breath
But still...that gets me thinking about God and His mercy
-how we probably don’t have
a clue
about the depth of God’s mercy
--because
God doesn’t grudgingly give us His mercy because
He’s in a particularly good mood or
because we haven’t sinned
too awful much that day
-no, God
showers us with His mercy because of His
Son’s sacrifice
--I don’t know about you, but pretty regularly I convince myself
there’s absolutely no way He could possibly forgive me
---but the truth is: that’s a lie
---and it’s one of Satan’s most dangerous, most believed lies
----and it’s left crippled Christians in its wake...I should know
-I think that’s because somewhere deep inside I’m afraid He won’t
forgive me…that maybe His mercy has run out
--but that’s when a friend, like Paul, will remind me of the words
of the prophet Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:22-23 à
Because
of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for
His
mercies never fail. They are new every
morning; great is
Your
faithfulness.
One of huge mistakes I make is assuming that God is like us
-but God is not “just like us, only a little better”
--God is completely “other”...He is incomparable
The prophet Micah
writes à Who is a God like You, who pardons
sin and forgives
the transgression...? You do not stay
angry forever
but delight to
show mercy. You will again have
compassion on us;
You will tread
our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the
depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19)
God is perfect in His holiness…perfect in His justice…perfect in His
love…perfect in His mercy
-and that changes everything
--His mercy has changed my past…and it has changed my future
And that experience, that reality profoundly changes me—it has to
-someone who has been forgiven much, can forgive much
--someone who has been shown mercy, can show incredible mercy
We cry, “Lord, have mercy!”…and He does…every time
But then someone will cry, “Phil, have mercy!”…and what I do in
response to that plea is one of the best indicators of the degree I’ve
allowed God’s mercy to transform me…to make me more like Jesus
So what do I do? Do I show mercy? Even to Onesimus?
-am I quick to forgive?
-do I act on my compassion?
-am I just as ready to show mercy to him as I am to a deacon in the
Colossae church or to one of my best friends, like Paul?
--or am I holding him to an unrealistic standard…and now am
judging him more severely because he’s cost me financially and
damaged my precious reputation
My wife, Apphia, watches me quietly as I wrestle with all of this
-with no hint of what I’m thinking about, I say, “What do you want to
say? I know you’re just waiting for my invitation—so just say it.”
--she replies, “I’m just thinking of what the Lord said the day He
taught on
the hillside...Blessed are the merciful, for they will be
shown
mercy.”
-that’s all she says before leaving the room
and leaving me alone
with my thoughts
--(what I don’t know is that she
secretly takes some bread and
water to Onesimus as he prayed...and
as I considered his fate)
The funny thing is...this story isn’t about Onesimus...his part is done
-he has turned away from his sin, asked God for forgiveness, and
now is doing the difficult, but right thing of pleading for my mercy
And this story isn’t about Paul...although I suppose a lot of people will
admire the tenderness with which he approaches this sensitive
matter...and how he offers to pay me back for what Onesimus has
stolen from me (even though I’m the one who owes him for all he
has done for me)
When it comes down to it, this story is really about me...and about the
reality of what Jesus has done in me
-what am I going to do knowing how I’ve been saved...from what
I’ve been saved...and for what I’ve saved?
--that’s essentially the issue isn’t it?
-well, let me as you—what would you do if you were in my sandals?
When we consider the mercy that’s saved us, how can we live any
other way?
-in fact, James
2:13 gives us a clear warning à judgment
without
mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.
--in light of that, we’d be foolish not to examine our relationships
---are we stingy, clutching to the mercy God’s given us…not
willing to pour it freely on those desperate to receive what
we’ve been given?
---and, if so, do you see how it’s killing you?
I challenge you to do that the next time someone hurts you
-the next time someone lies to you
-the next time someone talks about you behind your back
-the next time someone is rude to you
-the next time someone laughs at you out of pure meanness
-the next time you see someone in need of a loving touch…in need
of affirming words…in need of a friend…in need of forgiveness…
in need of a little mercy...remember the cross
In fact, remember the almost unbelievable truth of Titus
3:3-7 à At
one time we too
were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved
by all kinds of
passions and pleasures. We lived in
malice and
envy, being
hated and hating one another. But when
the kindness
and love of God
our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of
righteous things
we had done, but because of His mercy.
He
saved us through
the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy
Spirit, whom He
poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ
our Savior, so
that, having been justified by His grace, we might
become heirs
having the hope of eternal life.