"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. "
Matthew 6:12
EQUAL IN CHRIST
Read It: Philemon 15-20
Sometimes it's really hard being a disciple of Jesus Christ. You know why? If you try to follow and obey Jesus long enough, sooner or later He's going to ask you to love and accept somebody you don't even like. As we saw yesterday, Paul wanted to keep Onesimus with him. But Paul wasn't so selfish as to ignore Philemon's feelings and the fact that he'd been wronged. So Paul said Onesimus had to go back to square things. But I want you to notice a great principle here. Even though Onesimus had some restitution to make, the only right way Philemon could take him back was as his "beloved brother," no longer as his slave. You almost hear Philemon saying, "The man who stole from me?" Yes. "The guy who messed me over?" You got it. "Now I'm supposed to receive him as my beloved brother?" Right again. What Paul was saying was that Onesimus was now much more than what he had been when he ran away. Now don't misunderstand. Paul did not mean that Onesimus's job description had changed. He may still owe Philemon money and work, but he wasn't to be treated as his slave. Here's the answer to those who wonder why the Bible doesn't come right out and denounce slavery. Paul knew that if slaves and masters got saved and started treating each other as beloved brothers, slavery as an institution would collapse of its own weight. Slavery is so morally reprehensible hensible that you can't have two disciples of Jesus Christ fulfilling His command mand to love one another while one disciple is the property of the other.
Now that's not to say this would be an easy assignment for Philemon. We're still talking about two human beings whose relationship has been badly damaged. And they were from two different social classes. But once a man has been to Calvary, he is your equal. So Paul put it on the personal level (vv. 17-18). The way Philemon treated Onesimus would be a reflection of how Philemon felt about Paul. But Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 25:40. How you treat the "least" of His followers is how you treat Him. Think About It If Jesus took your treatment of other believers as reflecting your love for Him, would you be glad or embarrassed?
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