Philemon

I realized it's been a while since I've posted about my studies on a book of the Bible. And just as a reminder, I have no theological credibility to teach others. But I wanted to share some thoughts in what God has showed me in this short book. With my limited use of resources, I found that this letter is based around the concept of reconciliation. So let me start from the beginning.

I attended a YouTube event on thursday night for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It was hosted by ISA. I got in - thanks to a friend at Jubilee Project. During my 1 hour commute (it amazes me that it takes 1 hour to travel 20 miles in LA), I listened to a sermon/discussion. It was a discussion between Dr. John M. Perkins and Judah Smith about racism in our world.

As an African American, John Perkins lived through the time period of racial segregation. And he talked about his own struggles in facing physical torture and persecution as a black man. But most importantly he shared his struggle in suppressing his thoughts of hatred against those who persecuted him. During his time of persecution, he prayed to God. Perkins prayed for God to get him out of there, and that he would preach the love of God if he was released. However, that was easier said than done.

When he was released released, Perkins refused to share the love of God with others. He couldn't. There was so much hatred built up within him, and he wanted justice for the persecution he endured. But over time, God began to show that it is not our job to enforce justice. Long story short, Perkins shared about the gravity and weight of evil that drives this whole issue of racism. It is the hatred that Satan creates that causes us to unreasonably discriminate and hate. Isn't it funny how racism has no logical reason for its behavior? I have yet to hear a logical explanation of why we should hate people that are not of our color.

Anyway, I listened to this talk on my way to the ISA event. Once I got there, much of the theme revolved around the topic of Hollywood "whitewashing" the film industry. Guest speakers talked about how asians are being underrepresented and treated unfairly, which may be true. People spoke about how we need to stand up for our right of equal opportunity in film. However, I could feel a tone of hatred and frustration. And I completely understand that we have a "right" to express those feelings. But I don't think that's what God wants us to do. I believe, as a Christian, we can take a different role to encourage a change.

Paul's letter to Philemon is a letter for reconciliation. But the letter isn’t about re-mending the relationship between Paul and Philemon. Instead, Paul is speaking on behalf of Onesimus, who is a former bondservant of Philemon. I say former because Onesimus had run away from Philemon in the middle of his servitude. And just a sidenote: bondservant is not what we think of today. A bondservant was like a mutual/contractual agreement between the “master” and “servant”. It’s like paying off a debt. Both parties agree to a deal to pay off some sort of debt. And it wasn’t the case that the master would take advantage of his bondservant. Sometimes, bondservants would commit their life to serving their master even after their contractual agreement was over because the master had treated his bondservant so well.

But long story short, Onesimus wronged Philemon. And Philemon has a right to be upset. But in this letter, Paul is pleading Philemon to receive Onesimus as a beloved brother in Christ. During his time away from Philemon, Onesimus met Paul and came to know Christ. And the letter is essentially Paul’s plead to Philemon to forgive Onesimus. Paul even goes on to take all responsibility and blame for all the wrong Onesimus has done.

The tone and way Paul addresses Philemon is so gentle, gracious, and loving. And he asks Philemon to allow Onesimus to be reconciled with him.

Obviously, this isn't the same issue as the racism we face today. But I think you can get the point. John Perkins spent his entire talk stressing the importance of God's love. It is only through God's redemptive love that we can experience true reconciliation. And yes, I understand that the issue can't be fixed if one party is unwilling to reconcile.

But overall, I believe that the solution can only be found in Christ. Sure - we can set up rules and provide laws for equal opportunity. But that will not eliminate the deeply rooted hatred of racism. Even with the laws/amendments we have in place, we still experience and see acts of racism. We can't fix this problem on our own.

I hope we can pray for a nation that can be grounded in Christ. Because only then can we reconcile with on another and begin to see that we are all made in the image of God.