Tag: #30daysofPaul

Philemon: A Window Into Paul’s World #30daysofPaul

The Epistle to Philemon is one book that makes you think, “What in the world was the early church thinking when they put this in the Bible?”

Philemon is very short -25 verses, 445 words, one chapter- and very, very light on theology. And by light, I mean there is none at all. Philemon is simply a letter from Paul to his acquaintance Philemon, asking for the slave Onesimus to be welcomed back with love and care, after an apparent falling out between the slave and his master.

And that’s it. It’s basically a note.

So what can we pull from it?

Well, it;s another good example of the personal Paul we’ve been encountering over the last couple of days. If you want to know Paul, if you want to get a feel for who he was and what he like and how he communicated to friends and loved ones on a personal level, then this is a great book for that.

In Philemon, we see Paul as we very rarely see him: humble, deferential, brown-nosing a bit, trying to praise and flatter Philemon as much as possible, so he will do what Paul is asking.

Martin Luther very accurately called this letter “holy flattery.”

We don’t know why Onesimus left Philemon-or if perhaps he was cast out. We don’t know where they were from. We can infer from verse 2 that Philemon was highly regarded enough to host a church in home. We don’t know the outcome of this letter, whether Philemon accepted Onesimus, whether he freed him or not, whether he punished him and sold him or what. All we know is what we read here, which is not much.

We can infer a bit of Paul’s theology tangentially here, since we have a good idea of his ideas overall. Paul was always interested in reconciliation. Here, he writes specifically to implore Philemon to practice reconciliation, and forgiveness, to live the Christian example in relation to Onesimus.

We also know Paul had an eschatology of immanence, so he likely believed it wouldn’t be long before the return of Christ and the breaking down of social barriers, meaning soon Onesimus and Philemon would truly be brothers and equals, thus Philemon should practice that Kingdom outlook here.

We know Paul was a product of his times, and something like slavery was so commonplace that if never occurred to Paul to advocate for abolition or manumission of slaves. It was just the natural order of things. As one commentary notes, for Paul to be an “abolitionist would have been at the same time an insurrectionist, and the political effects of such a movement would have been unthinkable.”

Paul’s eschatology prevented him from being one to rock the boat much, as he believed all this world was passing away soon anyways. He wasn’t out for political and social revolution; he was working to reconcile people and to make followers of Christ. Those who once used Philemon as justification for the continuance of slavery were not only morally and ethically compromised, but also dismissive of historical context for Scripture.

There isn’t much to work with in Philemon, but that doesn’t meaning there’s nothing. Getting to know Paul, getting a glimpse into his world and live and relationships-what a great opportunity from such a short work.

Next: Philippians 4:10-20

For a PDF of the 30 Days of Paul reading plan, click here.

2 Corinthians 1:1-2:13; 7:5-16; 8-9: The Letter of Reconciliation #30daysofPaul

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been behind on my #30daysofPaul challenge.

It started 4th of July weekend, when I took two days off to visit family in Kansas…and then just never made those days up. Since then, I’ve been working two to five days behind, and scrambling to make it all up.

Tonight, that’s what I’m doing.

These three selections from 2 Corinthians – 1:1-2:13; 7:5-16; 8-9 – all make up one letter, broken up by a couple others. They are known collectively as the “letter of reconciliation,” and appear to be written in response to Corinth’s reception of his “letter of tears,” which we tackled earlier in chapters 10-13.

So I just want to touch on the “letter of reconciliation” here, and get us caught up and ready to jump back in tomorrow.

The letter of reconciliation is a lot like the letter of tears: light on theology, more concerned with Paul’s relationship to the church at Corinth. He writes to them here to commend them for their response to his previous letter. It seems a single individual – a member of the church at Corinth – was responsible for the charges Paul answered in his earlier letter.

Although they were first angry and then grieved at his letter, Paul indicates they used it as an opportunity to grow. He says in 7:11,

“For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what earnestness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in this manner.”

Paul’s love for the church at Corinth shines through in his words to them here. He also encourages them to forgive and love the individual who caused this rift, just as he has committed to forgive and love him.

Finally, in chapters 8 and 9, he encourages them to give out of their abundance to the impoverished churches at Macedonia, commends Titus and other workers to them as they travel to Jerusalem, and then reminds them of their duty to take a collection for the church at Jerusalem to send with Titus.

In light of the previous letter in 10-13, I found this one very interesting, to see Paul making amends after his outburst. He seems almost embarrassed by the way he acted previously, making excuses for not visiting them in the meantime that seems to be covering up the shame he feels and his desire to not have to confront them face-to-face. The personal side of Paul we get in these letters is so fascinating for exploring him as a human being, and not some otherworldly Saint.

Thanks for tolerating my tardiness. Now, we are caught up! I promise to keep it that way over the final 11 days of #30daysofPaul.

Next: Philemon

For a PDF of the 30 Days of Paul reading plan, click here.

2 Corinthians 10-13: Paul the Regular Guy #30daysofPaul

I’ll be honest: I’m having a really hard time with 2 Corinthians here.

In case you couldn’t tell.

It must be the jumbled nature of it, how there is no narrative flow here because of it being four different letters spliced together. Or maybe it’s the nature of the content, of the little petty things Paul is addressing here, in contrast to the big theological concepts of Galatians, and 1 Corinthians and Romans.

But I’m just really having a hard time finding themes to riff on.

Today’s not much different. We have four uninterrupted chapters here, but Paul spends it being sarcastic and angry and listing his own qualifications as an apostle against those moving in on his territory and trying to turn the church at Corinth against him.

Ugh.

But then, maybe that’s the point here. While not theologically the most enlightening parts of the Bible, these letters provide an extraordinary window in the world of the first century church. Here, we see Paul addressing the everyday, small issues that plagues him and his churches. He gets involved in petty spats, and goes after other teachers, and answers small criticisms and questions.

Just like us.

Maybe this letter, and the others from the last couple days, can show us that Paul and Peter and James weren’t superheroes or something. They were regular people, leading and guiding other regular people, dealing with regular, everyday issues.

I’m liking this more and more. Try reading today’s chapters in the Message translation. The modern language fits this passage better, as it translates the struggles Paul had here, and the irony and derision and mockery he writes with, better than a word-for-word translation.

And just enjoy knowing that St. Paul the Super-Apostle wasn’t so different from us.

Next: 2 Corinthians 1:1-2:13, 7:5-16, 8-9

For a PDF of the 30 Days of Paul reading plan, click here.