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8 -Philemon and Colossians |
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LESSON 8 • Letters to Philemon and Colossians
“That You Might Believe and Have Life In His Name” (John 20:31)
Preparation for New Testament Survey, March 26, 2006
Letters to Philemon and Colossians
INTRODUCTION
The Letter to Philemon is one of the two truly personal letters in the New Testament. The other is 3 John, sent to Gaius by his friend, “the elder”(otherwise unnamed). The personal nature of this unique letter by Paul gives it great significance and demands our attention. Paul here addresses a sensitive situation with such perfection that every line becomes precious to those who desire to emulate the apostle’s spirit and the perfect way in which he reaches out toward another’s heart. The whole letter is of pure gold. It is no wonder it was placed in the canon.
Philemon was a well-to-do Christian (likely he came in contact with Paul inEphesus and was converted there – Acts19:10, 20, 26) of Colossae whose house was large enough to serve as a meeting place of the church. Apphia is generally regarded as his wife. Archippus may have been his son or at least a relative of his. Some scholars suggest that Archippus served as the minister of the church in Colossae (Col. 4:17; Philemon 2) after the departure of Epaphras (who was the founder of the church in Colossae – Col. 1:7, 8; 4:12, 13; Philemon 23) to visit Paul.
Onesimus was a slave that belonged to Philemon. The details are not certain, but it appears that Onesimus had either damaged some of Philemon’s property or had stolen some of his valuables (vv. 11 & 18) and then fled to Rome, hoping to be swallowed up in the crowded metropolis. But in the providence of God, he met Paul and was not only converted but also became so closely attached to Paul that Paul would have liked to keep him, not as a slave, but as a friend and helper. As a runaway slave, Onesimus could have been punished very severely, and therefore he asked for Paul to write a conciliatory letter to Philemon on his behalf. Paul does such and appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus kindly, not as a slave but as a Christian brother.
Epaphras, the spiritual leader of the Christians in Colossae, Laodicea, andHierapolis, had come to visit Paul inRome in order to obtain counsel and help against peculiar and superstitious Judaizers who had begun to trouble the churches in Colossae and Laodicea. Acting on the information brought by Epaphras (Col.. 1:8), Paul wrote his letters to Colossians and this personal letter to Philemon and sent it with the personal protection of Tychicus (Col. 4:7-9).
MONDAY
After a reading of this brief letter, one may conclude that its purpose is self-evident. Yet its very brevity leaves many questions in our minds. A clearer idea of the nature and purpose of the letter to Philemon may be gained if three questions are asked:
* What is Paul requesting of Philemon?
* Was the request granted?
* Why was this letter preserved?
As Paul begins this letter, he warmly acknowledges Philemon’s reputation of faith and love of the brethren (v. 5). He touches on all the emotions that will induce Philemon to receive Onesimus back in a Christian manner. Paul had every reason to be tactful. To legally pardon a very serious offender was asking a lot of Philemon. He was also asking to be excused for the presumption of detaining Onesimus. Strictly speaking, Paul had defrauded his friend.
Paul chose to appeal to Philemon not on the basis of his authority as an apostle, rather he appealed to him “for love’s sake.” What did he want Philemon to do? Is he just asking for the slave’s freedom?
The situation may even be more complex since it seems Paul does not really want to lose the assistance of Onesimus. He seems to be requesting that Philemon release him and send him back to him.
The important thing to notice is that Onesimus had become helpful in the spread of the gospel. Paul was asking that Philemon acknowledge that a new relationship existed between him and Onesimus – he was to receive him not as a slave but as a “brother in the Lord” (v. 16).
As you read the letter, it seems Paul is confident that Philemon would accept Onesimus. It is generally assumed that Paul’s request for Philemon’s acceptance of Onesimus was granted. Otherwise, the letter to Philemon would not have survived. If Philemon had hardened his heart and refused to pardon and welcome Onesimus, let alone send him back to Paul, he would have certainly surpressed the letter.
TUESDAY
Estimates suggest there were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire, men and women who were treated like pieces of merchandise to buy and sell. With that many, if they had ever revolted, there could have been serious trouble.
The average slave sold for 500 denarii (one denarius was a day’s wage for a common laborer), while the educated and skilled slaves were priced as high as 50,000 denarii. A master could free a slave, or a slave could buy his freedom if he could raise the money. A rebellious slave was promptly eliminated. And, if a slave ran away, at best he would be branded with a red-hot iron on the forehead with the letter “F”(standing for fugitivus, which means runaway). Some were actually crucified for this crime. Paul knew all this, and he knew that slavery was so ingrained into the ancient world that even to send Onesimus back to the Christian Philemon was a considerable risk.
So Paul gave Onesimus this letter. He puns on Onesimus name. For his name in Greek literally means “profitable.” Now, as we might say, he is not only Onesimus by name, he is also Onesimus by nature.
Such then was Paul’s appeal. Many people have wondered why Paul says nothing in this letter about the whole matter of slavery. There are probably several reasons why, but suffice it to say that had the early Christians begun an open crusade against slavery, nothing but tragedy and disaster could have followed. Christianity would itself have been branded as revolutionary and subversive treason. Given the Christian faith, emancipation was bound to come, but the time was not ripe and to encourage slaves to hope for it, and to seize it, would have done infinitely more harm that good.
What Christianity did was introduce a new relationship between a master and his slave. A relationship in which all external differences were abolished because Christians are one in Christ - - whether they are Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11).
There are two passages in which Paul sets out the duties of slaves and masters – Eph 6:5-9 and Col. 3:22-4:1. Both these passages were written when Paul was in prison in Rome, and most likely when Onesimus was with him. It is difficult not to think that they owe much to long talks that Paul had withthe runaway slave who had become a Christian.
WEDNESDAY
The city of Colossae was nestled in the valley of Lycus. It was a beautiful mountainous area of Phrygia in Asia Minor, about one hundred miles east ofEphesus. The city was made up of three groups of people: (1) native Phrygians; (2) Greek colonists; and (3) Jews. Since it had been located on a main trade route between the West and the East, it was exposed to the philosophies of both Western and Eastern cultures. Estimates are that at the time of Paul’s writing, there were 50,000 Jews living in Colossae. Remember in Acts 2:9, 10, reference is made that Jews were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost from Asia and Phrygia(likely many from Colossae).
Just so that you will know, todayColossae is an abandoned mound belonging to Turkey. To this date, it has never been excavated.
The church at Colossae had been founded by one of Paul’s helpers, Epaphras, who had probably been converted during Paul’s ministry atEphesus (1:7; 2:6). Epaphras had traveled to Rome to see Paul in prison to seek his counsel about the problems arising in the young church by troublemakers. Paul takes the occasion of the return of Onesimus to his owner Philemon (4:7-9) to have Tychichus report to the Colossians and Laodiceans on his condition (2:1; 4:10-13) and to deliver this letter to be read aloud (4:16) to the troubled church in Colossae. Timothy was with the author (1:1), along with six others – Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas (4:10-14) – all of whom send greetings to the Colossians.
The letter falls into two main parts: the doctrinal section (1:1-3:4) and the practical exhortation (3:5-4:18). Scholars agree that Paul seemed to have three main purposes in writing:
* To express his personal interest in the Colossians;
* To warn them against reverting to their old pagan vices;
* To refute the false teaching that was threatening the church.
After the opening salutation Paul expresses his thanks to God for the Colossians’ faith and love, and he prays for their further progress in their Christian life (1:1-14). This prayer and thanksgiving turns into an exalted description of the person of Christ. In this passage, we find Paul’s fullest statement concerning Christ’s person before the incarnation (compare also 1 Cor. 8:6).
THURSDAY
Here are some of the points made about Jesus in the first chapter:
* He is the image of the Invisible God (1:15);
* Everything created, whether earthly or heavenly, is founded in Him (1:16);
* He is the agent, sustainer, and goal of all things (1:16-17);
* He is the head of the body, the church (1:18);
* The beginning and firstborn from among the dead (1:19);
* Through Christ, we are freed from the fear of all those hostile forces that have dominated our existence and from the burden of guilt (1:20-22).
Colossae was in Phrygia, a region renowned in the ancient world for its fascination with all things magical and mysterious. Hints of Paul’s concern are subtly suggested even in his praise of the Colossians (1:6-10). More important than the specific identity of the opponents, Paul is concerned with the way these men understood perfection or maturity before God (1:28) and the attitude they adopted toward others in the Colossian community. Such attitudes outraged Paul. This self-regard and contempt of others is the exact opposite of genuine spiritual maturity, which has to do not withthe cultivation of the human psyche, but with obedience to God’s Spirit, which expresses itself in love and mutual support.
Some scholars have identified a “heresy doctrine” that was being formulated in Colossae that included these components:
* A Gnostic false teaching concerning the deity and supremacy of Christ;
* Some were turning to other philosophies and Paul stressed they needed no other teaching (2:8);
* Some were influenced by Jewish thought and like we’ve found in other places, they were insisting that circumcision, dietary laws, and the observance of holy days be practiced (2:9-11; 16-23);
* Some were influenced to worship mysterious powers, specifically angelic beings (2:18).
Likely, all of these things were being tossed around in their assemblies and served to dilute the pure gospel message and were causing some to fall away (2:3-10).
FRIDAY
The forthright way in which Paul refutes error and calls the Colossian Christians to faithfulness should serve as a model for us today. At the point Paul intervened, the situation inColossae was more of a threat and not a disaster. These false teachers likely saw the gospel message as being “too simple” and they set out to embellish it with this or that element of philosophy or ritual. Paul’s purpose in writing the letter was to correct the errors in doctrine that were being reported to him and to warn the people to remain faithful to Christ and to not accept the appealing philosophies, traditions, and practices of their surrounding culture.
The real solution to whatever difficulties or threats that would come into the lives of Colossian Christians was practical rather than philosophical. In the second part of the letter, Paul urges that the everyday conduct of the Colossians ought to reflect their exalted position in Christ (3:1-4:6). He exhorts them to put to death what is worldly in them – the old nature with its practices – and to put on the new nature with all of the Christian graces (3:1-17). Special instructions are directed to wives and husbands, to children and parents, and to slaves and master (3:18-4:1).
Paul’s concluding remarks directed them toward a mutual need for prayer, carefulness toward outsiders, and caution in speech. He specifically admonishes them to “devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful,” and to show Christian tactfulness in witnessing before non-Christians (4:2-6). After sending greetings from himself and his helpers, Paul takes the pen from Tychicus and adds his signature and final message (4:18).
© 2006, Pleasant Valley Church of Christ
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