Brother-Slave

ALL – Psalm 101:1-8
ALL – Proverbs 26:20
OT – Lamentations 1:1-2:19
NT – Philemon 1:1-25

Interesting passage for the day: Perhaps you could think of it this way: that he ran away from you for a little while so that now he can be yours forever, no longer only a slave, but something much better—a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, too, because he is not only a servant but also your brother in Christ. – Philemon 1:15-16, The Living Bible

Thought: Slave – noun – a human being whose primary purpose in life is to do the will of another human being known as master, and who can be treated in any way the master deems appropriate.

Brother – noun – a valued family member, ally, partner and friend who is loved and needed, and for whose sake you would put your own life on the line

Slave. Brother. Brother-slave. Words make such a difference in how we see one another.

When Paul wrote this letter to Philemon about his slave Onesimus, we can hope that Philemon was already being a good master to his slave, because he was a godly Christian who was apparently known for kindness. But in his mind, Onesimus’ identity was bound up in the word “slave”. Maybe “good slave.” Probably “bad slave.” Either way, “slave.”

But Paul wrote to tell Philemon that Onesimus had a new identity: “brother.” Legally, he was still Philemon’s slave. Slave was still his role. But his identity was now “brother.” And Paul was asking Philemon to treat Onesimus like the spiritual brother he had become.

Could you allow your brother to remain a slave? Especially to you? No wonder slavery was eventually abolished!

But we do the same thing with our labels. We look at those around us, even in the church, and we think of each other in ways that allow us to avoid expressing the love that Christ has created us to express.

Here are some possible labels we’ve used for those around us: “Legalist.” “Pleasure-seeker.” “Young.” “Old.” “Strange.” “Too friendly.” “Irresponsible.” “Stiff.” “Gossip.” “Withdrawn.” All of these words may be true of the people we’re describing, just as “slave” was true of Onesimus. But we can’t define anyone’s identity with these words when we’re looking at fellow-believers. Fellow-believers’ primary identities in our minds should always be “father,” “mother,” “brother,” “sister” (Philemon 1:16; compare 1 Timothy 5:1-2).

Question: Is there a fellow-believer that you just can’t get along with—perhaps don’t even want to get along with? What is your label for him or her? What identity should you be using for this person who has been redeemed by Christ with you? How might your attitude change? How might your choices and actions change?

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