Milo

NOVEMBER 28

Reading 332

GREATER THAN MOSES Hebrews 3:1–4:13

“Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself” (Heb. 3:3).Heeding the Word of Jesus is our key to rest.

Overview

Jesus is superior to Moses the Law-giver (3:1–6). The generation Moses led failed to respond to God’s voice, and as a result was unable to enter God’s rest (vv. 7–19). The promise of entering God’s rest still stands, as it did in the time of Moses, Joshua, and David (4:1–8). We enter that rest through a faith expressed in obedience to God’s living and active Word (vv. 9–13).

Understanding the Text

“Just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house” Heb. 3:1–6. Angels might be superior to men. But one human being dominated the history of Israel. This man, Moses, was THE spokesman of God, and while his brother Aaron served as high priest, it was Moses who in prayer faithfully represented the people to God. To the pious Jew even the angels seemed hardly superior to Moses, the Law-giver. And so the writer of Hebrews met this challenge. The “Apostle and High Priest” of our faith, whose role corresponds to that of Moses, is Jesus Christ. And He is greater than Moses. Jesus is Builder of the house of God, of which Moses is a part. Moses was faithful as a servant, Christ is faithful as a Son. It follows that the revelation Jesus brought is superior to that brought by Moses! When the writer said, “Fix your thoughts on Jesus,” he was calling the reader to compare Christ to Moses, not to put Moses down, but to see how much greater Jesus is than this greatest of men. For us, “fix your thoughts” has another implication. If Moses was held in such high regard that the average Israelite was zealous to keep his commands, how much more dedicated should Christians be to doing all that Jesus commands? “Today, if you hear His voice” Heb. 3:7–11. This quote from Psalm 95:7–11 sets the theme for this second “warning” passage in Hebrews. The central thought is that when the Word of God was communicated by Moses to the Exodus generation, what they heard was the very voice of God, addressing them in their today. That generation hardened its hearts against God’s Word. They would not trust God, and refused to obey Him. As a result the generation that Moses led from Egypt wandered for decades in the wilderness, never able to enter the Promised Land. Unbelief and disobedience have tragic consequences. Whenever we hear God’s voice, it is essential that we trust Him, and obey. “As long as it is called Today” Heb. 3:12–15. What is “Today”? It is now, this moment, and every moment of our future, as long as you and I live on this earth. The wonderful message of Hebrews 3 and 4 is that God still has a today voice! He is ever here, ever speaking to us, ever inviting us to respond to His direction and guidance. One of the most important purposes of the church is to provide a fellowship in which we encourage one another to respond to God’s voice when He speaks. As long as you live it will be today for you. In each of your todays you need to be listening for God’s word of guidance, direction, or command. Active participation in a local church, and building relationships with others who love the Lord, can help keep you sensitive to His voice, and ready to respond. “Because of their unbelief” Heb. 3:16–19. Another key word in these chapters is “rest.” The specific “rest” in view shifts as the argument develops. At first there is rest for the wandering Israelites awaiting in Canaan (v. 19). Later there is total victory over enemies in Canaan (4:8). But these are only illustrations, to help us sense what the rest promised believers today is like. Everyone who has heard and responded to the message of Jesus is invited to experience a rest of complete inner peace. Only one thing holds us back. The same thing that condemned the Exodus generation to years of unfulfilled wandering. And that is a failure to trust God completely; a failure exhibited in our refusal to respond to His voice. You can be saved and miserable. You can a Christian and anxious. You can be converted, and totally unfulfilled. And you most surely will be if you harden your heart, and fail to respond when you hear God’s voice in your today. “The promise of entering His rest still stands” Heb. 4:1–2. What a tremendous message of hope this is. Perhaps you’ve been a disobedient Christian. Perhaps you can look back on wasted years and lost opportunities. Perhaps you grieve over relationships so tangled and distorted that they are beyond healing. Yet whatever happened to you yesterday, “the promise of entering His rest still stands.” You still have today. And God says, “Today, if you hear His voice.” God does not say, “Yesterday, if you had heard it.” Every today gives us a fresh start, another opportunity. If you hear His voice today, and respond in faith and obedience, you can still experience His rest! You can still know peace, and a tomorrow that will be filled with joy. “His work has been finished since the Creation of the world” Heb. 4:3–4. The Jewish rabbis noted that in the Genesis Creation account the description of each creative day concludes with, “there was evening, and there was morning.” But no such closing phrase is found in the description of the seventh day. The rabbis wisely concluded that the seventh day had no end: God is active, but He is at rest. What’s the significance of this comment? Simply that in the six days of Creation God set in motion a universe whose ages He had already determined. God rested on the seventh day, as there is no contingency for which He has not planned. There is no problem for which He has not already worked out the solution. There is no need He has not already arranged to meet. Have you ever noticed that what drains us is the stress of work, and not work itself? It is the uncertainty, the doubts, the unexpected setbacks, the awareness that no matter how hard we try, so many things are beyond our control. The Sabbath reminds us that there is no such stress for God. He is active, at work in us and in our world, but in His work He is at rest, sustained by perfect peace and certainty. What a God we have! And what an invitation—that we should enter “His rest.” “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” Heb. 4:5–11. The writer mentioned Joshua and David to show that God’s ancient promise of “rest” was not totally fulfilled when Israel at last possessed the Holy Land. Entrance into Canaan, victory over the Canaanites, and even David’s successful campaigns to expand Israel’s kingdom, were merely metaphores—symbolic of a reality far more significant than even these key historic events. The fact that each of these periods in sacred history is identified as a “Today” also serves to remind us that “Today” is here and now for you and me. When we hear God’s voice, we can respond, and in responding find the Sabbath rest that God Himself enjoys! But why does the writer tell us to “make every effort to enter that rest”? What is that rest, and how do we experience it? It is God’s own rest. It is the realm in which the future is assured, for every contingency has been planned for. We enter that rest by responding to God’s voice with faith and obedience. He who knows the future can and will guide us safely through our today. The voice of Him who has solved every problem will lead us to His solutions. The voice of the One who knows every need will guide us to the place where our needs will be met. Our struggle is not to find our way into tomorrow, but to submit to His will, so that He can guide us to where we must be. The result of total submission to God and obedience to His Word is rest. We suddenly, inexplicably, find ourselves at peace. Dangers abound. Difficult decisions must be made. Circumstances remain beyond our control. But by submitting to Jesus we have rested from our own works, to rely completely on Him. And so we find the Sabbath rest that is promised to us by our God.

DEVOTIONAL

The Word of God(Heb. 4:1–13)

Have you ever noticed that when you read the Bible, you tend to imagine a tone of voice? Reading some passages, like Psalm 23, we imagine a warm, loving tone. Reading other passages we can almost hear disapproval or anger. Actually, the tone of voice we imagine is most helpful—or harmful—when it comes to really understanding God’s Word. Take for instance those verses that conclude this fascinating passage on God’s rest. I suspect that most folks tend to hear a grim, threatening tone when they read that God’s Word is sharper than a sword. That it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, and that “nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.” But if you do imagine a threatening tone as you read, you’ll miss the message completely! You see, the writer has been telling us that God has a wonderful gift for us—an inner rest and peace that you and I experience as we respond to His voice when He speaks to us in our today. It sounds grand. Until we ask, where are we to hear that voice? How will we recognize it? Does God speak to me, personally, and not to everyone? The simple answer is in the Bible. That book, which is rich in truth revealed for all mankind, is also God’s living and active Word to the individual believer. How can that be? Very simply, God’s Word, while written by men, is a supernatural channel through which He speaks personally to the individual. The Word of God is so sharp a scalpel that it is able to surgically dissect our inmost being. The living, active Word of God assesses even our thoughts and attitudes. Nothing is hidden from God, and through the Word He has given us He penetrates our consciousness, to speak to each of us as an individual. The voice of God is heard in the Word of God. And the Word that is His voice echoes in sermons and classes and in Christians’ conversations. As we are sensitive to God and seek His guidance, we hear His voice speaking directly to our hearts. As we respond to the voice we hear, we find the promise fulfilled in our hearts. Today, we experience His rest and find inner peace.

Personal Application

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart and miss promised peace.

Quotable

“Starting afresh patiently and in good cheer and hope is the mark of the Christian. One of the helpful definitions of Christianity is this: the Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”—John B. Coburn

NOVEMBER 27

Reading 331

A MAN LIKE US Hebrews 2

“Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death . . . and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb. 2:14–15).Jesus fully understands us and our needs.

Overview

We must heed Jesus’ message (2:1–4). It reveals the destiny God gives us through Jesus (vv. 5–13), who took on humanity to break the enslaving grip of death and Satan on our race (vv. 14–18).

Understanding the Text

“We must pay more careful attention” Heb. 2:1.

The warning found in verses 1–5 seems to fit best with chapter 1. God’s Son Himself has delivered the message of salvation, making that message even more binding than the earlier binding revelation given through angels. The image of “drift away” is significant. It pictures an ancient sailing ship, anchored near shore. As the sailors sleep, the wind picks up, and the anchor begins to drag slowly across the sandy bottom. By the time the sailors awake, the ship is pitching dangerously in heavy seas. You and I aren’t likely to consciously pull up the anchor of our faith and abandon the shelter Jesus provides. But unless we give constant heed to Christ’s word, we can drift unaware from our moorings. “How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” Heb. 2:2–4 This is the first of several warnings found in Hebrews. These warnings are addressed to believers, and generally deal with our experience of the superior salvation provided in Christ. Here the theme is Jesus as the Living Word. Those warned have heard the Gospel. They are urged to hold to what was heard, for if they do not they will drift from life’s moorings and fail to experience the benefits of God’s great salvation. What a blessing God’s Word is to us. It is a sure message, confirmed by witnesses who heard Jesus teach and saw His miracles, and confirmed by the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yet it is so easy for us to drift. What we need to do is to give Scripture our constant attention—and make sure we respond to God’s Word by putting it into practice. “What is man that You are mindful of him?” Heb. 2:6–7 How do we explain the wonder of God’s appearance in the flesh? The writer quoted Psalm 8, which displays the amazing fact that God cares about human beings. God has chosen not to ignore us, but has concentrated His attention on us that He might lift us up. He “made him [man] a little lower than the angels.” But what we were is not what we will be! We are destined for glory and honor and dominion at God’s side. “But we see Jesus” Heb. 2:8–9. The idea that humanity has been crowned with glory and honor seems laughable to some. Look at the mess we’re in—and have been in throughout recorded history. How does the human condition speak of glory, or of sovereignty? God has “put everything under his [man’s] feet.” How about sickness? How about suffering? How about wars, and crime, and drunk driving, and child abuse? Hebrews answers, “At present we do not see everything subject to” man. But what we do see is God, becoming incarnate in Jesus, suffering death for us, and “now crowned with glory and honor.” In the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus you and I see our own destiny. The glorified Jesus is proof positive that glory lies ahead for you and me. While a skeptical world looks at the ruin man has made of our earth, confident believers look at the triumph of Jesus, and find peace. “Perfect through suffering” Heb. 2:10. Again we have a seeming contradiction. How could God, who by definition is perfect, have been “made” perfect through suffering? The idea of perfection is expressed in the Greek word, teleios. This root is used nine times by the author of Hebrews, and it means “completed, mature, with every potential realized.” Suffering did nothing to add to Jesus character or nature. Yet it did equip Him for His saving work. In suffering as human beings suffer, Jesus shared all that it means to be human. As the writer added in verse 18, “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” In His incarnation Jesus experienced humanness in a way never possible for the preincarnate Son. His suffering as a man was necessary for His complete identification with us. What this means is twofold. It means that Jesus understands you and me in our pain and suffering. And it means that God loves us more than we imagine, for Christ’s exposure of Himself to mankind’s vulnerability was more costly than we can ever know. “I will declare Your name to My brothers” Heb. 2:12. Mark is a missionary to inner-city street people. He works with the addicts, the pimps, the prostitutes, the alcoholics, the homeless that inhabit the night. He lives on the streets with the members of his parish, because he is convinced that only by sharing the life they lead will he gain the credibility required to reach them for Jesus. Hudson Taylor, like Mark, adopted this principle of identification. When Taylor ministered in China he put off his Western dress, adopted Chinese garb, and grew his hair so it might be put in a cue. To reach the Chinese, he became Chinese in his ways. This is what Jesus did for us. He came, became one with us, and called us “My brothers.” By identifying Himself fully with us, He made it possible for us to put our trust in Him. If you want to reach others, don’t consider how different you are from them. Instead consider all the ways you are one with them. The more closely you can identify with others, the more clearly they will see the Lord Jesus in your life. “Him who holds the power of death” Heb. 2:14. Scripture speaks of two realms: a realm of darkness and a realm of light; a realm of death and a realm of life. While God is the ultimate authority in the material and spiritual universe, Satan is the present ruler of darkness. Where Satan reigns death, as spiritual insensitivity, selfishness, and guilt, hold sway. Human beings who live in Satan’s realm are captives of their own sin natures—and of the fear of death. It is the terror of the unknown, and the fear of extinction or of final judgment, that keeps humanity enslaved. The writer does not explain this imagery. But we can understand it. We know how fear petrifies and inhibits. Like the tiny animal held motionless by the gaze of the cobra, the terror of death keeps man from seeking God. No man aware of committing a crime is likely to search out the sheriff. No person fearing punishment for sin is likely to set out to find God, the Judge, and risk the death he knows he deserves. What Good News then the Gospel is. The Gospel trumpets Satan’s defeat, and announces a pardon available to all. Because Jesus lived and died as a man, and so defeated Satan, we no longer fear death. The paralysis caused by fear is broken, and we run, exulting, into God’s presence, eager to live the rest of our lives in His presence.

DEVOTIONAL

Merciful and Faithful(Heb. 2:14–18)

Nobody likes “have to” very well. Around our house, “You have to practice your music lesson now” meets with almost as many squeals of protest as, “You have to go to bed.” Actually, I’m not all that wild about “have to” myself. I often find myself saying or thinking, “I have to get my day’s work done first,” when I’d rather go fishing or just take off and play some tennis. But “have to” takes precedence. If the more important goals are to be reached, discipline is required. That’s what Hebrews 2:14–18 tells us about Jesus. His goals were so important that He did whatever He had to in order to reach them. And what Jesus had to do really hurt. First, He had to become a real human being, and suffer the pressure of all those temptations that trouble humanity, if He was to be a merciful High Priest. Philo, the first-century Jewish philosopher, held that the high priest must not show his feelings, but “have his feeling of pity under control.” But Jesus endured the human condition just so that He might display the depth of God’s compassion for us. If we were to know for sure that God loves us, we had to be shown a Saviour who was willing to suffer. Because Jesus did what He had to, you and I know that our High Priest is merciful. But Jesus also had to endure the ultimate suffering of the Cross to “make atonement for the sins of the people.” The Greek word here, hilastekesthai, means to make a propitiation—to satisfy and thus turn aside the wrath of God. He was faithful in this obligation which He as High Priest had to God. If Jesus was to accomplish the purpose for which He was sent, He had to offer up His own life. And, faithful in His commitment to God’s will, He did exactly that. For Jesus, the goal of satisfying God’s justice and showing mercy to mankind was so important that “have to” was transformed into “want to.” He chose freely to suffer for us. And we can learn from the voluntary suffering of Jesus. Let’s make the goal of doing God’s will so central in our lives that when you or I “have to” suffer in order to obey, we will want to respond, no matter what the cost.

Personal Application

When you truly “want to” please God, the things you “have to” do will become a joy.

Quotable

“I will be Christian. Like a crimson line running through my life, let the covenant bind me to the will and way of Jesus. “I will be Christian. My body, mind, and spirit Christ-centered, that I may learn His will; that I may walk His way; that I may win my associates; and that ‘in all things He might have the preeminence.’ “I will be Christian. My voice of passion in an age grown cold and cynical because of faltering faith and shrinking deeds; my answer to the Macedonian call of spiritual continents unpossessed and unexplored. “I will be Christian. In my heart, in my home, in my group, in my country—now, to help save America that America may serve the world. “I will be Christian. Across all lines of color and class, into every human relationship, without respect for temporal circumstance, in spite of threat and with no thought of reward. “I will be Christian. That Christianity may become as militant as Fascism; as terrible toward wrong as God’s hatred of sin; as tender with the weak as His love for little children; as powerful as the prayer of the righteous, and as sacrificial as Calvary’s Cross. “I will be Christian . . . So help me God.”—Daniel A. Poling

Hebrews

NOVEMBER 26

Reading 330

CHRIST, THE SON Hebrews 1

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word” (Heb. 1:3).Christian faith rests on the conviction that Jesus Christ is God the Son.

Background

The Book of Hebrews.

Like the other letters that have found a place in our New Testament, Hebrews was circulated among congregations of the early church, and quickly acknowledged as authoritative. Both the name—“to the Hebrews”—and the content of this letter have led most to suppose the intended readers were Jewish Christians, whose commitment to Christ wavered as they remembered the richness of their heritage. How could they abandon a faith and lifestyle which generations of their forefathers had been firmly convinced was revealed to them by God? Recently modern scholars have questioned the belief that Hebrews was originally directed to Jewish Christians. In the first century many active “Judaizers” sought to draw Gentile believers into Judaism by superimposing their Law and religious practices atop Christianity. Some think that Hebrews is directed to Gentiles, to counter Jewish corrupters of early Christian faith. Whichever theory is correct, the writer of this epistle showed his readers that faith in Christ is not abandonment of Jewish hopes. Christianity is the fulfillment of all that Old Testament faith and life promised. All that was so dear to Jewish believers—the revelation of God’s will through Moses, the priesthood, the covenant, the sacrifices, the temple worship—were but shadows that dimly revealed the Son. The Son of God, not the shadows, represents spiritual reality. Thus the Jew who turns to Jesus does not abandon his heritage: he discovers the reality to which that heritage has pointed all along! The Book of Hebrews remains a rich vein of truth to be mined by modern Christians. While the modern church is not threatened by Judaizers, we do need to sense the essential harmony between the Testaments. And we need to examine carefully the person of Jesus and His impact on our lives. For these two purposes—to understand Jesus better, and to experience Him more fully—Hebrews remains an unmatched spiritual resource.

Overview

The source of the new revelation is God’s own Son (1:1–3), demonstrably superior to the angels thought by Israel to have mediated Old Testament revelation (vv. 4–14).

Understanding the Text

“God spoke to our forefathers” Heb. 1:1.

The Old Testament faith is a revealed religion. Moses didn’t invent it. The priests of Josiah’s day did not—as some modern skeptical scholars have suggested—rewrite Jewish history, inventing the bulk of the documents we ascribe to Moses. No, God spoke—and what He said was accurately reported by the prophets of a hundred different times and places. What’s more, what God said is accurately recorded in the books of the Old Testament. That of course is what gave some early Christians pause. If God ordained the faith of Israel, how could He overturn or abandon that Word? How could He reject His chosen people in favor of Gentiles? As we read on in Hebrews we’ll see that the Old Testament word to Israel was neither overturned nor abandoned, but fulfilled. But first the writer of Hebrews makes a vital point. We can trust the Old Testament, for God spoke to man through the prophets of old. But we can trust the New Testament even more, for the Agent of that revelation was no mere man! The Agent of New Testament revelation was God the Son! God did not merely speak to us through men, He became a man, and as a man spoke to us directly. What an awesome thought. God bridged the vast gap between Himself and humanity by becoming a human being. Only in this way could He clearly, and with unmistakable authority, communicate the Good News to us. Let us approach the Scriptures, and especially the New Testament, with great reverence and awe. We are not just reading words. We are listening to the voice of God, and hearing the words of Jesus Christ. “By His Son” Heb. 1:2–3. Christianity, the saying goes, is Christ. And the saying is exactly right. Everything hinges on Jesus and who Jesus is. And so the author of Hebrews tells us, clearly and unmistakably. Jesus, the Son, is the “Heir of all things.” Jesus, the Son, is the Creator of the universe. Jesus, the Son, is the visible expression (the radiance) of God’s glory. Jesus, the Son, is an exact representation of God. Jesus, the Son, maintains the universe, His word alone enabling it to exist. Jesus, the Son, having dealt decisively with the problem of sin, is seated at the right hand of God, the place of power and authority. After membership class yesterday our pastor mentioned his frustration when two Mormons tried to join the church. He had tried to be gracious in speaking with them privately. He listened to their protests that they were “Christians too.” He agreed that there were some beliefs we hold in common. But there was also a critical difference: Who is Jesus? Only when a person confesses joyously that Jesus is the Son of God, the Heir, Creator, and Sustainer of all things, one with God in His essential being and the radiant expression of God’s own glory, can he or she claim the name “Christian.” In New Testament times coins were made stamped in a die, leaving an exact impression of the original. The word for the impress of a die was charakter, the word translated “exact representation” in Hebrews 1:3. Jesus is identical with God. His very being—His essence, His hypostaseos, is an exact representation of the essence of Scripture’s God! “Superior to the angels” Heb. 1:4. The writer of Hebrews used the word translated “superior” or “better” 13 times. Only 1 Corinthians, with 3 occurrences, has it more than once! In Hebrews 1:4 the emphasis is on Jesus’ personal superiority to angels. Often though the emphasis is on the superiority Jesus brings to you and me. Because of who Jesus is and what He has done, you and I have a better hope (7:19), a better covenant (v. 22; 8:6), better possessions (10:34), a better country (11:16), and a better resurrection (v. 35). Jesus always was superior to angels, for His “name” (identity) as Son of God is better than that of any created being. How then is Jesus superior to angels? The most likely answer seems to be that Jesus became superior to angels as a Mediator of revelation. Hebrews 2:2 suggests that angels mediated transmission of God’s Word to Moses and the Prophets. Jesus, in fulfilling His mission as God’s Spokesman, became superior to angels in this aspect of ministry. Angels are at the present superior to human beings. But Jesus, in His nature and in His mission, is far superior to them. We need neither fear demons, nor reverence angels. Jesus is above all. “You are My Son” Heb. 1:5–13. Drawing on the Old Testament to prove his point, the writer of Hebrews showed that the Son is superior to angels in His relationship with God (v. 5), His claim to worship (vv. 6–7), His authority (vv. 8–9), His eternality (vv. 10–12), and His destiny (v. 13). Jesus is superior to all! “Sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” Heb. 1:14. This verse indicates that believers do have “guardian angels.” We may be powerless in ourselves. Yet God has put His Spirit in us, and His angels stand guard around us.

DEVOTIONAL

Son of God(Heb. 1:1–4)

It’s hard sometimes to know just how to think about Jesus. He alone is both a true human being, and at the same time truly God. Sometimes we’re comforted by concentrating on the humanity of Jesus. We know He understands us and sympathizes with our weakness. We remember His compassionate involvement in the lives of so many, and feel close to Him. On the other hand, it’s hard to feel close and comfortable with the God who created the universe and whose elemental power sustains it even now. What accord can we finite, short-lived beings have with one whose existence stretches unbroken from and to eternity itself? Perhaps the best answer for us is to think “Jesus” when we need to sense the loving character of God, and to think “God” when we need to trust the ability of Jesus to meet our every need.

Personal Application

To deepen your faith, meditate on who Jesus is.

Quotable

“Something fiery and star-like gleamed from His eyes and the majesty of Godhead shown from His countenance.”—St. Jerome

Hebrews

INTRODUCTION

The author of this unique New Testament letter is not identified. It is thought he wrote to Christian Jews a few years before the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. The Book of Hebrews carefully compares Old and New Testament faiths. It shows how Christianity grew out of and fulfilled Judaism, by relating Jesus to key Old Testament institutions. On each point, Jesus is shown to be superior: He brings a better revelation, serves as a better High Priest, institutes a better Covenant, and offers a better sacrifice than the old system could provide. The Book of Hebrews helps us understand the foundations of Old Testament faith, but most importantly helps us to appreciate the work of Jesus Christ. Its warnings encourage full commitment to Him, and the vivid image of Jesus as our ever-living High Priest, who understands our weaknesses, encourages us to come boldly to God’s throne for grace to help us in our times of need.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	Introduction	Heb. 1:1–4
II.	A Superior Nature	Heb. 1:5–2:18
III.	A Superior Revelation	Heb. 3:1–4:13
IV.	A Superior Priesthood	Heb. 4:14–7:28
V.	A Superior Covenant	Heb. 8–9
VI.	A Superior Sacrifice	Heb. 10
VII.	Response to Jesus	Heb. 11:1–13:19
VIII.	Conclusion	Heb. 13:20–25

Philemon

NOVEMBER 25

Reading 329

DEAR BROTHER SLAVE Philemon

“No longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother” (Phile. 16).Hearts must change before institutions can.

Background

Slavery.

A high percentage of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire were slaves. Slaves were viewed as property, and had few personal rights in the Roman world. Several of the New Testament epistles encourage Christian slaves to serve their masters wholeheartedly, as if serving Christ (Eph. 6:5–9; Col. 3:22–25; 1 Peter 2:13–21). These same letters urge masters to treat their slaves well. There was a movement in the Roman Empire in the first century that saw many masters free their slaves. Other slaves purchased their own freedom with income they earned on the side. It is striking that the Christian community did not become involved in this social issue, even though slavery seems to violate the biblical view of the value of every person. Paul even told Christian slaves not to be troubled by their state, but to accept freedom if the opportunity came (1 Cor. 7:21–23). The underlying reason seems to be that the early church emphasized the opportunity that any social role gave an individual to serve others. Service, not social status, was given priority. A slave could minister in his servitude; a slave owner could minister by caring for his slaves; a rich man could serve by generously sharing his wealth; a poor man could serve by using his gifts to contribute to the body of believers. What really counted was not the position a person filled in society, but how he served God and others in that role.

Overview

Paul greeted and expressed thanks for Philemon (vv. 1–7), and appealed to him to welcome back his runaway slave Onesimus as a brother (vv. 8–22). He closed with greetings (vv. 23–25).

Understanding the Text

“A prisoner of Christ Jesus” Phile. 1:1. Most believe Paul wrote this letter while in prison in Rome, aboutA.D 60–61. If so, the letter is an illustration of something Paul wrote at the same time to the church in Philippi: “What has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel” (Phil. 1:12). Even in prison Paul found opportunities to share Christ—and reached at least one person, Onesimus, he would never otherwise have met. We need to have a similar perspective on our downs, as well as our ups. God remains in charge even when we suffer reverses. Indeed, our reverses might be more important than our successes in fulfilling God’s plan for our lives! “The church that meets in your home” Phile. 1:2. The “home” was that of Philemon, and the fact that it was large enough for him to host a church, as well as the fact that he owned slaves, suggests that he was relatively wealthy. How fascinating this is. A zealous, Pharisaic Jew wrote a warm personal letter to a wealthy Asiatic Gentile, appealing to him to welcome back a runaway slave as a brother! No greater social gaps can be imagined than between these three groups in the first century. And yet these people had become one in a common commitment to Jesus, and in the fellowship of His church. How good it is to become blind to social distinctions, and to see acutely the bond that makes us one with others who know and love our Lord. “You, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints” Phile. 1:4–7. We can appreciate Philemon as a genuine Christian. Sometimes folks like to invite the traveling evangelist or missionary home—but won’t have anything to do with ordinary folks. This is not the impression we receive of Philemon. According to Paul, he was a man marked by love, who expressed love by welcoming and refreshing “the hearts of” all the saints. Even so Paul prayed that Philemon would “have a full understanding of every good thing.” Paul was about to stretch Philemon’s capacity to love by asking him to welcome back his runaway slave. The quality of our love and understanding will be shown when we too are challenged to love someone we might have reason to despise! It’s going the extra mile that shows the great depth of Christian love—and reveals a mature understanding of what is good. “I appeal to you on the basis of love” Phile. 1:8. Influence, not power, is the secret of Christian leadership. What is the difference? Power coerces others, forcing them to do what we wish whether they want to or not. Influence respects the rights of others to choose, and makes it clear that others have the freedom to make up their own minds. Paul did marshal a variety of strong arguments, that made very clear what he thought Philemon should do. He exerted a kind of pressure that only a close friend, whose love is well known, would be comfortable in exerting. In fact Paul was confident that Philemon would respond as a Christian should. How wonderful when we can have confidence that our loved ones will do what is right. “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful” Phile. 1:11. There is a play on words here in the Greek, for the name Onesimus means “useful.” As a runaway slave, Onesimus “stole” from his master—even though he may have taken nothing away but himself. In the first century an ordinary slave cost about 500 denarii, equivalent to some 500 days pay for a common laborer. Slaves with special skills might cost hundreds of times as much. By running away, Onesimus was not only “useless” but deprived his master of his rightful capital. It is understandable, then, why runaway slaves were not very popular in the Roman Empire. When caught they were often put to hard labor in mines, or other settings where they quickly died. Paul reassured Philemon that Onesimus would now be an asset to him. In doing so he implicitly asked Philemon not to punish the runaway severely. “Better than a slave, as a dear brother” Phile. 1:16. Paul did not ask Philemon to free the slave Onesimus. Indeed, he implied that the once-useless slave would now be an asset. What he asked was that Philemon now see and treat Onesimus as a “dear brother.” Ultimately this transformation of perspective undercut the institution of slavery itself. Slavery can only be maintained when some people are viewed as property rather than human beings. The Christian Gospel has not only lifted up repressed classes by acknowledging their human rights, but often has led to the recognition of outcasts as brothers and sisters to be loved. “I will pay it back” Phile. 1:17–21. Paul here used the language of business. His “personal note” constitutes an IOU. If Philemon had lost money on Onesimus, Paul was willing to repay it personally if Philemon should so demand. Martin Luther saw this as a picture of what Christ has done for us. Luther wrote, “Here we see how Paul lays himself out for poor Onesimus, and with all his means pleads his cause with his master, and so sets himself as if he were Onesimus, and had himself done wrong to Philemon. Even as Christ did for us with God the Father, so does Paul for Onesimus with Philemon. We are all his Onesimi, to my thinking.”

DEVOTIONAL

The Eye of the Beholder(Phile. 8–21)

We have a new game. You have folks look at some weird inkblots, write their interpretations, and then you guess who wrote which interpretation. Everyone knows that inkblot interpretations depend more on what a person thinks than on what he sees. The average person might see a butterfly—and a disturbed person a giant with outstretched arms, about to grab and crush him. What a person sees says more about him than about the inkblot. The Letter to Philemon reminds us that how we see others is also “in the eye of the beholder.” Paul asked Philemon to stop seeing Onesimus as a “runaway slave,” and to begin seeing him as a “dear brother.” The Gospel makes the same request of each of us. We’re to stop seeing others as “that dumb blond,” or “that sloppy dresser,” or “that dreamboat,” or “that Very Important Person,” and start seeing them in totally different ways. Non-Christians we’re to see as individuals of infinite worth and value, for whom Christ died. And Christians we’re to see as “dear brothers,” and to love them as members of our family. Perhaps this is the great contribution to modern believers of Paul’s Letter to Philemon. It asks us pointedly, “What is in your eye when you look at others?”

Personal Application

See others as God sees them, and you will be able to love them.

Quotable

“Man becomes a holy thing, a neighbor, only if we realize that he is the property of God and that Jesus Christ died for him.”—Helmut Thielecke