The intercession has begun, and Paul is the author of it. Onesimus who was Philemon's runaway slave and a thief is now being sent back to Philemon. Paul has spoken of the testimony of Philemon and how he has a reputation among fellow believers for being a lover of God and people. The test is now at hand, and Paul will give ample opportunity for a true trial of the faith of Philemon. Paul writes of Onesimus in verse twelve of this great book:
Whom I have sent again: you therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
Paul has sent Onesimus back to Philemon quite possibly with this book we are studying in hand. If we try we can imagine what it must have been like for Onesimus to know that he was going back to the person that he not only ran away from but also the one from whom he stole. This can be compared to what it is like for the person who gives his life to Jesus Christ. Responsibilities are still to be upheld, and even though the consequences for previous actions may be dire, the servant of Jesus Christ faces them. For example, sometimes people commit a crime, are arrested, and truly do commit their lives to Jesus Christ. This does not eliminate their previous crime, and they may still have to go to court and receive punishment for their actions. Such is the case for Onesimus. Paul understands that the righteous action to take is to send Onesimus back to Philemon again, and so he did.
Next Paul gives Philemon instruction: “you therefore receive him”. The natural tendency for most of us might be to “reject” someone who had done us as wrongly as Onesimus. Yet Paul writes “receive him.” It is normal for us to not want receive someone who maligns us, and it pains us even more when they have stolen from us. Can we imagine the face of Philemon when he saw or heard that this runaway slave Onesimus was coming? Yet Paul says not only to receive him, but also pleads passionately, “that is, mine own bowels:”. We have discussed the idea of “bowels” in previous studies, but to reiterate, the bowels were considered to be the seat of the deepest emotions. The bowels were like the expression “from the deepest part of my heart” as we use today. So Paul is pleading for Onesimus from the deepest part of his emotional being. Think about Paul's commitment to Onesimus for a moment.
Now let's consider this. We have been seeing this book as a type of Jesus Christ and the way he is making intercession for us before the Heavenly Father. Jesus pleads on our behalf. Jesus passionately calls out to the Heavenly Father to “receive” him or her, and because He does, we can be saved. Not only did Jesus pay the price for all of our sins, but He also makes intercession before the Heavenly Father for each of us who turn our lives to Him. We should be reminded of what Paul the apostle wrote in another one of his books named Ephesians, in chapter two and verses eight and nine:
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
It is by God's grace that we are saved. It is not any thing or any work that we have, can or will do. It is “the gift of God,” and there is nothing else that need be done. May all who read these words come to realize the wonderful relationship that is available from our intercessor Jesus who stands ready to take His place.
Next time we will see more of what Paul has to say about Onesimus, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
No comments:
Post a Comment