Sermon Tone Analysis
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Philemon Study
Introduction:
Setting:
Setting:
Paul is in prison with uncertain future
Did not know if he was going to get death penalty, would be released, etc.
Prison at this time was not a sentence, but a holding chamber until you were sentenced
Characters in Story
Paul (Writing the story)
Philemon (Who the letter is addressed to)
wealthy christian convert who was converted by paul and hosted a local church in his home.
Onesimus (bringing the letter)
A former slave of Philemon’s who likely ran away from Onesimus
Cultural Background
For a slave to run away meant that the slave was a criminal and had wronged the master
Things to note:
All characters in story are Christians.
What can we learn about the call of the Christian in each of these roles?
The encourager/leader (Paul), the transgressor (Onesimus), and the transgressed (Philemon)
Misc Facts
This is the only letter Paul writes that does not mention Jesus and his resurrection
Character Analysis
What themes do we see here?
What stories/themes are recurring here (could even remind us of NT or non pentateuchal stories)?
How do we apply this to our/others lives in modern day contexts?
Where does Jesus fit into this story?
What are some similar difficult situations in our lives that we can seek Jesus in?
What are some personal examples you can use to illustrate this point?
(split into group discussions for this)
Philemon (Onesimus’ owner)
Called upon by Paul to forgive the debts of Onesimus
called to welcome back somebody who has wronged him
likely to generate lots of gossip
called to put aside where he has been wronged for the sake of the gospel
called to be humble
Onesimus (Run-away Slave)
possibly stole something from master
ran away to come to Paul, possibly (may have heard of him)
has a change of heart in time with Paul
likely a mutual decision to return to master, the one whom he wronged and place himself at his will
ministry of reconciliation, even if we don’t like the outcome
called to trust
Onesimus in church history is storied to have become the Bishop of Ephesus, and was known for his love
While we can’t be sure, this story makes sense, the Gospel transforms a scared run away slave into somebody who seeks reconciliation, even at the possible expense of his own life, and becomes known for his love
Paul (Sender of Letter)
Paul encourages reconciliation (ministry of reconciliation) for both Philemon to receive Onesimus and Onesimus to seek reconciliation by returning to Philemon
2 Corinthians - ministry of reconciliation
Paul uses the power of the gospel, that worked through him in Onesimus and Philemon to reconcile them together.
Are we like Paul? Are we able to reconcile two together because we have been the Gospel to them?
Are we in positions where we can reconcile people together?
What God did in Christ for the world is what Paul is doing for Onesimus and Philemon
Build Your Own Study
Reflection Questions
What themes do we see here?
What stories/themes are recurring here (could even remind us of NT or non pentateuchal stories)?
How do we apply this to our/others lives in modern day contexts?
Where does Jesus fit into this story?
What are some similar difficult situations in our lives that we can seek Jesus in?
What are some personal examples you can use to illustrate this point?
Good Exegesis
What is Exegesis - It means that you are drawing things out of the text, not reading things into the text (Isegesis)
So in your reading of this passage, what are some themes that you can draw out of the text?
Discuss in Groups: What is/are the key points of the text here?
Sample Theme: Ministry of Reconciliation Phil 17-20
Phil 17-20
The example of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf is modelled to Philemon by Paul.
As Christ reconciled us to God, we are called to a ministry of Reconciliation
What stories/themes are recurring here (could even remind us of NT or non pentateuchal stories)?
Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (theological theme)
What themes do we see here?
(Answer
Philemon then, is Paul living out this commission, by being willing to pay the price of Onesimus’ wrongdoing to Philemon, thus living out the ministry of reconciliation.
Where does Jesus fit into this story?
Despite Paul not mentioning Jesus’ death and resurrection, he fits in because he is living out the results, the ministry of reconciliation.
We are called to be like Christ to those around, to bring the redemption of the world.
How do we apply this to our/others lives in modern day contexts?
What are some similar difficult situations in our lives that we can seek Jesus in?
What are some personal examples you can use to illustrate this point?
these could be stories where we have been like Paul, or where we have been like Onesimus
What are some similar difficult situations in our lives that we can seek Jesus in?
What are some personal examples you can use to illustrate this point?
Pastoral Note: What is better to share?
Onesimus-like stories, because of the air of pride
It is okay to share Paul-like stories, but we as leaders need to be aware if we are coming off as prideful
Factors to consider: how could this be interpreted, do I actually feel pride in what I did, how well do i know these people, will they misinterpret me, etc
When we lead, we are called to reflect upon our own lives and it should humble us.
In preparing this, I had to think about when I had wronged people, and how I had been redeemed from that situation.
This can often be difficult, may take a long time, but is a very formative practice.
This also is why wisdom comes with age, because we have more life to reflect upon.
If we stop reflecting upon our lives, we forget all the wisdom that God could have potentially given us.
My story
When I was young, I was a pretty lazy kid.
Like all kids, I tried to get my mom to hold everything that I owned so I was free to do what I wanted.
Well, I was in a store like target or CVS and we were back to school shopping.
I had picked out a pack of pencils, and I didn’t want to hold them and my mother didn’t want to hold them so I put them in my pocket.
We go through the store, check out, and everything is great.
however, when we get in the car, I hear the crinkle of plastic in my pocket and feel a stiffness there.
To my horror, I realize that I had forgotten the pencils and inadvertently stolen them from the store!
I confessed to my mother, and she required that we go back to the store, tell them what we had done, and pay for them.
I remember feeling so awkward/ashamed to go back to the store to tell them I had “accidentally stolen” from them.
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