So often we can read the letters that make up much of the New Testament Scriptures and forget how deeply personal they are. Consider 2 Timothy. The apostle Paul had been arrested and spent a few years awaiting a trial in Rome. He was eventually released and it is quite likely that he made it to Spain. In his letter to the Christians in Rome he made it clear that he hoped he would simply pass through Rome on his way to Spain (Romans 15:23–24). Many scholars believed he was released and then made his way there. At some point he returned to Rome and was arrested again. During this second time of imprisonment he wrote his second letter to Timothy. In the first chapter of this letter we read this:

You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

2 Timothy 1:15–18 ESV

Imagine being in a massive city you’ve only visited once before. In the first century Rome’s population was a million people! Paul is in prison, and he fully expects that one day soon he will be executed. Since he is a citizen of Rome, he will not be crucified. Citizens had rights, and one of those rights was he could not be executed in this way; a citizen would be executed by beheading. He has a measure of freedom, at least the freedom to receive visitors. In 2 Corinthians he wrote that in addition to all the physical suffering he experienced, the beatings and the shipwrecks and the hunger and the cold and the exposure and the constant threat of those who hated him, he experienced another weight, another heaviness.

And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

2 Corinthians 11:28 ESV

In the midst of all his personal struggles was his great concern for the churches! Even as he was in prison for preaching the gospel of Jesus Paul’s concern was focused on others, yet hear the pain in his words to Timothy. We don’t know for sure who Phygelus and Hermogenes were, but we know this: they turned away from Paul. They abandoned him. It is likely this means they abandoned the faith altogether, but even if it doesn’t, they left Paul in his time of need. He even says that “all who are in Asia” turned away from him. Yet there was one.

Paul prays that the Lord would grant mercy to Onesiphorus and his household. When Onesiphorous arrived in the city of Rome, he searched all over the city for Paul. Think of that undertaking! In a city of a million people this man searched for Paul! He couldn’t reach out to his Twitter followers for help. There was no Instagram post with a picture and caption saying, “Do you know this man?” There was no 800-number to call for information regarding the location of prisoner number whatever. He searched for Paul until he found him. Paul says that once he had found him, Onesiphorous “refreshed” him and was not ashamed to be associated with a man in prison. Then he expresses his urgent prayer again: “may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!”

Onesiphorous was clearly a follower of Jesus. Why would Paul pray that God would grant him mercy on that day (that is, the day of Jesus)? Surely there had been a point in time that Paul thought Phygelus and Hermogenes were faithful and true brothers in Christ. Imagine the pain of this abandonment, of seeing people walk away from the faith! Paul had been encouraged and strengthened by the service and faithfulness of Onesiphorous. For this reason he diligently prayed for his perseverance in the faith. Paul’s prayer that God would grant him mercy on that day was a prayer for God to sustain Onesiphorus’ faith! One one level this was a personal need for Paul. He couldn’t handle another one abandoning him in his time of need, yet as he expressed in 2 Corinthians, his anxiety was for all the churches, and therefore for all the believers, that they would endure to the end.

Church, we must be diligent to pray for one another. Following Jesus means taking up our own crosses. Crosses are not meant to be jewelry; they are instruments of our own deaths. We must die daily to ourselves and follow Christ, and this is not an easy calling. We have not been called to a life of ease, nor have we been called to a solitary life, but a life that is to be lived in community. We must, therefore, pray for one another. As life hits us hard, we must pray for one another to receive God’s strength that only he can provide, that God would bring about our endurance through it all. Let’s let the apostle Peter’s words be our prayer for one another.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3–5

God is the one who has caused us to be born again, and it is his power that guards us through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In Paul’s words, let us pray for one another that the Lord may grant us mercy on that day.

Throughout the Gospel of John we see Jesus performing numerous miracles and signs that reveal his true nature to us. Whether he is demonstrating his authority over creation by walking on water (John 6:16–21) or turning water into wine (John 2:1–11) or claiming to be the one through whom one has access to God (John 3:1–21) or showing his power to heal, even from a great distance away (John 4:46–54), Jesus reveals himself to be God in human form. Still, many do not actually believe in him, even as they are amazed by his abilities. In John 12 John explains the unbelief of the people.

Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

John 12:37–43 ESV

In Isaiah 6 Isaiah is commissioned by God and told quite clearly that his mission would be a failure: the people will not listen to him. Ultimately this was so that God’s purposes could be fulfilled, yet it is puzzling that God said this was so that he would not heal them. There is a purpose in judgment and the purpose is connected to God’s glory. John wrote that Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory. Here is what he’s referring to:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah 6:1–7 ESV

Isaiah saw the Lord himself, seated on his throne. What an awesome sight this must have been! The seraphim were shrieking back and forth so loudly and so powerfully that the foundations of this heavenly temple shook. Surely the glory of the Lord was on display. I’m not sure this is what John meant, however. Luke tells us a similar story.

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Luke 5:1–11 ESV

Peter’s response to what would have been the biggest paycheck of his life was to plead with Jesus to leave his presence, for Peter was a sinful man. Notice that Peter wasn’t about to leave! He was drawn to Jesus, to be in his presence, yet he recognized his guilt before the Lord. Peter understood something about Jesus in that moment: Jesus is holy. He is utterly unlike anything or anyone Peter had ever known. This is what Isaiah saw. Isaiah declared that he, too, was a sinful man. God sent one of those terrifying seraphim to the altar to grab a coal and touch it to Isaiah’s lips, signifying that God is the one who qualifies Isaiah to proclaim his message. In a similar manner, Jesus declared to Peter that from now on he would be in Jesus’ service, to catch men rather than fish.

God’s glory is seen most clearly in his mercy. When we read of God’s judgment we understand this. It makes sense. We all have an innate sense of justice. Murderers should not go free. Theft should not be tolerated. Even littering should receive some sort of penalty. Each one of us gets this. God’s glory is revealed in judgment, for God protects and defends his holiness. What is difficult to comprehend fully, if it is even possible to comprehend fully, is God’s mercy. Whether we read of God calling Isaiah to his prophetic ministry or calling Peter and the others to their apostolic ministry or God calling you and me to serve him in ordinary, every day ministry, the reality is he must first qualify us. He does this as an act of mercy and grace and he first forgives our sin and claims us as his own. He gives us a new identity in Christ. While judgment displays his glory, it is in his mercy and grace that his glory is seen most clearly. Let us rejoice today that God in Christ qualifies us to be his people as a display of his great glory.

I approach a text for preaching with three basic questions on my mind. First, what does the text actually say? Second, what is God saying to this particular group of people through this particular text at this particular time? Third, what is the best way to say it? Since a text can say many things—and usually does—sometimes this means good stuff gets left on the editing room floor, so to speak. Sunday’s sermon was one of those sermons. Since there are some important things left unsaid during the sermon, I will write about them here.

Let’s remember where we were in John 12:20–50. After raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus began to draw a much larger crowd. The Sanhedrin (Israel’s governing council under the authority of Rome) decided to have him killed rather than risk Rome fearing an uprising and taking away the Sanhedrin’s limited authority and status in Jewish society. When Jesus entered Jerusalem he was greeted by the crowds who waved palm branches and sang from Psalm 118, hailing Jesus as king. Sometime time after a group of Greeks looked for Jesus. They approached Philip. The name “Philip” is Greek; it’s likely that Philip’s appearance would have reflected more Greek culture than Jewish culture, particularly since John points out that he was from Bethsaida, which is near the Decapolis, or Ten Cities. These cities were largely Gentile cities. The style of dress in Bethsaida probably looked more like the Decapolis than it did Jerusalem, so the Greeks spotted someone with whom they could communicate.

When Philip (and Andrew) told Jesus some Greeks were looking for him he declared that his hour had come. John indicated numerous times prior to this that his hour had not yet come, but when those of other nations begin seeking him, he knows his hour has arrived. He tells the crowd that he must die by crucifixion (“when I am lifted up”). After the Father spoke audibly to Jesus so that even the crowds could hear—though not understand—Jesus said this:

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

John 12:31 ESV

The crowds declare Jesus to be the King God promised. He affirmed this acclamation by riding a donkey so as to the fulfill the prophecy that said to Israel, “Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt” (John 12:15). When the nations began to seek after him he declared the time of his death had arrived. God the Father affirmed Jesus by speaking from heaven for all to hear. Then Jesus said the ruler of this world will be cast out. And that’s it. That’s all he says about the ruler of this world.

It is clear from other Scriptures that the ruler of this world is Satan, the devil himself. In Ephesians 2:2 Paul wrote of Satan as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” In chapter 6, verse 12 of that same letter he wrote, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

What are we to make of this? John doesn’t give it much emphasis, though he included this declaration by Jesus. Luke gives us more insight in his Gospel:

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Luke 10:17–20 ESV

Jesus had sent them into the surrounding towns and villages to preach the gospel. When they returned they gave this report: even the demons are subject to them in his name. Notice carefully Jesus’ response: I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Now consider what Matthew wrote in his Gospel when Jesus was accused of casting out demons through the power of Satan. Jesus said in response,

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Matthew 12:28–29 ESV

The truth is that Jesus came to disarm the spiritual forces of evil in this world, and this was accomplished at the cross. When Jesus tells the disciples that he saw Satan fall like lightning, he was indicating that Satan’s power was being curtailed. It was being limited, restricted in some significant way. This does not mean Satan is unable to act in this world. Rather, it means that while he may be on a very long leash (or so it seems at times), he remains on a leash, and when the hand that holds the leash chooses to pull back, that dog must obey! Evil is not unrestrained in this world, and this restraint is connected directly to the death of Jesus on the cross. Paul makes this connection explicitly for us in his letter to the Colossians.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Colossians 2:13–15 ESV

When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he disarmed the rulers and authorities. To continue the previous metaphor, the dog was muzzled. He can still bark and scratch and charge at you, but his bark is truly worse than his bite.

As followers of Jesus we ought not parade around rejoicing that even the demons are subject to us in Jesus’ name, for that is not our doing. Rather, we rejoice, as Jesus said in Luke 10, that our names are written in heaven. We must not live in fear of spiritual forces of evil, yet we must recognize that even a muzzled dog can cause harm. A large dog can scratch and bump into you and knock you over. What it cannot do is bite. We must have a healthy respect for forces of evil in the heavenly places, yet we must not fear them, for the hand that holds their leash has a firm grip. Let us rejoice in the victory of Jesus at the cross, a victory that secures our salvation, but also protects us from the evil one who wishes to destroy us. In Jesus’ hands we are completely and utterly safe.

The question of slavery in the Bible has long been raised, especially in the form of why the Bible does not seem to condemn it outright. In Paul’s letter to Philemon he addresses the issue, but from a rather different approach.

Philemon was a follower of Jesus who heard the gospel from Paul. He was wealthy so the church in Colossae met in his home. At some point his slave Onesimus ran away. While away from Colossae he encountered the apostle Paul, heard the gospel of Jesus, and believed. He became a partner in Paul’s ministry, though Paul was in prison during at least part of their relationship. With this letter to Philemon, Paul is sending Onesimus back to him. He told Philemon that he could command him to release Onesimus from his servitude but he also told him he preferred to appeal to him on the basis of love instead. He wanted the decision—the right decision—to be Philemon’s choice. Rather than forced obedience to an apostolic command, he wanted Philemon to see what was good and right and then make that choice freely. Paul then writes,

For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Philemon 1:15–20 ESV

(The ESV uses the word “bondservant” since the modern idea of American slavery was so very different from that of the first century.)

Paul says that it may be that Onesimus ran away so that he might return to Philemon, though not as a slave; as something much more than a slave. Hear the weight of Paul’s words. He wonders whether God, in his sovereign providence, had orchestrated events so that Onesimus would return to Philemon as a beloved brother in Christ. Paul continues with a truly remarkable—and game-changing—statement: if you consider me your partner. Wait. If Philemon considers Paul a partner in ministry? Paul was an apostle of the Lord Jesus! Yet he tells Philemon that if he considers Paul to be his, that is, Philemon’s partner in ministry, then Philemon should receive Onesimus in the same manner that Philemon would receive Paul himself.

Think of what Paul is saying. In a world of very strict class distinctions, particularly between the wealthy and everyone else, if Philemon considers Paul to be on his level, then Philemon must also consider Onesimus to be on his level, for Onesimus is on Paul’s level!

It is very likely that this letter was delivered along with the letter to the Colossians. We know from Colossians 4:7–9 that Onesimus was with Tychicus in delivering that letter and Paul declares that Onesimus “is one of you”. In Colossians Paul wrote concerning the church of Jesus:

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Colossians 3:11 ESV

Paul says that here, specifically meaning in the church in Colossae, ethnic differences (Greek and Jew) do not matter. Religious background (circumcised and uncircumcised) does not matter. Cultural background (barbarian and Scythian) does not matter. And he says that socio-economic status (slave and free) does not matter. Why? Because Christ is all, and here’s the money shot: and Christ is in all.

Without directly commanding him to, though he could as an apostle of Jesus, Paul is telling Philemon to free his slave(s). The reason he gives is the unity we have in Christ. As humans we bear God’s image and so all are equally valuable. The social strata to which we’re all accustomed carry zero weight in the kingdom of God. Paul is so emphatic on this point that he says if Onesimus owes Philemon anything, whether money due to lost productivity or perhaps he stole something when he escaped, he must charge that to Paul. This further emphasizes their unity in Christ: Onesimus’ debt is Paul’s debt.

After reminding Philemon how much he actually owes Paul (Paul did, after all, proclaim the gospel to him), he returns to his pun. The name Onesimus was a common slave name that meant “useful”. Paul says he was once useless but has now become useful. In verse 20 he tells Philemon he wants some benefit from him in the Lord. The word translated benefit is connected to the name Onesimus: useful or beneficial.

In this letter the apostle Paul undercuts any rationale for owning slaves. Any argument that could be offered as justification for owning slaves is destroyed in this simple and brief letter on this basis: before the Lord we are all equal, from the holy apostles to runaway slaves and everyone in between.

The truth is that the things that divide people outside the church must not divide us in the church. Rich or poor, black or white, educated or uneducated, “useful” or “useless,” Democrat or Republican, male or female, all stand before the Lord as equals. Let’s praise the Lord today that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we stand as equals and even though we may have these very real differences, they do not define us. What defines us this: Christ is all, and in all.

Well-meaning inquirers and hostile skeptics alike wonder why the New Testament Scriptures do not forbid slavery outright. This question is particularly poignant considering the apostle Paul wrote a letter to a man named Philemon concerning Philemon’s runaway slave named Onesimus. Let’s take a look at what Paul says about the situation.

Let’s remember that Paul loved Philemon. Paul was the one to share the gospel of Jesus with him (see Philemon 1:19). Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote this letter and expressed his gratitude for Philemon’s faith and service to the Lord and his church. It is clear that Philemon was wealthy as the church in Colossae met in his home, which required it be large enough, and he owned slaves—at least one, that is. After expressing his love and joy for Philemon, Paul wrote this:

Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

Philemon 1:8–14 ESV

He begins this section by connecting what he is about to write to what he has just written: accordingly, or therefore, or for this reason. Because of Paul’s love and affection for Philemon, even though Paul could command him, he instead prefers to appeal to him—for love’s sake, he said. He’s referring to his apostolic authority. As an apostle of the Lord, Paul had the authority to intervene in Philemon’s personal affairs to the degree that he could command him to release his slave! Instead, however, because Paul loves him, he says he would rather appeal to Philemon for Onesimus.

In verse 11 Paul makes a play on words. The name Onesimus was a common name among slaves in ancient Rome. The name means “useful.” Paul says he pleads for Onesimus—for “Useful”—for though he had been useless to Philemon, he is now useful to both Philemon and to Paul. Onesimus had run away from Philemon and by God’s grace he heard the gospel preached by Paul and became a follower of Jesus. He became one of Paul’s trusted assistants in his ministry as an apostle. He was so very valuable and dearly loved by Paul that he tells Philemon he is sending Onesimus back to him, but Philemon must know that Paul is sending Philemon his very heart. Paul’s love and affection for Onesimus is clear. He says he became Onesimus’ father, which means he loves Onesimus as a man loves his own son.

Remember that Paul indicated he had the authority in Christ to command Philemon’s obedience in this matter. As an apostle he could have commanded the release of Onesimus from slavery as well as all other slaves owned by believers, yet he did not. He said for love’s sake he preferred to appeal to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. In verse 14 he reiterates this point:

…but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

Philemon 1:14 ESV

We’ll see the real impact of Paul’s appeal later in the text, particularly as it relates to the subject of slavery. For now, notice what Paul is saying. Rather than force obedience from Philemon, he preferred to have Philemon make this choice on his own. Paul is clearly indicating that he must free Onesimus from his slavery, but rather than force his obedience, he pleads with Philemon to make the choice freely and joyfully. As an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul had the authority to bind the conscience of Philemon. To disobey the apostle’s command would be to disobey Jesus himself! Rather than force his obedience, Paul urges Philemon to act in love toward Onesimus.

This is the “law of Christ.” The pattern Paul repeated in many of his letters is simple: this is what the love of God in Christ has done for you; therefore, here is how you ought to respond. Read the first three chapters of Ephesians, for example. There are no commands, only statements declaring what God has done for us. Then chapter 4 begins with, “Therefore, walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Living for Jesus is not a life of following rules, as if Christianity were merely an ethical framework for life. Living for Jesus is an on-going response to the grace of the Lord that is constantly poured out on us.

Paul appeals to Philemon on this basis. For the sake of Christ, out of love for him and his church, Philemon must free his slave Onesimus. By allowing him to make this choice freely, Paul is offering him the greatest motivation for godly living there is: the love of Christ.

The truth is that we have an obligation to live for the glory of God in the face of Christ, but our motivation for doing so must never be mere duty. We do not live according to a list of rules. We live in response to the kindness of God he has shown us in his Son. As Tim Keller often says, the good news is not that if we obey, we will be accepted. The gospel of Jesus says that we are accepted; therefore we obey.

Church, let’s live for him today. Let’s freely choose to live in such a way that we honor the one who freely chose to love us and pour out on us his vast, unlimited kindness.