I have mixed feelings about the story of Paul sending Onesimus to the disciples. Actually, my problem is not with the story, but with how many listeners hear the story. And, in how some Christians follow the model of Paul’s teaching style more than than the model of Christ’s teaching style. They are not the same in how they teach. Paul’s teaching style and zealotry seem too extreme to me, but I recognize it as a product of his being a Pharisee and living in a different time. Even though he’s switched sides and become an advocate for Christ instead of a persecutor, his zealotry creates fear in me. Again, not because of him, but because of how his zealotry is heard today. I see it mostly in people who don’t seem to have limits on their extremes.
Please don’t misunderstand me, Paul is very important to the story of Christ. He was a Pharisee and a very educated one. As such, he had authority to draw connections between Old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment in Christ. And, of course, one can’t ignore his sincerity, his willingness to die for Christ. In those things, I see the disciple par excellence. But, I also see a man who lived in a specific time and place.
As a Pharisee, a member of the elite class, Paul brings those styles and attitudes to his leadership, including behaviors that today would be considered elitist, patriarchal or condescending. It is also important to remember that he would have been speaking to many who were neither educated nor elite.
Onesimus had been a thief and a slave. And yet, Paul admonishes the disciples to accept him not as a slave, but as a brother. Paul makes it very clear that he cherishes Onesimus. And that it is a hardship for him to allow Onesimus to go to his followers. He elevates Onesimus in importance.
But, to ensure Onesimus’s acceptance, Paul manipulates the disciples. He twists their arms. He tells them that he wants them to do something voluntarily, but it doesn’t feel voluntary at all. He treats them as children who won’t do the right thing unless they are manipulated. And maybe, in that time and place, they wouldn’t have.
We don’t live in that time and place. And, I think even a small child whose arm is twisted to do something, loses the sense of having done the right thing or having chosen the right thing for themselves. The message they hear is:
“You aren’t capable of making the right decision. So, I’m going to tell you the decision you must make, and pretend you get to do it voluntarily.”
Paul is sometimes praised for being clever. Being clever, being the trickster is sometimes presented as a positive thing. But when it comes to examples where we see Christ, he is the one who sees through the trickster, who deals with the Pharisees who try to box him in or trip him up. Christ is the one who responds in a way that the trickster can’t win. So why is it, that in reading scripture Paul’s timebound style and words are sometimes given preference over Christ’s?
And I think that example is contrary to finding mature faith, or to determining which side the trickster represents. And yes, I admit that my view is that of a woman who has experienced manipulation. I recognize that that causes my reaction to reading this passage. I also realize that a woman may be a manipulator, not just men.
I think we lose sight of Paul’s message, when the focus is on how he spoke cleverly to the disciples rather than on what he said. He calls Onesimus his own heart, expresses how valued Onesimus is to him and will be to the disciples. Do we focus on the cleverness of Paul or the value of Onesimus? How do we hear this passage when we read it on our own? How has it differed in different places where we have heard it in sermons or other teachings? Most importantly, do we lead and/or follow Paul’s style or Christ’s in our own words to others?
Throughout our lives, there are times when we must rely on ourselves to make wise and holy decisions. It is too easy to fail, if we do not practice, or are not allowed to practice thinking maturely often. The ability to question, to gather information, and to discern wisely protects us. And yes, we need the wisdom of others, priests, parents, teachers and even our children along the way to be our best in who and how we are as people of faith.
Naked Soul Thoughts 