Letters from Prison - Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, and Ephesians
Pastoral Letters - 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus
Paul’s story began with a concern for the poor, in particular those in the Christian community in Jerusalem who were experiencing famine. Still known as Saul, he joined Barnabas in taking a collection from the church in Antioch to Jerusalem. (Acts 11:19-30)
Paul’s story in Acts reaches a dramatic climax as he insists on returning to Jerusalem to hand over in person another collection taken for the same reason. He had written at length to the church in Corinth, one of those churches he had been collecting from about the need for generous giving from those according to their means to those according to their need (2 Corinthians 8).
Throughout his life he took seriously the charge he recalled being given when Peter, James and John, the pillars of the church in Jerusalem had recognised the grace of God at work within him, extended to him the right hand of fellowship, given him the task of taking the gospel to the Gentiles and challenged him to remember the poor. (Galatians 2:9-10)
He was determined to hand the money over in person.
To Jerusalem for the Poor!
Luke and other friends of his tried to persuade him not to go in person to Jerusalem. It was too dangerous. The authorities were after his blood.
He took no notice of the advice, made the journey to Jerusalem.
It is not without significance that it is within the Temple that he is arrested. Taken to the fort, the Roman commander is surprised that Paul can speak Greek.
His response goes to the heart of an understanding of Paul and his message.
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city.” (Acts 12:39).
The New Testament straddles two worlds. In the company of Peter, Mark, the writer to the Hebrews, James and Matthew we are firmly in the Jewish world, but a Jewish world that has discovered Christ, has a commitment to the Gentiles and wants to make sense of the hope that comes from that Jewish world for the good of the rest of the world.
In Paul we encounter someone whose roots are in both worlds. A Jewish scholar who studied under Gamaliel he is at the same time a Roman citizen.
As the Gentile Doctor, Luke, tells Paul’s story he is all too aware of the way in which Paul can speak with authority in both worlds.
This is a key to our understanding of Paul.
Arrested
Paul is allowed to speak to the people and tells of his conversion. He is brought before the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem who work under the over-all command of Rome. Tension rises and Paul is taken into what amounts to protective custody. (Acts 23).
A plot is hatched to assassinate Paul. The son of Paul’s sister hears about the plot and warns the Roman authorities. Under heavy armed guard Paul is taken from Jerusalem to the headquarters of the Roman authorities in Caesarea where he gives an account of himself to Felix (24). It is at this point that he exercises his right as a Roman citizen and appeals to the Emperor. He makes another defence of himself to King Agrippa and Queen Bernice, almost persuading them of the truth of his faith. Had he not appealed to the Emperor he could have been released.
To Rome and Four Letters from Prison
Under armed guard the Paul and Luke set sail for Rome. The account of the voyage and the shipwreck on Malta in Acts 27 is the best such account in all classical literature. Miraculously, no one is lost in the shipwreck, and Paul escapes injury from the bite of a viper. So it is that the final journey is made by Paul and Luke to Rome. And Luke leaves his account in Acts with Paul under house arrest, “preaching about the Kingdom of God, teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ and speaking with all boldness and freedom.” (Acts 28)
Not only does Paul teach and preach, he also keeps in touch with the people and places he has visited on his missionary travels and with the churches he has established.
Four of those letters from prison are in the New Testament.
Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, and Ephesians.
The letter Paul writes to the church in Philippi is the most joyful of all Paul’s letters. It is full of a spirit of thanksgiving. You can imagine Lydia, the slave girl Paul had healed, the Philippian Gaoler and his family and all the other people in the church in Philippi eagerly awaiting news of their friend, Paul.
It was with anxiety that they heard he was in prison, but with joy that they received his message. It was the same Paul they had always known!
Philippians
Paul and his young friend, Timothy, who delight in serving Christ Jesus together, write to those who have pastoral oversight, the deacons and all of God’s people in the Christian community in Philippi. They write from prison.
“I thank God for the love you showed me, not least when I was beaten and faced imprisonment in your city. My prayer is simply this: that your love may overflow more and more. But love on its own is not enough. I pray that with that deep down love will go an awareness and an insight that will enable you to do your very best in the service of Christ Jesus. That’s the key: live a life that really is worthy of the gospel of Christ.
“What does that involve? The best thing to do is to model your way of life on the way of life that Jesus led. More than anything else he was prepared to humble himself, and treat other people in such a way as to make them know that they mattered the world to him. Lord of all, he humbled himself to the lowest point of God-forsaken suffering on the cross. Just as he was raised up to the glory of God, so we too can share with him in that resurrection victory.
“Don’t think you can do this on your own. You need a strength from beyond yourselves to reach out to others with this kind of humble love. The wonderful news is that in the living presence of the risen Christ you can find that strength.
“It’s worth giving up the all-too-natural inclination we all of us have to cling on to the past and old ways of generating some kind of sense of purpose in life. Much better is to look to the future, and press on to the goal of glory in Christ’s risen presence.
“We belong to a kingdom that’s not of this world, and so we need to put ourselves under the rule of God in our own hearts, in our homes and in the world at large. Do that and we shall find grounds for a remarkable joy in our hearts.
“This is the key to a deep down joy that will enable us to live life to the full – in this world and beyond. Put the worries that so often get you down to one side, turn to God in prayer, and discover a strength that will surround you and uphold you in a love of God that can never be defeated. I would even go so far as to say that in that strength you will be able to do things you never dreamed you were capable of.”
“More than anything, I pray that you will have in your innermost being the kind of grace that comes alone from Jesus Christ.”
Letter writing
Paul’s letters are typical of the letters of the ancient world. The remarkable letters of Vindalanda, discovered in the fort of that name on Hadrian’s Wall and on display in the British Museum date from only 30 to 40 years after Paul’s letters from Rome. As with Paul’s letters these have travelled many hundreds of miles. They too were often dictated to a scribe. They bear the same structure.
Starting with a greetings
and an identification of the author,
proceeding to thanks
and the message,
finishing with personal greetings in the hand of the sender.
That’s exactly the structure of Paul’s letters, not least in Colossians.
At the very end Paul writes a greeting ‘in his own hand’. 4:18.
The letter contains much the same kind of message as Philippians but Paul has greater cause for anxiety as there are tensions in the church in Colossae arising from a teaching that is sending the church in the wrong direction. There are other, more personal tensions there that he is all too aware of as well.
The letter is sent by a courier who is named as Tychicus (4:7-9). Someone else accompanies Tychicus by the name of Onesimus.
Who in that church in Colossae would Tychicus have delivered the letter to?
In all likelihood it would be the person in whose house the church met.
As a house-owner he would have been comparatively wealthy, owning a house large enough to accommodate, probably in its courtyard, a gathering of the church. One can imagine the church gathering together in the courtyard of the villa he owned eagerly to hear the letter.
The owner’s household would have been fairly large and would have included a number of slaves.
It had not always been a happy household. One of those slaves had run away. The owner of the house felt let down. Punishment would be severe if ever the runaway returned.
Imagine his shock, therefore, to see with Tychicus someone he recognised, by the name of Onesimus.
To his consternation the owner of the house saw that Tychicus had another letter in his pouch from Paul. It was a personal letter. It would have to wait while Philemon read the letter to the Colossians to the gathered church.
Colossians
It is wonderful to give thanks for the love that we share in the church family. It is a love that means we can have hope for the future no matter what circumstances we are in. [Paul wrote to the Christian community at Colossae when he himself was in prison facing a very uncertain future in the company of a good friend, Timothy.] How important it is to pray for wisdom and the kind of understanding that we all of us need if we are to follow a Christian way of life in an increasingly troubled world. It’s often a way of life we cannot follow in our own strength. Let’s pray for a strength from beyond ourselves that will see us through. That’s precisely the kind of strength on offer from Jesus Christ.
Following him is like stepping out of the darkness into the light. We need to look at Jesus and through him see the God of creation. More than anything else it is the love of God in all its fullness that we can see in Jesus. It is a love of God that seeks to bring all things together in a spirit of reconciliation and harmony. In a church community that looks beyond itself to the love of God in Christ we can get a foretaste of all that God intends for his world. It is as if it’s all there in microcosm.
As we have received the fullness of God’s love in Jesus Christ, we need to continue to live in him. It is important not to be side-tracked by the petty-mindedness of some who would be overly ‘religious’ or by the wrong-headedness of some who are way off beam. We need to put away the shabby old clothes of petty jealousies, slanderous talk, untruths and hurtful things. In their place we need to put on a wonderful new set of clothes: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. How important it is to bear with one another, to forgive one another. Above all else we need to clothe ourselves in love – that’s what binds everything else together. With God’s word in our hearts, his praise on our lips, we need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. If there’s any uncertainty about what we should do, we need to ask ourselves whether we can do it in the name of the Jesus who is filled with all the fullness of God’s reconciling love. If we can’t then we must not do it!
At home, at work in every part of our lives we need to have a mutual respect for one another. More than anything else, we need to pray. Prayer is what will see us through individually and together as a church.
A Personal Concern
The letter reading over, Phlemon would have excused himself and withdrawn into one of the rooms of the villa that was home to the church in Colossae. He took the letter, a little uncertain what to make of it and began to read.
Philemon
From Paul, a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy —
To our friend and fellow-worker Philemon, and the church that meets in your house, and our sister Apphia, and our fellow-soldier Archippus: May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Brother Philemon, every time I pray, I mention you and give thanks to my God. For I hear of your love for all God's people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. My prayer is that our fellowship with you as believers will bring about a deeper understanding of every blessing which we have in our life in union with Christ. Your love, dear brother, has brought me great joy and much encouragement! You have cheered the hearts of all God's people.
For this reason I could be bold enough, as your brother in Christ, to order you to do what should be done. 9 But because I love you, I make a request instead. I do this even though I am Paul, the ambassador of Christ Jesus, and at present also a prisoner for his sake.
So I make a request to you on behalf of Onesimus, who is my own son in Christ; for while in prison I have become his spiritual father. At one time he was of no use to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me. (The Greek name Onesimus means “useful”.)
I am sending him back to you now, and with him goes my heart. I would like to keep him here with me, while I am in prison for the gospel's sake, so that he could help me in your place. However, I do not want to force you to help me; rather, I would like you to do it of your own free will. So I will not do anything unless you agree.
It may be that Onesimus was away from you for a short time so that you might have him back for all time. And now he is not just a slave, but much more than a slave: he is a dear brother in Christ. How much he means to me! And how much more he will mean to you, both as a slave and as a brother in the Lord!
So, if you think of me as your partner, welcome him back just as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to my account. Here, I will write this with my own hand: I, Paul, will pay you back. (I should not have to remind you, of course, that you owe your very self to me.) So, my brother, please do me this favour for the Lord's sake; as a brother in Christ, cheer me up!
I am sure, as I write this, that you will do what I ask — in fact I know that you will do even more. At the same time, get a room ready for me, because I hope that God will answer the prayers of all of you and give me back to you.
Epaphras, who is in prison with me for the sake of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, and so do my fellow-workers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
One more letter is attributed to Paul from prison. Ephesians. Some have wondered whether it was written by a follower of Paul. It seems, however, to bring together the threads of all these letters and of Paul’s considered thinking.
Ephesians
What a thrill it is to recognise that Jesus is Lord. There’s a very real sense that belonging to a church involves us in belonging to something much bigger … as big as the God of the Universe. It is as if he has known us and loved us from the beginning of time, and that love will be with us until the end of time and beyond. With the fullness of God’s love comes a freedom and a forgiveness that is life-transforming.
Let’s pray for a spirit of wisdom and understanding as we sense the reality of God’s love coming deep within us and slowly filling us up with his peace.
Let’s pray that that peace will bind us together in love for one another, in such a way that barriers inside our church and between churches may be torn down.
Let’s pray that we can all share in serving God with such love that we can stand up to the powers of this world and make God’s peace a reality in our own lives, in our church life and in our world.
Let’s pray that we can be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, a love that knows no bounds.
Whichever way we turn, however far we go, whatever despair we experience, whatever joy is ours, his love is greater and will ever be deep within us.
With a humble spirit let’s serve each other with whatever gifts we have so that we can build each other up in the love of God. There can be no time for anger, bitterness, jealousy and argumentativeness; instead let’s make real the love Christ wants us to share. Let’s make that real in our homes, in our relationships, in the work place.
Let’s draw on the strength of God to stand up to the evils of the world around us and more than anything else let’s pray. In the power of God, let’s take our stand on the things that count more than anything else: truth, justice and peace. Let’s hold firm to our faith, hold fast to the salvation that is ours to share, and in God’s word find guidelines for living our lives in an often hostile world.
Peace be to the whole family of God’s people, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
What happened next?
Luke doesn’t tell us. No one really knows. Maybe Paul was released from that imprisonment in Rome and made it to Spain. If he did, tradition has it that he was imprisoned again and this time executed.
Some suggest that the three so-called Pastoral Letters were written by Paul in this late period. Some think they were written earlier. Some think they too reflect a follower of Paul.
Keeping to that earlier tradition, there is a wonderful personal touch as Paul hands the baton on to the younger Timothy and to Titus as well.
Paul’s life may be coming to an end. His work is not!
Paul’s first letter to Timothy
How good it is to pass on from one generation to the next insights about living the Christian life! Even better is for one generation to commend to the next the grace, mercy and peace that comes alone from God.
Don’t get side tracked with the latest thinking just because it’s new. Come back to the free, forgiving love of Jesus Christ and reflect that love into the lives of other people around you. Keep in mind the fundamental aim of all Christian teaching: a love that’s not just on the surface but in its sincerity springs from deep down in our innermost being. Look after that conscience of yours: never let it lose its cutting edge!
Such a way of love has to be underpinned by prayer, not by angry argument. Those in pastoral oversight and those who serve in leadership within the church need to reflect that love in their own personal lives. And in everything it needs always to be a reflection of the all embracing love of Jesus Christ.
Don’t get side-tracked with issues of no lasting importance. Focus on the essence of Christ’s teaching and set your sights on his way of living in God’s world. Live out the faith you profess! Be concerned for one another. And wherever there is need in the community around you, seek to meet that need.
Don’t be absorbed with things that don’t really matter. It’s not the outward appearance that matters so much as the inner person! Don’t forever seek after greater wealth for the love of money is the root of all evil!
Keep at that faith of yours. Don’t give up! Fight the good fight, take hold of eternal life! And model all that you do on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. And then realise that you too share in his victory over death and the wonderful promise of eternal life!
A Second Letter of Paul to Timothy
How good it is to pass on from one generation to the next insights about living the Christian life! Even better is for one generation to commend to the next the grace, mercy and peace that comes alone from God.
Think of those who passed the faith on to you: maybe your own parents, maybe your grandparents, maybe someone who gave you a particular task to do in the church … and always remember them with a deep gratitude in your heart. Keep alive the gifts God gave you through these wonderful people: there is a power in the love God has shared in this way.
That may mean having a difficult path to follow that involves more than seems to be your fair share of suffering. Hold on to all you have learned. The thing that counts more than anything else is a faith shot through with love.
Think of your Christian life as a campaign fought against the powers of darkness, as a race run by an athlete whose eye is fixed on the prize, as the steady round of a farmer’s year as he moves quickly from harvest once more to seed-time. And always remember Jesus Christ and the resurrection victory we all can share.
Work at it! Keep the world’s values at bay, live by the values of God’s rule in your heart! Remember those who passed the faith on to you … and live by that faith! Remember the very first time the Bible was read to you – that book and its stories shaped your early years, let it shape the rest of your days. It contains the very God-given breath of life: that’s what makes it so fundamentally important for teaching, for setting things right, for mapping out God’s just way in the world. Take that seriously and it will make the world of difference!
We have a wonderful message to share! It is an even more wonderful life to live! Let’s live it to the full and give the glory to God! He’s with us for the rest of our lives … and beyond
Paul’s Letter to Titus
Faith, truth, godliness, hope, eternal life: this is what the Good News of Jesus Christ is all about. Share it and you too will receive grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.
How important it is for those with pastoral oversight to be worthy of the care that is entrusted to them, and for those who speak out about the Christian faith to be true to the faith they profess. Sometimes it is important to stand and be counted in a world that has very different values from the values Jesus Christ came to share with us.
Life-style makes such a difference. Avoid an extravagant life-style that can be destructive for personal health and damage relationships; instead cultivate a simple life-style that’s true to the love of others that Christ would have us share.
God’s love through Jesus Christ makes such a difference as it takes root in people’s hearts. That’s the way it will spread out into other people’s lives and into the world at large.
If we are honest with ourselves we all have fallen short of the kind of values that the Christian faith is all about. That’s the wonderful thing about Christian faith. It is precisely at the point at which we are most conscious of all our failures and inadequacies that God, in Jesus Christ, by the power of his unseen Spirit reaches out to touch us with his forgiving love and fill us with his renewing love.
The key to Christian faith is to put it into practice. We all need to live out our faith in love for one another. After all, the free gift of God’s love is ours to keep only if we share it!
May that grace fill your life and mine!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment