SCRIPTURE
“Perhaps the reason He was separated from you for a while was that you might have him back for good- no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me, but even dear to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.” Philemon 15 and 16
SPOTLIGHT
What causes people to believe other people are not their equals? What separates people? Dr. Martin Luther King made a famous speech at the March on Washington, on August 28, 1963, entitled, “I Have A Dream.” In it, he identifies reasons for inequality. King said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream that...little black boys, and black girls, will be able to join hands with little white boys, and white girls, as sisters, and brothers.”
Skin color, race, culture, social background, language, education, employment, clothing, possessions, where you live, where you go etc., can draw big lines of separation between people.
People say things like, “He is from the other side of the tracks, so be careful.” People on the other side of the tracks can say, “She forgot what side of the tracks she has come from, so be careful.” Have you heard someone say, “His background is….so watch out because he can quickly lose his cool.” My wife and I were once taking a bus tour in Europe. When passing through Germany, our guide exhorted us not to blame World War 2 on the Germans, but rather on the Nazis.
At the root of inequality is prejudice. Simply put, prejudice is when one person considers another person not to be his/her equal. It distorts a person’s vision leading him/her to imagine something that is not true about another person. That leads the prejudicial person to treat another person with less dignity, respect, and value. Prejudice is blind to the truth and open to error. It is in denial of a loving God Who created all people equally. A person cannot follow Jesus without being convicted of prejudice.
The Apostle Paul wrote a short letter to a very good friend named Philemon about equality. Philemon was a very wealthy, well-educated Christian slave owner. Onesimus was Philemon’s poor, uneducated slave, who stole money from his master and then ran away. Onesimus met Paul and became a Christian. After a time of being disciplined, Onesimus, along with Paul, decided he should return to his master, Philemon. Paul decided to write this “cover letter” named “Philemon” to change his way of thinking because of Jesus Christ. In verses 15 and 16, Paul urged Philemon to see Onesimus: #1 Not as a runaway slave or a thief, but as a “dear brother,” #2 Not as an unequal, but as “a man and a brother in the Lord.”
Jesus Christ is the epitome of equality. He is the perfect example of a human being who had no prejudice. Today, He desires His followers, namely anyone who calls himself a Christian, to live out THE ABC’s OF EQUALITY.
A – Accept one another. (Romans 15:7).
B – Be devoted to one another. (Romans 12:10).
C – Clothe yourself with humility toward one another. (1 Peter 5:5).
Can you imagine what the world would be like if people lived out THE ABC’S OF EQUALITY? It must start somewhere. The truth is that Christians are to live like their Savior Jesus Christ, which means that they must bring equality to the world by their example.
SOMETHING TO DO
Read the whole letter of Philemon. Then pretend to be Philemon, the slave owner, and read the letter again thinking through the things that the apostle Paul is writing about. What change of attitude would Philemon have to make?
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Thank You Heavenly Father, for creating all people equally. Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, for proving to us when You walked this earth, that we as human beings can live without prejudice when we allow Your love to consume us. AMEN.