Philemon and Demanding Discipleship

On this 13th Sunday after Pentecost, our scripture readings are Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Philemon (the assigned text is Philemon 1:1-21, but we added another 4 verses to our reading to get through the entire book/letter), and Luke 14:25-33. We gave out Deep Blue Kids Bibles to 10 third-grade students this weekend, and it worked out to have at least two of them at each service, so there’s some reference to that in the sermon as well.

Several commentaries and devotions were helpful to me this week, including Thursday’s God Pause by Kristofer Coffmann, Dear Working Preacher by Kathryn Schifferdecker, Working Preacher’s Gospel commentary by Mitzi J. Smith, and Jennifer Pietz’s commentary on Philemon.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen (Did you catch that greeting in the Philemon reading?)

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Everything in moderation”?

I’ve heard people say moderation is the key to life, and I suppose it’s true in some areas of life. It’s a good principle for healthy eating. You can be healthy without giving up candy for the rest of your life. It’s ok to have a soda occasionally, but it shouldn’t be with every meal.

But “everything in moderation” is not true for God. Jesus doesn’t want to be just a small part of your life on the same level as going to work, or school, extra-curriculars, remembering to watch when the Hawkeyes or Packers are playing. Faith is not intended to be just another entry on the calendar where a little bit in moderation won’t hurt you.

That’s not what being a disciple is. Being a disciple means putting Jesus first.

This weekend, we’re giving new Bibles to our 3rd graders. Later, we’re going to meet to talk about what the Bible is and what you’ll find there.

We’ll talk about that the Bible is the story of God’s love for you. There are parts to read that will help bring you comfort when you’re feeling lonely, or discouraged, or even guilty.

But there are also some uncomfortable parts of the Bible, like what we’re reading today. Jesus is using some hyperbole, like when you say “I have a million things to do today” or “I have tons of homework”, but his point is pretty clear. Jesus says, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”

That’s supposed to make you squirm as you sit there and listen. It’s certainly made me uncomfortable this week!

When Jesus starts saying being his disciple—being his follower—requires carrying a cross, we need to pay attention. Remember, carrying a cross means you’re a criminal on your way to your execution. It means you’ve done something that’s made someone upset enough to want to kill you. The cross is more than a metaphor for struggles in life – it’s literally an instrument of death.

Jesus says the cost of choosing to follow him is your life. Discipleship is not something you can do in moderation—it changes who you are. You’re probably not going to be killed today for being a Christian, but it will consume your life. But the cost is worth it.

To paraphrase Kristofer Coffman, we’re all going to use our life for something. We’ll all “leave life behind eventually. The question is simply whether we will leave life behind by walking in the way of Jesus.”

Before you start down the path of being a disciple, before you start saying you love Jesus and are going to follow him, you need to think about what that means. This isn’t something to sign up for and try out for a while.

Jesus compares it first to making a budget before you start a building project, and then to a king measuring the size of his army before starting a war. You figure out the costs before you start. Not finishing a tower might not be a life or death decision, but going to war certainly is. If you don’t plan ahead and count the cost, you could lose your army, your kingdom, or even your life. Discipleship is not a commitment to be entered into lightly.

I struggle with this reading, and maybe you do too, because we don’t want to be judgmental. There’s enough of that in the world and in the church. Jesus has some warnings for people who try to judge other people’s faith. If you say you’re a Christian, it’s not my job to question that.

I believe in a God who loves all of us even when we fail to live as Christians. None of us live the way we should. We’re all sinful people. I certainly do things I know I shouldn’t do as a follower of Jesus. God’s grace and forgiveness are at the core of our faith.

But at the same time, I wonder sometimes if we’re so afraid of being judgmental that we fail to encourage people to grow as disciples. Our constitution says that to maintain membership at St. Peter, we expect people to give a “contribution of record” and receive communion at least each year.

And even if you go years without giving anything or sharing in communion, you’re still probably not going to get taken off our list of members.

That’s a pretty low bar. It’s a long way from Jesus’ uncomfortable statements like “None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” I don’t know that any of us here have done that. I haven’t. What do we do with that?

None of us are going to do it perfectly. If we could follow Jesus perfectly on our own, we wouldn’t need God’s grace. We’re going to fail. We’re going to be selfish. We’re going to put other things ahead of Jesus.




In the Old Testament reading, Moses lays it out bluntly for the people of Israel. I have set before you today life and death. Which one will you choose?

Choosing life is a radical call. Choosing life in Jesus means rearranging your priorities, your desires, your whole life.

There are times when saying yes to God means saying no to something else. Following Jesus means saying no to everything else that demands first place in your life. Maybe it means saying no to a particular career, or a chance to be on a team, or to going to a particular party, or to watching certain shows. Discipleship means saying no to hatred, to judging others, to loving money, to seeking power.

Jesus is calling us to a faith that’s not just another part of our lives, that’s not just relevant when we’re in this building; Jesus is calling us to a faith that shapes our whole lives.

Of course sports are not evil; work is not evil; spending time with family is certainly not evil. But if those things come before God in your life, something’s wrong.

What is it for you? What is Jesus calling you to say no to?

For Philemon, it’s giving up some of his rights and privileges. The situation seems to be that Paul, who is in prison in Rome, has gotten to know a man named Onesimus, who is a runaway slave. Through Paul, Onesimus has become a Christian, and now he wants to return to his master, a Christian named Philemon. Paul writes this letter to Philemon for Onesimus to take back with him.

Now, slavery at this time is not quite the same as the racial American slavery we think of, but it’s not too far off. If you get ahold of your runaway slave, you can legally do pretty much whatever you want to him to punish him. But in this letter, Paul asks Philemon to give up his legal rights, not only to not punish him, but to give up his entire ownership claim.

Very diplomatically, Paul reminds Philemon of his faith and how obviously important Christianity is to him, and then he asks him to welcome Onesimus back “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother.” Because of his faith in Jesus, Philemon is asked to make a sacrifice, to give up something, to say no to keeping Onesimus as a slave and to instead receive him as a brother, as an equal.

What are you giving up to follow Jesus?

I know of your faith in Jesus. I know you love God, and faith matters to you, because you’re here this morning/evening. You’re already made the choice to be here and worship today. You’ve said no to sleeping in, or watching a game, or doing homework or yard work. You’ve said no to whatever else you could be doing right now.

So this week, I invite you-I challenge you-to pray and ask God what else you are called to give up. What does carrying your cross look like for you in this time and place? Where are you being called to say no?

And equally importantly, where as a disciple are you being called to say yes? Maybe it’s committing to come to worship more often. Maybe it’s finding somewhere outside of church to volunteer, a cause to work for justice. Maybe it’s reaching out to that person you really don’t want to talk to.

Maybe it’s opening up that brand new Bible (or finding one at home) and reading it.

What is Jesus calling you to say yes to?

Because Jesus has already said yes to you. This is not about salvation, or whether God loves you. You’ve already been claimed by God. You’ve been redeemed and set free.

And Jesus is calling you to follow him. How will you answer?
Amen