I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Titus and Philemon.

    Paul writes to Titus with clear instructions about installing elders in each of the congregations on Crete. The characteristics Paul describes are ones which we should all aspire to uphold (except for the husband part, not everyone should aspire to being married and women have no need to aspire to being men). Often times when people look at this they fail to see Paul’s focus. Those chosen to be elders in the Church must have shown that they have the ability to manage their own household. That is the reason behind being the husband of one wife and having children who are believers without a reputation for wildness and rebellion. I think there are two parts of Paul’s instructions which are critical. The first is one I have seldom heard anyone talk about when discussing this passage: Church leaders are to be good managers. The second is something to which I think we do pay attention: Church leaders should enjoy hosting others. They should not be people who prefer to be alone most of the time. People who possess both of these, and the rest of the characteristics Paul describes for Church leaders, are not as common as we might like.

    In his letter to Philemon, Paul asks Philemon to forgive Onesimus for any damage which Onesimus may have caused by running away. Overall, it appears that Onesimus ran away because he was a rebellious slave who did not do as he was commanded (me reading between the lines). We do not know why Onesimus was a slave in the first place, but it appears that, after he came to know the Lord he felt that he should return to Philemon (perhaps encouraged in that belief by Paul and others, since Philemon was a fellow believer). When I have heard others comment on this letter they have always emphasized how Paul was willing to make good any loss which Philemon had suffered because of Onesimus. While I think that Paul was willing to do so, I also think that Paul makes it clear that he does not expect Philemon to take him up on it. As he writes this to Philemon, and reminds Philemon that he owes his very soul to Paul, I believe that Paul is alluding to teachings of the Church which derive from Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant from Matthew 18:23-35. Paul is quite clear that he expects Philemon to forgive Onesimus for any wrong which Onesimus had done him and for any damages which Onesimus may have caused him. Paul’s offer to pay for those damages was along the lines of, “But if you are such a poor Christian as to be unwilling to do so, I will pay you for it so that Onesimus need not suffer any more because of his previous mistakes.”