Giants
Upside down
AND
JUSTICE
Pip Miner, NSW/ACT State Office
team member and former cross-
cultural worker in Cambodia, draws
contextual mission principles from
Philemon.
How can Jesus radically change the
life of a slave, a slave owner and the
message of a Christian leader who
appeals for upside-down justice? What
implications might this message have for
those of us who contend with the reality
of having 'giant’s strength' but know it is
'tyrannous to use it like a giant' 1 ?
In the short letter of Philemon, we
see how the cosmic principle of Jesus’
turning power dynamics upside-down
is outworked in a single household.
A quick plot-review: A slave named
Onesimus had escaped his owner,
Philemon. He ran from Colossae to
Rome - a city where he could more
easily disappear into the crowd. In
Rome, Onesimus met Paul and became
a follower of Jesus. Now, Paul sends him
back to Colossae… and to Philemon.
In the letter of Philemon, Paul recognises
power dynamics as they stand, as well
as how they have been transformed
in Christ. He appeals to his 'precious
friend' and 'fellow worker' Philemon.
Paul does not use his authority as an
apostle to demand justice, instead using
phrases such as 'old man' and 'prisoner'
to refer to himself! Onesimus isn’t a
'slave' but a 'brother in Christ' and a
'son'. With tenderness, Paul says that
Onesimus has become his 'very heart'.
Paul uses his power to pen a humble,
moving letter advocating that a former
slave be received based on who he now
is in Christ.
When we move from our relaxed
Aussie culture that values equality and
independence into a more hierarchical
culture that values showing respect for
those in authority, we may not always
be aware of how we are perceived in
the new culture. Without knowing, we
may be perceived as 'giants'.
In my second month in Cambodia I was
invited to a Khmer New Year feast in a
village hundreds of kilometres from the
Capital. In the early evening, mats were
placed around the central house and
groups were seated according to their
status. As a single in my late twenties,
I wondered if I would be placed with
married couples who were about my
age or with the singles in their teens
and early twenties.
For more pearls of wisdom from Pip (isn't she
great!?), watch episode 1 of this edition's videos:
www.globalinteraction.org.au/ResonateVideos
resonate
· issue 33 · page 13
When I arrived I was ushered into the
main room of the house. On the floor
was a single mat and small bowls
containing a few mouthfuls of each of
the delicacies. I was invited to sit on
that mat in the most honoured position
in the village to share in the feast… by
myself. I felt alone and excluded. But
the intention was to honour me. That
night, I accepted that it would take time
for the Khmer to find where I would fit
on one of their mats at the feast.
This was one of many aspects of the
Khmer culture I needed to understand
to minister contextually. Like Paul, we
need to recognise power dynamics as
well as how they can be transformed
in Christ.
Thinking back on nine years in
Cambodia, there were times I let people
respectfully call me 'teacher'. (I’m not
a qualified teacher!) Most of the time,
however, I preferred 'sister' or 'aunty'.
While I hoped my skills and hard work
in ministry were found useful, the
reality was that I needed to hold on to
who I was in Christ, a beloved, useful,
reclaimed slave like Onesimus.
Having been given a place on the mat,
I am now responsible to use my giant
strength to invite others to take their
seat at the feast.
A
C
1. Shakespeare in Measure for Measure