Forest Fires and Restitution - Philemon Pt. 5
by Joe Leavell
In 2017, a young 15-year-old boy was playing with his friends in a rural area in Oregon’s Mount Hood National Forest. The boy brought some fireworks with him and thought it would be funny to lob a smoke bomb down the canyon into the creek, despite it being clearly indicated that it would be illegal to do so. Sadly, the firework fell short and started a small fire.
Firefighters were soon called in to put out the initial small blaze. Unable to contain it, they battled the fire, not for hours or days, but for months! Eventually, it consumed an area the size of Washington D.C., over 48,000 acres! It caused hundreds of homeowners to evacuate, and cost the government over $40 million dollars to put it out.
All from one smoke bomb.
What should be done with the young man? Leniency due to his age and his immature carelessness?
Prosecutors went after the boy, and he was found guilty. The judge ordered restitution to the state for the cost of the blaze and ordered a 15-year-old teen to pay out 36.6 million dollars in damages - an impossible sum for him to pay back. The judge decided that if he made ongoing, established monthly payments, completed nearly 2,000 hours of community service, and remained on probation for 5 years, then he could end making payments.
Is it fair or just to charge a teen boy a $36.6 million fine for throwing a smoke bomb? After all, in Oregon, the fine for illegal use of fireworks is only a max of $2,500. So, why was this boy charged so much?
The reason is because he wasn’t just charged for the illegal use of fireworks, he was also charged for all of the fallout that resulted from his carelessness as well. In Oregon, juvenile state law mandates that restitution has to at least give reparations for the cost of damages. He had to compensate the state, not just for putting out the smoke bomb, but for the man hours, the equipment, and the cost of potential reforestation as well.
Restitution and the Gospel
As we conclude the small book of Philemon (Previous parts found here, here, here, and here), you will notice that Paul ends his letter working through the principles of restitution, which is an important part of reconciliation.
Onesimus had done wrong to Philemon. He had fled, likely taking money, and defrauded Philemon of his service. Just like the boy with the smoke bomb, Onesimus was not simply liable for his actions, but he was also responsible for all of the resulting fallout that was incurred by Philemon. According to Roman Law, Onesimus’ crime could be punished by being flogged, branded, sent to work in the mines, or even executed.
Now, to be sure, while reconciliation is built on forgiveness, they are not the same thing. For example, a person is called to forgive a repentant spouse who cheated on them, but that does not make them biblically obligated to stay married to their spouse. They certainly can, but it is not biblically mandated. To use a different example, a parent can forgive a drunk driver who kills their child in an accident, but that doesn’t mean they are obligated to build an ongoing friendship.
Paul wasn’t asking Philemon merely to forgive Onesimus. This letter was a much more bold request for the restoration and renewal of their relationship.
The Cost of the Gospel
Many of us look at sin like we do the teen’s smoke bomb. We certainly don’t intend to start any forest fires or anything! Why would we have to receive any real consequences?
“I mean, everyone loses their temper now and then. It’s not like I’d ever hit my kid!”
“It was just a bit of porn. It’s not like I actually cheated.”
“It was just one small item. Stores get insurance for stuff that’s stolen.”
“It wasn’t a big lie. No one was hurt by it.”
For more on how we minimize our sin, see our post here.
We humans have downplayed our sinful actions since Adam and Eve. After all, the only thing they did was eat a piece of fruit. What was so bad about that? Why such tremendous consequences rather than just a slap on the hand and “Don’t do that again!” from God?
In part, the reason was not just because of the action itself, but also because of the fallout that results from their sin. In this way, the Bible describes a weight of sin that each of us carry, a debt if you will, that is far beyond the $36.6 million that the boy owed from the fire. Each of us has a looming debt that eternal torment could never work off.
With the teen, by default, the taxpayer ended up shouldering the cost of fighting the fire because they collectively could bear the cost. But with sin, ALL of us individually owe a massive debt! We could never pay off our own sin debt, let alone someone else’s! We each were in deep trouble owing a spiraling debt that would require our eternal punishment to pay. No one was willing or able to take responsibility.
The beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus, God the Son, the only one capable of paying the debt, voluntarily stepped in and paid for our sin debt in full. He not only took responsibility for the sin itself, He also paid for the entirety of the fallout as well! He made complete restitution and will one day make full restoration for the effects on our entire planet as well when the curse is removed!
There are no words that can adequately describe what we owe him for what he has done for us! Certainly the only thing that makes sense is to hand him control of our lives, not in payment but in gratitude!
Paul reflects that level of Gospel love by speaking up for Onesimus, whose life was legally forfeit. Paul graciously pledged to pay for Onesimus’ legal debts by applying it to his own charge in full. Yet, at the same time, he reminded Philemon that he himself owed his very life to Paul. Philemon was free to restore Onesimus because due to the debt he owed to Paul, with his very life, he was to consider the debt paid.
Restoration and a Changed Life
Paul was careful to demonstrate Onesimus’ genuine repentance and change, as well as a willingness to take responsibility by offering restitution. Without those components, restoration would not have reflected the Gospel.
Because of Jesus’ forgiveness, all believers are called to offer forgiveness to those who sin against us, offering to bear the cost of the fallout of the sin that was done to us. This forgiveness is costly and it is often a process that requires a lot of prayer and counsel to understand and work through. Yet, that does not mean that the relationship is automatically restored.
Throughout Scripture, the Lord invites the world to come to receive forgiveness for their sin. However, it is only those, who by grace through faith trust in His finished work on the cross, who will experience that forgiveness and the restoration of relationship with God. In reflecting that work, while offering forgiveness to those who may harm us, it is only the person who repents and seeks meaningful restitution through a changed life that will be even capable of experiencing meaningfully reconciliation.
How Does Restitution Work in Real Life
Let’s get practical. How do you pay restitution for an affair? What dollar amount or good work would ever make up for cheating on your spouse?
How do you make up for the damage caused to your child by losing your temper in their face and causing potentially long term emotional damage?
How much does it cost to rebuild broken trust and a broken world?
It’s more than any of us can pay. Frankly, in many ways, it would be insulting and absurd to those we have harmed to even try. To think we could pay for our sin would cheapen its costliness, and weaken the weight of forgiveness and grace. It would be like the teen trying to restore the entire forest by a minimum wage job. An impossibility!
The letter to Philemon, again, is here to help.
Paul vouched for Onesimus’ changed heart and life and the close affection Paul had for the former slave. While Philemon was biblically obligated to forgive the debt, he was not legally obligated to open himself up to further abuses from his former servant. So, with Paul’s help, restitution was offered to restore Philemon of the hurts that were caused to the best of his ability. As such, he asked Philemon to restore him, not just as a servant, but as a brother.
Paul not only spoke up for the changed Onesimus, he himself took ownership of his debt. Jesus does the same for us. When we, in faith, offer sincere and humble repentance to those we have harmed, we must take full responsibility for our actions and the harm it has caused. This includes a willingness to:
Commit ourselves to faithfully changing our behavior.
Open ourselves up fully to accountability and also the consequences.
Offering ample time and space to process and demonstrate the validity of our repentance.
Remember, it took such a short time for the young man to burn down the forest. It would take years for it to be restored.
One of the marks of someone who is truly repentant is that they are willing to take responsibility, not just for their actions, but for the fallout of those actions as well.
In this way, we seek to demonstrate the genuine fruit of repentance, and we work to rebuild trust for a crime we could never repay. Jesus stands next to us, showing his scars as full payment. His sacrifice on the cross reminds our forgivers that they also owe their lives to His forgiveness. He has restored all believers by his blood; both forgivers and debtors alike.
This is what makes biblical reconciliation possible. The one who was harmed recognizes the same Gospel that saved them is also at work in the offender, and joins in building grace-fueled reconciliation through the offender's demonstrated changed heart, life, and actions. If the offender is not a believer, we can reflect the Gospel by offering forgiveness. However, only complete restoration that reflects the peace that was purchased on the cross will be able to be understood and experienced between repentant believers.
If you have caused someone else harm and would like to work with us on what genuine repentance looks like, or if you have been sinned against and struggle with forgiveness and whether there should even be the possibility of reconciliation, please contact us today. We would love to walk alongside you and be a help and support to you.
Biblical Counseling of Arizona is a 501 C3 non-profit counseling center that relies on the generosity of donors to provide affordable care for those in financial need. If you have been blessed by our ministry and would like more info on how to partner with us, please write to us at info@biblicalcounseling.org or click here to donate.
