Written ~ 11-07-2024
Read the Book of Philemon
Philemon 1
The Book of Philemon, I would say, is easy to overlook. The entire book consists of 25 verses and is a personal letter to Paul’s friend Philemon. During the time Paul wrote this letter, he was in a Roman prison, and it was around AD 60 when it was written, it was also during this imprisonment that Paul wrote the letters to the Ephesian and Colossian churches.
The main characters of this Book are Philemon, Onesimus and of course the author, Paul. Philemon was a wealthy man, not only was he a member of the Colossian church, but the church met in his home (footnotes from Colossians 1:7 and Philemon 1:1-2 gave me this information). At the time, slavery was very common in the Roman Empire, and even the wealthy within the Christian churches had slaves, in this case, Onesimus was one of Philemon’s slaves. At some point in Onesimus’ slavery, he decided to run away, when he did this, he stole some personal items from Philemon and took off. Unfortunately, because of this betrayal, Philemon was angered beyond forgiveness.
This is where Paul’s letter “steps in.” When Onesimus fled, somehow, he met Paul and through Paul’s teaching and preaching of the Good News, Onesimus became a believer and close friend to Paul. Paul’s letter to Philemon was his attempt to reconcile these two, not just as master and slave, but as brothers in Christ.
As we read this short Book, keep in mind anyone that you may have built a wall of unforgiveness around. We are going to learn a lesson today about forgiveness and the breaking down of those barriers.
As we established, Paul is in a Roman prison when he wrote this letter, during this time Timothy, his spiritual son, would come to visit him quite often.
Philemon 1:1-3…
1 This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker, 2 and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house.
3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Paul mentions Apphia and Archippus in the second verse, not much is known about these two, but they must have had a key role in building the Colossian church. Archippus is mentioned briefly in Colossians 4:17, but there is no other mention of Apphia in any of Paul’s other letters. You might be asking yourself why I highlighted those two names? Well, all of us have a key role in building the church of Jesus Christ and whether or not our names are ever mentioned, God uses us for His purpose. Apphia and Archippus were being used by the Lord in a mighty way, we may not know to what capacity, but God knows.
In the next set of verses Paul is letting Philemon know how thankful he is for the kindness Philemon shows to fellow believers. Paul was letting Philemon know that he often prays for him and that everything Philemon did for the church brought joy and comfort to his heart.
Philemon 1:4-7…
4 “I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.”
In this greeting, Paul is reminding Philemon of the good things he is doing for the Lord because as Paul continues his letter he will appeal for the forgiveness and acceptance of his former slave, Onesimus.
Let’s repeat verse 1:7 and add verses 1:8-9…
Philemon 1:7-9…
7 “Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people. 8 That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. 9 But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me – Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.”
Paul’s request started with a softening of Philemon’s heart. What Paul was going to request of Philemon was not going to be easy! Think of someone you have in your life right now that maybe you have unresolved issues. You don’t understand their actions and maybe they have hurt you in a way that you think could never be fixed. This is the attitude of Philemon’s heart. For the actions of Onesimus would have resulted in severe punishment, stealing and running away his master would have an incredibly high restitution attached to it. Paul’s gentle and sincere manner to which he began this unheard of request also came with an increased boldness to show he really did mean business. I kind of chuckled when I read the part where Paul says, “Consider this as a request from me – Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.” Nothing like a good old fashioned guilt trip! I really don’t think that’s what Paul was going for when he said that, but that’s what came to my mind.
Paul notes in verse 1:7 that Philemon had a heart to serve the Lord, he was a refreshment to the hearts of other believers! But deep down he was harboring unforgiveness, which could lead to an unsettled anger. This attitude of the heart needed to be taken care of and Paul’s solution was to boldly request Philemon take Onesimus back into his home.
Philemon 1:10-12…
10 “I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison. 11 Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. 12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.”
Think about this whole situation from Onesimus’ point of view. He had done something that would normally result in severe punishment. It makes me wonder if he was hesitant to go back to Philemon. When you or I have done something bad, we know we are in the wrong, is it easy to seek forgiveness especially when the expectation of severe punishment is warranted? But what if you had someone like Paul in your life, someone who has become your spiritual father/mother and mentor, that person has taught you everything you need to know about walking with the Lord in love and serving Him with all your heart. You know the right thing to do is to go back and continue your servanthood in your master’s home. So… This request that Paul is presenting was not only difficult for Philemon, but I imagine it was just as difficult for Onesimus. Onesimus would need to humble himself and ask forgiveness and be willing to accept whatever punishment deemed appropriate, while Philemon would also need to humble himself and forgive, shed the anger he was harboring and accept Onesimus back into his home.
Alright, let’s continue with Paul’s letter and his request…
Philemon 1:13-16…
13 “I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced. 15 It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever. 16 He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.”
Now, the Bible doesn’t tell us how long Onesimus was gone from Philemon’s home. But I’m going to guess that it wasn’t very long. Yes, long enough for Onesimus to meet Paul and become a believer and become a dear friend and “son” to Paul, but I have a feeling it wasn’t that long, because of the rawness of unforgiveness and anger I sense from Philemon and the delicate manner in which Paul presented his request.
Philemon didn’t know Onesimus as a brother in Christ, he only knew him as the slave who ran away and took some of his possessions with him. Even though Paul is asking Philemon to accept Onesimus back into his home, this time as a willing slave, he was not yet prepared to know him and accept him as a brother in Christ. We can see by the words Paul is using in verse 1:12, “I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.” And again, in verse 1:16, “He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.”
These are endearing words from Paul. Was he preparing Philemon’s heart to break down the wall of unforgiveness and anger? I believe so! If a Born-Again believer, who is serving in the church, shows love to their brothers and sisters in Christ, but is unable to forgive that one person who has done them wrong, what does that say about their spiritual well-being?
In the next few verses Paul says a couple of things that were probably the turning point to any hesitancy Philemon had in accepting Onesimus back into his household.
- Paul would take responsibility to anything owed to Philemon from the things Onesimus stole
- Paul reminds Philemon that it was he who had led him to the Lord and brought him to Salvation in Christ
Philemon 1:17-19…
17 “So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, PAUL, WRITE THIS WITH MY OWN HAND: I WILL REPAY IT. AND I WON’T MENTION THAT YOU OWE ME YOUR VERY SOUL!”
If you were to have someone come to you on behalf of another person who wronged you and they laid down a request such as Paul did with Philemon, how would you respond?
Would your heart be softened? Would you be able to allow complete forgiveness that the other person is desperately seeking from you?
We do not have Philemon’s response. The Bible ends this Book with a very opened ended closing. Because of Paul’s request and the respect that Philemon would have had for him, we should assume that Philemon did welcome Onesimus back into his home and also accepted him as a brother because of Christ. But maybe we are left to speculate on our own, maybe it’s so we will think about our own situations. What decision would we make in this similar situation?
In Paul’s final plea, I believe it would be difficult for anyone to deny Paul of his request. He’s pretty convincing!
Philemon 1:20-22…
20 “Yes, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord’s sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ.
21 I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more! 22 One more thing – please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon.”
Well, there you have it! If Philemon did not feel compelled to forgive Onesimus and accept him back into his household not only as a willing slave but as a brother in Christ… then God help him!! But I am inclined to believe that Paul’s request was satisfied and Onesimus was redeemed.
Christ brings reconciliation. In the world we live in today, social barriers can be built to unbreakable heights, but the love of Jesus can cause those barriers to crumble with great force. It’s up to us to live fully for the Lord and not allow unforgiveness, anger or the barrier of pride to find its way into our hearts. Seek to forgive those who have wronged you. Ask the Lord for guidance when accepting them back into your life. Don’t allow past mistakes to cause division within the Body of Christ and especially within your own family.
Paul’s plea for forgiveness and respect can be applied to every area of our lives. Heed this bold request from Paul to Philemon as if he were saying the same words to you…
How will you respond?
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
~AMEN~