Reflections on Philemon

Philemon 01 (Contemporary English Version)


1. From Paul, who is in jail for serving Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is like a brother because of our faith. Philemon, you work with us and are very dear to us. This letter is to you
2. and to the church that meets in your home. It is also to our dear friend Apphia and to Archippus, who serves the Lord as we do.
3. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
4. Philemon, each time I mention you in my prayers, I thank God.
5. I hear about your faith in our Lord Jesus and about your love for all of God's people.
6. As you share your faith with others, I pray that they may come to know all the blessings Christ has given us.
7. My friend, your love has made me happy and has greatly encouraged me. It has also cheered the hearts of God's people.
8. Christ gives me the courage to tell you what to do.
9. But I would rather ask you to do it simply because of love. Yes, as someone in jail for Christ,
10. I beg you to help Onesimus! He is like a son to me because I led him to Christ here in jail.
11. Before this, he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.
12. Sending Onesimus back to you makes me very sad.
13. I would like to keep him here with me, where he could take your place in helping me while I am here in prison for preaching the good news.
14. But I won't do anything unless you agree to it first. I want your act of kindness to come from your heart, and not be something you feel forced to do.
15. Perhaps Onesimus was taken from you for a little while so that you could have him back for good,
16. but not as a slave. Onesimus is much more than a slave. To me he is a dear friend, but to you he is even more, both as a person and as a follower of the Lord.
17. If you consider me a friend because of Christ, then welcome Onesimus as you would welcome me.
18. If he has cheated you or owes you anything, charge it to my account.
19. With my own hand I write: I, PAUL, WILL PAY YOU BACK. But don't forget that you owe me your life.
20. My dear friend and follower of Christ our Lord, please cheer me up by doing this for me.
21. I am sure you will do all I have asked, and even more.
22. Please get a room ready for me. I hope your prayers will be answered, and I can visit you.
23. Epaphras is also here in jail for being a follower of Christ Jesus. He sends his greetings,
24. and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, who work together with me.
25. I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you.
    
    

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    This short letter, which consists of only one chapter in our Bible, has as its primary purpose the restoration of a runaway slave to his master. Onesimus, a slave of Philemon to whom this letter is addressed, had runaway to Rome where he somehow came in contact with Paul. Paul led him to salvation in Christ and nurtured him spiritually until he was ready to put right what he had made wrong. Paul addressed slaves and slave masters in several of his letters, never attacking the practice, but to appeal to a proper relationship between them as brothers in Christ.
    
    In Rome, Onesimus would have no doubt had little difficulty remaining undetected as a runaway slave and could have remained free. But as a brother in Christ to his former master, Philemon, he had a debt to repay and a relationship to restore. Though we cannot know what debt he owed Philemon, Paul refers to it in this letter, telling Philemon to consider it his debt instead of Onesimus'. This is a secondary request, though. The primary request, as mentioned above, was for Philemon to restore his slave Onesimus, receiving him not only as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Accept him, Paul said, "as you would me." (1:17)  Using Onesimus' name, which means "useful," Paul makes a play on words saying, "Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful to both you and me." (1:11) Paul then expresses a thought similar to his words in Romans 8:28 where he says, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." His words to Philemon, though, were: "perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently." (1:15) In other words, what seemed a bad situation in the loss of a valuable slave, God had turned into a good situation with the salvation of that slave who would now prove to be of greater value, not only as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.