PHILEMON
PHILEMON 1:1-3
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved
friend and fellow laborer,
2 to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul writes this letter to Philemon, a fellow Christian living in the Greco/Roman city of Colossae
(the church to whom Paul wrote the book of Colossians) near the south-central coast of what is
modern day Turkey. Note that he doesn't mention himself as an apostle, but does mention his
imprisonment, showing that he was well-known to Philemon and was this epistle was written
during his first imprisonment in Rome to be tried by Nero Caesar as recorded in the book of Acts.
According to Luke in the book of Acts Paul had been sent to Rome for trial, having been falsely
accused by the Jews of Jerusalem of sedition and treason against Caesar. He was aboard a ship to
Rome when the ship was caught by a terrific storm (probably a winter nor'easter) and was driven
about the Adriatic Sea for two weeks straight.
The men and soldiers aboard had given up hope of survival, when Luke (also the author of the Book of Luke) wrote that Paul said that they would indeed survive;
ACTS 27:23-24
23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve,
24 saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.'
Luke records in Acts that shortly thereafter they were shipwrecked on the island of Malta, and while the ship was destroyed, all 276 men aboard were saved as Paul had prophesied. From there he continued to Rome and was imprisoned to await Caesar's pleasure for trial.
PHILEMON 1:4-7
4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,
5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.
Paul's constant care for the churches is reflected here, with his commendation of Philemon's faith in Jesus and love of the saints in his church and those visiting the church, especially as Paul himself could not be there in person. Therefore he took joy in hearing that the church there in Collosae was prospering and growing under Philemon’s leadership.
PHILEMON 1:8-16
8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting,
9 yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you--being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ--
10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,
11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.
12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,
13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel.
14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary.
15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,
16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave--a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
Here Paul reveals the reason for his letter. Apparently Philemon had a slave named Onesimus
who had run away from his master, a very serious offense in the ancient world. In many cases
such servants were severely beaten or killed as they were the property of their master. Even
worse, they could have been sentenced to be an oarsman in the Roman galleys for life, a cruel,
brutal punishment.
(Note: God had no problem with the Jews owning slaves, but set down strict laws as to
master/slave treatment.)
Somehow Onesimus had met Paul and was ministering to Paul's needs in his imprisonment and
had himself become a Christian while ministering to Paul, leading Paul to say that he had
"begotten" Onesimus while a prisoner, as in having led him to Jesus Christ.
Note that as an apostle Paul could have used his authority to deal with Philemon but as Onesimus
was legally Philemon's property, he was also a fellow Christian and brother in the Lord.
Therefore Paul asks Philemon to take Onesimus back, forgiving him as he had changed through
Jesus and asking to "borrow" him to minister to his needs until his trial.
Philemon 1:17-25
17 If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me.
18 But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account.
19 I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will repay--not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides.
20 Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord.
21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
22 But, meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you. Farewell.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Paul is asking Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a Christian rather than an escaped slave, to the point as if it was Paul himself returning, showing Paul's confidence in Onesimus. And if Philemon suffered any financial loss because of Onesimus, Paul would make up for it out of his own pocket. Paul also slyly inserts that Philemon owes himself to Paul so to speak, as it appears that Philemon himself had heard the Gospel through Paul's preaching.
Paul also states that he, personally wrote the letter, showing his education, as many of the figures in the Bible (Peter, James and John for instance) could not read nor write, but dictated their letters to those who could. Paul has every expectation that he will soon be acquitted at his trial before Caesar (Nero), and asks Philemon to be ready to receive him as soon as he is freed. This would have taken place between 58 - 62 A.D.
Finally Paul names Epaphrus as a fellow-prisoner (possibly having had the same charges against him), John Mark (author of the Gospel of Mark) and Luke (author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts) are listed as Paul's helpers who ministered to him in his chains.
Onesimus is an example of the transforming power of Jesus in a person's life. When he escaped his master, he was an angry, unruly, unprofitable slave but after meeting Paul and accepting Jesus, he was returned as a profitable, gentle, hard-working Christian.
This also should remind us that we should consider NO ONE to be beyond salvation, that the worst person we know can be changed by Jesus. But if no one preaches to them, how will they come to hear about Him? As Paul said:
ROMANS 10:14-15
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"
We should NEVER consider a person to be beyond salvation!! Remember, God called Paul to salvation even though he had beaten and jailed many Christians, forced them to blaspheme and was consenting to their murders by the Jerusalem government.
Yet look at what he became after his conversion! Only God can determine if someone is beyond salvation. I, myself was a hard-core Satanist and was deeply into the Black Arts at one time, yet I had Christians in my workplace who told me about Jesus. When I finally accepted Jesus later, I told one of the other Christians about it. He stared at me in disbelief and said, "Man, you are the LAST person I EVER thought would accept Christ!!!!"
Jesus told us to preach the Gospel to everyone, without exception, for as Paul says, how will they know about Him unless someone teaches them? And remember also, someone preached the Gospel to YOU as well!
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