A Lesson From the Book of Philemon

Perhaps one of the books that has always confused me has been the book of Philemon. This very short letter from Paul to a friend seemed out of place when compared to books such as Hebrews, James, or Titus. Why would a letter written by Paul to a friend be here? It seemed strange to me that in the inspired word this letter was there. Why would it be included and what can we learn from these twenty-five verses? I could not find the reasoning for this letter to be included in the Bible until recently.

Before we dive into the meaning of the book, we should have some background on those included in it. Philemon was written by Paul who if you have read the letters to Timothy and Titus, you would know that he does not hold back in his dedication to the gospel as well as empowering and at times admonishing the reader. Much can be learned from Paul regarding the spiritual walk a Christian should have, such as joy in trials (Philippians), having the Armor of God in Ephesians, and to have knowledge of the future in 2nd Thessalonians. With this in mind, we would expect Paul to always be assertive in his writing. However, when we look at Philemon, we see the softer side of Paul.

The next person to discuss is who the letter was written for. Philemon was a wealthy follower of Christ who led a church in his home. When we review the verses in this letter we can tell that Paul holds Philemon in high regards. Paul is aware of Philemon’s undisputed faith in Jesus Christ, however Paul does have an issue with Philemon and that is concerning a man named Onesimus.

Onesimus was a slave to Philemon and was believed to have robbed from him. In doing so, Onesimus fled Corinth and went to Rome. It would be here while in the bustling city of Rome, Onesimus would meet Paul. This encounter would lead to Onesimus being converted by Paul, who would send him back to Philemon with this letter.

With those facts in mind, we can now take a better look into this letter. After his initial greeting (in which we again see that Paul had no issues facing the physical challenges of being imprisoned, all because he knew that was where God needed him to be) we see Paul addressing Philemon’s character, “4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have had great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” Philemon verses 4-7

In this passage we see that Philemon was invested in the lives of others. He was leading a church in his home, preaching the Word of God, and in doing so he was encouraging believers around him. I see Philemon as the missionary who opens their doors to those on the mission field and provides them rest and a chance to be encouraged in the faith. Philemon made himself available to believers to find rest and encouragement in their faith. We see here that Paul is acknowledging Philemon’s spiritual gifts, hospitality and teaching, before he brings up the issue of Onesimus. This was not an attempt by Paul to manipulate Philemon, instead to remind Philemon of who he is in the body of Christ. This is the softer side of Paul that we see, followed shortly by the Paul that we are used to.

“8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—” Philemon verses 8-9. Here we see the fire of Paul that we are so used to. Paul is stating that he could order Philemon to accept Onesimus back into his household, but instead Paul is appealing to the heart of Philemon as the man who refreshes so many believers. Paul is leading up to his appeal by addressing Philemon as another brother in Christ who had been forgiven of his own sins by God.

We now come to the appeal that Paul makes of Philemon. “10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I fathered in my imprisonment, 11 who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, 13 whom I wanted to keep with me, so that in your behalf he might be at my service in my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion, but of your own free will. ” Philemon verses 10-14. Paul is asking Philemon to receive Onesimus as if it was Paul himself coming to him. If anyone has been in a situation where they were wronged by someone who later came asking for forgiveness, you can imagine how Philemon probably felt. I do not believe that it would have been easy for Philemon to see Onesimus, I am sure there was probably some anger and hurt. And yet Paul is asking Philemon to welcome Onesimus back, not out of compulsion but out of love for another brother in Christ who has seen his sin and been forgiven by God.

I am sure that Philemon would have felt some doubt to Paul’s confession that Onesimus has changed and has become a fellow believer in Jesus Christ. Which is why the next passage is so important for us to remember ourselves. “15 For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, that you would have him back 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.” Philemon verses 15-16. When we are faced with someone who has wronged us but is now a born-again believer, we need to remember this passage. Perhaps there was a separation, in this case Onesimus fleeing to Rome, in order for that person to come to know Jesus Christ. This is a New Testament action of the Old Testament prodigal son. Sometimes someone has to be removed in order for them to acknowledge their sins to see that they need to be forgiven and place their trust in Jesus Christ.

Ironically, Paul does bring a soft but firm voice in his letter, “17 If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. 18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; 19 I, Paul, have written this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). 20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.” Philemon verses 17-20. This passage reminds me of that in Matthew 18, “23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 And when he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 But since he ]did not have the means to repay, his master commanded that he be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment be made. 26 So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27 And the master of that slave felt compassion, and he released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30 But he was unwilling, and went and threw him in prison until he would pay back what was owed. 31 So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their master all that had happened. 32 Then summoning him, his master *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34 And his master, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he would repay all that was owed him. 35 My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”” Matthew 18:23-35. I feel as if Paul is imploring Philemon not to be like the salve in this passage who was so unwilling to forgive the debts of others when his own debt had been forgiven.

We should not forget that Paul himself is speaking from experience in a similar matter. In his concluding remarks, we see that Paul includes Mark in his message. “21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say. 22 At the same time also prepare me a guest room, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” Philemon verses 21-25. In Acts 13, we find that Paul was abandoned by Mark which resulted in the mission field being hampered by disagreements with Barnabas and Paul. However, in this letter to Philemon we see that Mark is included in the list of Paul’s fellow workers. This means that at some point in time Paul and Mark reunited under Christ.

Now that we have discussed this short letter, I wonder if you have noticed what took me so long to see. The letter to Philemon is a great example of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a reminder to all believers to not hold a grudge when we are faced with someone seeking reconciliation with us. Forgiveness plays a key role in our faith, if we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ then we have all been forgiven of our sins. When we are faced with a situation like Philemon and Onesimus we need to transfer our hurt and pain to the only One who has forgiven our sins, Jesus Christ. Through Him we can reach reconciliation with brothers and sisters in Christ.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex