Philemon

I’d like you to imagine a scene. It’s about 60 A.D. We’re in the home of a wealthy man named Philemon. Philemon lives in the city of Colossae, in the south-east of what is now Turkey. Some time back, he met the apostle Paul and became a Christian, and he’s now one of the leaders of a church. And something has just happened that has set tongues wagging in that church.

Some years previously, Philemon had a slave called Onesimus. But Onesimus had run away and there’s a suspicion that he took valuables from Philemon’s house when he left. No one had seen Onesimus for years. But now, Onesimus has come back! Everyone was wondering what Philemon would do. Would Onesimus be Philemon’s slave again? Would Philemon take him back? Would he punish Onesimus? But now the news is that Philemon isn’t going to punish Onesimus. In fact, he’s going to set him free! And, even more amazingly, Philemon has declared that he accepts Onesimus as his brother in Christ! Whoever heard of such a thing?!

This is the story that lies behind the remarkable little letter which in our Bibles is called, simply, Philemon.

At some point, Philemon and Paul had met and Philemon had become a Christian. Perhaps, at this time, Onesimus met Paul. After Onesimus ran away he somehow found Paul. Paul was then in prison, possibly in Ephesus. Onesimus starts to look after Paul – and then Onesimus becomes a Christian.

Paul obviously doesn’t feel this is right. Onesimus is helping him, but legally, he belongs to Philemon. Paul no doubt tells Onesimus that he needs to go back to Philemon. He sends him back with the one of the most moving letters in the Bible.

Paul’s letter is short, just 25 verses long. I’ll point out a few things that we see in the letter and then think about lessons we can learn from it.

VERSE 1

In almost all of Paul’s letters, Paul starts by introducing himself as an apostle of Jesus. But in his letter to Philemon, Paul doesn’t mention that he’s an apostle. He starts, ‘Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus.’ He takes his apostle hat off. Paul is an apostle, but this time, he has a request to make. He isn’t going to lean on his authority as an apostle.

VERSES 2 TO 7

Paul greets Philemon. But this isn’t just ‘Dear Philemon.’ Timothy is ‘our brother’. Apphia is ‘our sister’. Archippus is ‘our fellow soldier.’ Philemon is Paul’s ‘beloved fellow worker.’ Paul tells him how much he appreciates him. Later, when Paul starts to talk about Onesimus, he refers to him as ‘my child’ and ‘my very heart.’

Paul’s letter is full of warmth and positivity. It exudes love. We British are a bit hesitant to speak like this. I think we can learn something from Paul. I’m not suggesting we say things that aren’t true. But if we value and love the people around us, it’s good to tell them. People love to be appreciated!

VERSES 8 TO 16

In verse 8, Paul gets to the reason for his letter. He writes, ‘I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus.’ In verse 12, Paul tells Philemon that he’s sending Onesimus back to him. Then in verse 16, Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus back, ‘…no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother.’

It’s notable that here Paul doesn’t directly say that slavery is wrong.

In other letters, Paul does say that slavery is wrong. He wrote, ‘For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery’ [Galatians 5:1]. He wrote that among Christians, ‘there is neither slave nor free’ [Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11 is similar]. He condemns people who enslave others [1 Timothy 1:10].

More broadly, the Old Testament condemns slavery. God commanded, ‘Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death’ [Exodus 21:16].

So, slavery is wrong. It’s against God’s will. There should not be slaves. But in Paul’s time, slaves were absolutely normal. It’s estimated that in the Roman Empire there were about 60 million slaves! Paul wasn’t calling on slaves to rise up and demand their freedom. In 1 Corinthians Paul advises slaves, ‘Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you – although if you can gain your freedom, do so’ [1 Corinthians 7:21].

Paul believed that slavery was wrong. But in this letter, Paul doesn’t talk about slavery in general. He has a request that relates to one specific instance of slavery. Paul wants Philemon to receive Onesimus – his former slave – as if he were receiving Paul. Not as a slave, in other words.