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Philemon 1 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Paul offers us a lesson in diplomacy and peacemaking. At the time, Paul was a prisoner in Rome and his friend Philemon was stationed in Colossae. We don’t know all the details but it seems that Onesimus is running away from his past. The letter implies that Onesimus is a rebellious slave of Philemon’s who is fleeing Colossae to take refuge in Rome. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Onesimus met up with Paul who eventually led him to Jesus.
Philemon was not only Onesimus’ master but also a model Christian who was holding church gatherings at his home. The church at Colossae was not founded by Paul nor did he ever visit there. The church likely began out of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. The crime of Onesimus was heavy. He not only ran away, but he stole money from Philemon. Both the Roman law as well as the Old Testament law gave a slave owner the green light to punish this kind of rebellion.
“If a slave ran away, the master would register the name and description with the officials, and the slave would be on the “wanted” list. Any free citizen who found a runaway slave could assume custody and even intercede with the owner. The slave was not automatically returned to the owner, nor was he automatically sentenced to death. While it is true that some masters were cruel (one man threw his slave into a pool of man-eating fish!), many of them were reasonable and humane. After all, a slave was an expensive and useful piece of personal property, and it would cost the owner to lose him.”
-Warren Wiersbe
With his diplomatic approach, Paul draws Philemon into accountability with Jesus. Yes, Onesimus had wronged him. Yes, it was a punishable offense. Yes, he had stolen money and left Philemon without a worker in his household. But Philemon was once living in rebellion to Jesus before Paul led him to Christ. So, in a very gentle way, Paul is reminding him that whatever he chooses to do with Onesimus should be in line with what Jesus has done for him.
Notice, Paul doesn’t tell Philemon what to do. He appeals to relationships. It is about his relationship with Philemon, but more importantly, it is about Philemon’s relationship with Christ.
“Paul’s friendship with Philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his greeting. Of the 13 letters Paul wrote to churches or individuals, in 9 of them he called himself an apostle in the opening verse. In this letter (along with Philippians , 1 and 2 Thessalonians), Paul appealed to his reader more as a friend and less an apostle.”
-David Guzik
“While Paul’s imprisonment represents his missionary identity, it is Jesus for whom Paul is imprisoned. The response Paul strongly desires from Philemon springs from his orientation toward discipleship: because of Christ Jesus, Philemon should respond favorably toward Onesimus, even though it may be costly and at odds with the surrounding social order.”
-IVP New Testament Commentary
On top of this, this letter really highlights the issue of identity. Onesimus should no longer be viewed as a slave. The greater relationship he has to both Paul and Philemon is as a brother in Christ. Philemon’s role as “master” and Onesimus’ role as “slave” were secondary to the identities they shared as children of God.
This is a great teaching point for us today. Do we favor our secular titles over our spiritual identity? It would have been fair and right (according to the laws at the time) for Philemon to punish Onesimus. The world wouldn’t have blinked. But for a true follower of Christ, their new identity must guide all decisions and behaviors. Paul actually sees this as an opportunity for Philemon to demonstrate to the world that his allegiance and decision-making is rooted solely in Jesus Christ. Just in case Philemon was having doubts, Paul threw in one last gentle reminder. God willing, he will be coming to visit Philemon and will no doubt be checking up on this situation to see how everything has turned out.
“Finally, Paul delicately reminds his friend, in Phm 1:19, that Philemon owed him a great deal more than a trifle of money, namely, his spiritual life. Does not our Lord address us in similar terms? We surely owe ourselves to Him!”
-F.B. Meyer