V. 1
It is believed that this letter was written during Paul’s Romans imprisonment. (Acts 28:30, 31)
Prisoner of Jesus Christ-
Not of Rome, or because of the Jews (though they were behind his imprisonment).
Paul was imprisoned because he faithfully carried out the work of Jesus Christ.
Jesus called Paul to preach to the Gentiles.
This infuriated the Jewish leaders, and they sought to kill Paul, or have the Romans kill him.
This was why Paul was in jail.
But Paul saw the imprisonment as something that Christ had brought into his life, and Paul accepted it as such.
Paul also reminds Philemon of his chains for preaching to the Gentiles. Philemon was a Gentile.
V. 2
Apphia- possibly the wife of Philemon. If that were so, she would have been in charge of the household slaves, thus, this letter was important for her as well, and that is why Paul would have included her in the introduction.
Archippus- Possibly the son of Philemon.
If these assumptions are accurate re. Philemon’s family, the letter would have needed to be addressed to all of them, since this required a family attitude about a runaway slave, not just Philemon’s attitude.
the church in your house-The early Christians met in homes, and not in larger buildings.
Vs. 3, 4
Paul didn’t say that he prayed endlessly and for hours for Philemon.
But he regularly prayed for Philemon, making “mention” of him.
He regularly offered at least a few rods of prayer for Philemon.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 “…pray without ceasing…”
We can be praying whenever and wherever a moment may allow us to.
We can pray without ceasing and be mentioning people in our prayers.
This is an acceptable approach to prayer.
V. 5
Philemon was a mature and authentic Believer.
His life exhibited the love of God and faith in God, and all other Believers as well.
V. 6
Paul prays that as Philemon acknowledges every good thing which is in him re. Jesus, that his sharing of his faith will become more effective.
This is true- As we bring to mind the blessings of God, and meditate on those blessings, we will find ourselves sharing from an overflowing heart, and we will more clearly and freely speak of the blessings of God.
That would bring an added “punch” to our testimonies, and to the sharing of our faith.
Note the chronology– The mindfulness of God’s blessings brings effectiveness in the sharing of faith.
An overflowing heart will make for effective sharing of one’s faith.
The NIV seems to say the exact opposite
Philemon 1:6, NIV– I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
The NIV seems to indicate that the active sharing of our faith will lead us to a deeper understanding of the good things we have in Christ.
That idea could be true in this way: we begin talking of the blessings of God, and one idea or thoughts sparks another, and another, etc., and the Believer is now more clearly thinking on the blessings of God.
That seems to be the case in much of Paul’s writing.
He mentions one great blessing of God, and then that brings to mind another blessing, and Paul gets away from his main point as he considers the blessings of God.
V. 7
Paul is in prison, but he is comforted and consoled because his Christian friend loves other Believers.
Our love for the Body of Christ brings joy to the hearts of other Believers who are aware of our actions.
Paul is going to ask a favor of Philemon.
But first he genuinely loves him, commends him, and encourages him.
One might say that he was flattering Philemon so that he (Paul) could have his way.
I don’t think so.
Paul is going to ask for a favor here, but he doesn’t rush to it.
His communication isn’t all about what he (Paul) wanted. He is also thankful for Philemon’s life.
Vs. 8, 9
Paul is asking a favor and not commanding an action.
The implication is that he could have commanded Philemon what to do, and that it would have been right for Philemon to obey Paul’s command.
The basis for this obligation to obey Paul is found in verse 19.
Philemon owed Paul for his salvation.
Paul also reminds Philemon of his condition- old and in prison.
Paul will also insinuate that Onesimus would be useful to him, should Philemon agree to let him stay with Paul.
Paul doesn’t ask for him, but implies that that arrangement would be a blessing.
The difference between a command and a request is twofold:
A command doesn’t give a person the chance to make a decision; it forces or coerces him to make a decision, and is only concerned with the desire of the one making the command.
A request seeks to accomplish the initial goal, but also seeks to win the heart of the one being communicated with by way of reason.
A fulfilled command achieves the goal, but might lose the heart of the person being asked.
A fulfilled request wins both the desired goal and the heart of the person being asked.
Sometimes a command is needed, and a request is out of place.
1 Corinthians 5:4, 5 4In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
In my opinion, a request is always preferable over a command, but we need to recognize the proper place for commands.
V. 10
Onesimus was an escaped slave that became a Christian through the ministry of Paul.
Rome was a popular destination for escaped slaves.
It had a huge population, and all the vices of city life that one might want.
We don’t know how Onesimus met Paul.
Perhaps he was arrested for something, and temporarily housed with Paul.
Whatever the case, he met Paul while Paul was in chains.
He got saved. Ministry can continue in the worst of circumstances.
Paul called Onesimus his son. Paul had become his spiritual father.
V. 11
Onesimus had previously been unprofitable to Philemon.
Especially now, since he had run away.
Onesimus’ name means “profitable”.
Since becoming a Christian, he had now become a profitable man to have around.
He was now living up to his name.
This should always be the case when a man or woman becomes a Christian.
The work of God in the live of a Believer makes that person a better person.
Over time, as God works, we ought to expect to see a profitability come forth from a Christian’s life.
but now is profitable to you and to me.
Paul alludes to the fact that now that Onesimus was helping Paul, that that was a benefit to the heart of Philemon.
Undoubtedly, if Philemon could have been there, he would have helped Paul.
Through less than perfect circumstances, Philemon is now helping Paul through the person of Onesimus.
Paul seems to be alluding to the fact that he would prefer to keep Onisemus around for the support.
Paul is reasoning with Philemon, and asking him to see the good that has resulted from a bad and wrong situation.
V. 12
Technically, under Roman law, Philemon had the right to kill Onesimus.
Paul is asking Philemon to not exert his rights, and to forgive this wrong done to him.
Paul is asking for mercy and grace for Onesimus.
my own heart- Treat him as you would treat me.
Vs. 13, 14
We have to ask ourselves: Who needed Onesimus more? Paul or Philemon?
Certainly Paul needed him more, but he doesn’t push to win that argument.
Technically and under the law, Onesimus still belonged to Philemon.
Who has a more noble purpose for the use of Onisemus?
“…that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel.”
Is Paul implying that if Onesimus returns, he will return to household chores, but…
If he stays with Paul, he will minister the Gospel.
That would almost seems as though Paul was saying that Onisemus’ greater purpose would be to stay with Paul.
Paul is more concerned with morality, ethics, & pleasing God than he is with his own personal need.
He could have insisted through shame, guilt, manipulation…and as a result, he could have coerced Philemon into allowing Onesimus to stay.
But he didn’t do that.
He could have gained a slave, but lost a friend and brother.
Instead, Paul didn’t insist on his rights, but he took the honorable road, and gave preference to one who owed preference to him.
This is a very good picture of Jesus Christ.
1. Jesus lowered Himself for us.
Philippians 2:5-8 5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
2. He did not demand His rights.
3. He became poor that we might become enriched.
2 Corinthians 8:9 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
4. He took that which was unprofitable in our lives and made it profitable.
5. He suffered for our salvation, as Paul suffered for the preaching of the gospel of salvation.
6. Jesus never forced us to do anything, but always seeks to reason with us.
Matthew 11:28-30 28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
It is very regrettable that people think that God wants to make them do things against their will.
God seeks to show us the reasons why His standards are best.
He warns us of both the temporal and eternal consequences of our sins.
But God never forces us to comply with His will.
In this way, Paul was a very good representation of Jesus Christ.
Vs. 15, 16
”For perhaps…”- Paul isn’t; claiming to authoritatively know why this happened the way it did.
Paul is saying…”It seems to me that this happened for this reason. What do you think?”
Paul is not forcing Philemon to come to a conclusion
Paul seeks to lead Philemon in reasoning thru this wrongdoing that was done to him by Onesimus.
He is asking Philemon to come to a conclusion, and sharing why he thinks that God was in this.
“He only departed for a while.” God has worked this thing out for good.
You had him temporarily in this life; now you have him forever, eternally.
You had him only as a slave; but now you have him also as a brother in the faith.
If Philemon saw Onesimus as only a man to be owned, then slavery is acceptable
If he saw him as a brother…then that is a difficult thing to do, to enslave your brother
Paul does more to end slavery here than by passing any abolitionist law.
This mindset of brotherhood does more to abolish slavery than any law
You originally saw this as a wrong against you; change your view of this, and see the eternal perspective: he needed to be with Paul for his conversion.
Consider this: Onesimus had not gotten saved under Philemon’s oversight.
Perhaps Philemon had failed in his spiritual duty to share Christ with Onesimus.
Vs. 17-19
Apparently, Onesimus had not only escaped from Philemon, but had stolen from his as well.
Both were crimes worthy of death in that society.
Philemon had every cultural right to kill Onesimus.
Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of the gospel, which supersedes culture and personal rights.
Paul also reminds Philemon that if he wants to consider “rights”, that Paul could expect something from Philemon.
V. 20
Paul was the elder statesman, the apostle, the prisoner who suffered much for Christ…
Yet he speaks to Philemon as a peer, as a brother.
Paul did not speak down to him, but across to him: eye to eye, heart to heart, with humility.
Paul uses another play on words here.
The word joy is oninēmi…(o-nē’-nā-mē)
It also means “profit”, and is the root word from which Onesimus’ name comes.
Paul is saying…”Let me have profit from you in the Lord by allowing the one called Profitable to stay with me.”
Paul had earlier said that Philemon was one who refreshed people’s hearts.
He is now asking that for himself.
Vs. 21-25
Guzik- Amen: The conclusion of the letter can lead us to ask, “Why is the letter to Philemon in our Bibles?” In A.D. 110, the bishop of Ephesus was named Onesimus, and it could have been this same man. If Onesimus was in his late teens or early twenties when Paul wrote this letter, he would then be about 70 years old in A.D. 110 and that was not an unreasonable age for a bishop in those days.