4 When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5 because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7 I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.
8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9 yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might 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.
17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Philemon 1-21 is part of the letter of Paul to Philemon. He wrote it from Rome around 62-63 AD, or Caesarea by the Sea around 60 AD, or Ephesus around 52-55 AD. With Paul are Timothy, Onesimus, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.
This short, personal letter of Paul to his friend and fellow believer, Philemon, has generated a surprisingly hefty amount of commentary. Marcus Barth and Helmut Blanke have combined on an extensive commentary (2000). Textual scholars since the first centuries of the church's history have enjoyed studying this epistle. Part of the attraction is that while Philemon is quite brief, the letter is nevertheless the only piece of personal correspondence from Paul that has survived and found its place in the canon. Indeed, the particular and individual nature of Philemon caused some dissent among early church leaders, who wondered if it were not perhaps too personal to be of any great use to the church at large.
Not until St. John Chrysostom suggested a new interpretation of Philemon in the fourth century were all its critics laid to rest. Chrysostom proposed for the first time that Onesimus was a fugitive slave, and that Paul was seeking to aid him in his reconciliation with his master Philemon. Chrysostom found in Philemon an excellent base upon which to set forth his own discussions about slavery and polemicize against those who were using their faith as an excuse to free forcibly Christian slaves from Christian masters. Chrysostom proposed Philemon as evidence that Paul himself sent the fugitive slave Onesimus back to his master, Philemon, despite the Christian faith now shared by them both.
Chrysostom's rendition of this relationship between Philemon and Onesimus has become so entrenched in ecclesiastical tradition that we automatically assume its validity without even searching the text for other clues or other interpretive possibilities. Indeed, acceptance of this version of Philemon has led many other scholars on a series of interesting, but unfounded, conjectures. John Knox suggested the intriguing hypothesis that Philemon returned the slave Onesimus to Paul to serve him in his gospel mission. Then, using linguistic similarities between Paul's letter to Philemon and early church martyr Ignatius' letter to the Ephesians, Knox postulated that Ignatius was revealing that the current bishop of Ephesus, whose name was also Onesimus, was the selfsame Onesimus Paul had sent back to Philemon. The wonderful symmetry and "happy ending" quality to Knox's hypothesis found it favor in both scholarly and popular circles. In Onesimus, Paul has found a spirit and a heart that encourages him and love him just as Philemon himself does. Onesimus is much like Philemon. Paul confesses to Philemon that he wants to keep Onesimus with him so that Onesimus might "be of service to me in your place." Both men are Paul's "encouragers." Onesimus is no runaway slave that Paul is returning to his master but a wayward brother who now returns to his family's household. Paul dares to mention what may well have been the root of any animosity that had grown between Philemon and Onesimus - money. Paul pledges to repay any debts Onesimus had outstanding on Philemon's books. Yet note that there is no evidence any theft occurred. Ultimately, what Paul desires of these two men - both of whom have shown the ability to uplift and encourage Paul in his ministry - is that they now join their gifts together, enabling Paul to 'refresh my heart in Christ."
I think we best understand this letter as an expansion upon the household rules to which Paul and other parts of the New Testament refer. While the rules refer to wives and husbands, parents and children, I will focus upon the portion that refer to the master and slave.
Colossians 3:22-4:1 (NRSV)
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, 24 since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality. 1 Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Ephesians 6:5-9 (NRSV)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; 6 not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7 Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, 8 knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free.
9 And, masters, do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.
I Timothy 6:1-2 (NRSV)
Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them on the ground that they are members of the church; rather they must serve them all the more, since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved.
I Peter 2:18-25 (NRSV)
18 Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. 19 For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Another passage concerning the calling of God is significant as well.
I Corinthians 7:17-24
17 However that may be, let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you. This is my rule in all the churches. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything. 20 Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called. 21 Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever. 22 For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. 24 In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God.
It would be a profound mistake to interpret such statements as saying that the earthly vocation of a person becomes a prison. The point is that this person, with this background, is faithful to the call of God. This context helps us understand why Paul refuses to use his apostolic authority to tell Philemon to free his slave so that he can minister to Paul. The slave was part of the household in the ancient world. Slavery was as much part of the constitution of the ancient household as was husband and wife, parent and child. Some cities may have had as many as one-third to one-half of its population as slaves. The potential for slave revolt was great, many occurring between 140 and 70 BC. The one led by Spartacus in 73-71 BC was the most vigorous and well known to history. Philosophy was little comfort to the slave. Aristotle argued that by nature, some people were born to be masters and others born to be slaves. However, some stoic philosophers argued that by nature, human beings breathed of the same spirit, and were thus equal. Philosophers argued for the humane treatment of slaves, since the slave possessed a soul, as did the master. Further, they argued that all people were children of Zeus, and thus the distinction between slave and free was not valid. The New Testament assumes that Christians will own slaves, as well as be slaves. The open question was the way the Christian would be a master or a slave. From the vantage point of modern life, freedom is always preferable to slavery. However, in the ancient world, the person freed from slavery often did not have means of financial support. For example, the master may free the slave because the master has come upon tough times and can no longer support the slave. Freedom in this context may not lead to a better life. Such practical considerations may explain why the ancient world saw little argument for mass emancipation of slaves.
In the biblical context, God is the one who brings liberation to the Hebrew people from slavery out of Egypt. Such liberation meant that God was now their master. The slave, whether Hebrew or foreign, fell under the covenant, and thus rested on the Sabbath. Further, the Old Testament required humane treatment of all slaves. The only community known to eliminate slavery from it was the Essenes.
Part of the tension within the New Testament is between the cultural reality of the household rules on the one hand and the affirmation of oneness in Christ on the other. Here are the relevant passages.
Galatians 3:27-28
27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
I Corinthians 12:12-13
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Colossians 3:10-11
10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!
Philemon 1-3 is the opening address of the letter. At the outset, Paul reminds Philemon that he is part of a "beloved" community, a community identified by its love for one another. Paul not only identifies Philemon as a companionable friend, but as an equally active co-worker for the cause of Christ with Paul himself. Like Paul, then, Philemon is one who is working to bring the gospel into the world through the testimony of his words and actions. 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother. Paul drops the title of apostle because he has no command to give. Paul is a prisoner. While Paul was in Ephesus, he met Philemon. One wonders how Philemon could have resisted a request from this prisoner. Paul writes to Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, 2 to Apphia (probably Philemon's wife) our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier (Ephaphroditus in Philippians 2:25 is a fellow soldier), and to the church in your house. Three spiritual campaigns took place while Paul was at Ephesus. The house church meets in Colossae. Paul gathers Philemon's peers about him as he reads this letter, further insinuating the communal nature of this communique and its topic. 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We have here a typical Pauline greeting formula, wishing grace and peace to a community. Yet, the first two verses have already firmly established the communal thrust of this letter.
Philemon 4-7 contains the thanksgiving. It introduces the whole letter. Paul begins to focus more clearly on the qualities that will give strength to his carefully crafted argument. 4 When I remember you in my prayers (intercession), I always thank my God 5 because I hear from Epaphras of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. The first thought is Philemon’s love, thereby suggesting his faith from which love springs. Just as Paul had heard about the Colossians, so now he hears about Philemon as one who responded to Epaphras' ministry. His knowledge of Philemon may be indirect. Paul gives love pre-eminence in this listing. He is specifically praising love directed towards fellow Christians. 6 I pray (here we read of the aim of his prayer) that the sharing (κοινωνία) of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. The phrase may mean “sharing in” the Christian faith, or it may mean Christian “fellowship,” or even participating in the “act of sharing.” This "knowledge" involves the complete appropriation of all truth and the identification with God's will. It is the goal of the believer's course. He refers to the entire range of spiritual blessings, the complete cycle of Christian truth. Christ is the goal. This verse is the most obscure verse in the letter. The main point is that Philemon's faith is to show itself active in loving service. As he acts out his faith, he will come closer in his relationship to his Lord. It anticipates the appeal he will soon make. His response to Paul's request will be a test of what Paul has heard.
The kind of koinonia or sharing of the faith of which Paul writes is not a matter of intellectual theorizing or preaching. Such sharing is a demonstration of demonstration of love. We cannot revive faith by argument. However, we can capture the imagination of questioning people by an exhibition of such koinonia, a fellowship so intensely alive that every thoughtful person would respect it. Such a fellowship would be without artificiality and free from the dead of the past. It would be an event of such power and beauty that it would attract attention and potentially persuade. Such a society of genuine love friends would be something priceless and powerful.[1] God calls us into the community. The community of those God has called must bear the cross, struggle, and pray. We are not alone. Even in death, we are one member of the great congregation of the Body of Christ. Rejecting such fellowship or koinonia is also a rejection of the call of God. If we neglect the call into fellowship, we run the risk of perishing in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair.[2] 7I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed(relieved, which suggests suffering will return, the words showing up latter as well in reference to Onesimus) through you, my brother. Here is the motive for the thanksgiving Paul offers. The report of Philemon's generosity has given Paul comfort and joy. Paul cleverly pays tribute to what Philemon has already done. Paul's praise for Philemon here has its basis upon the active nature of his faith. This is a participatory faith, not just feel-good fellowship leading nowhere. Paul emphasizes the cause of his own joy and the "refreshment" or strengthening effect it has had on the Christian community Philemon serves. By the end of this first section of his letter, Paul has thus defined the nature of love that he finds praiseworthy and has credited Philemon with a significant portion of that quality, an active, working, communal love. In these last days of his life, Paul shows us how important encouragement was to him.
Steven Spielberg directed a 1989 movie called "Always." It will be overly sentimental to some. The lead character died in a crash and returned as a ghost. He said to the girl he loved, "I loved you. I should have said the words. I should have told you I loved you because I know now that the love we hold back is the only pain that follows us here." We have such a tendency to minimize the power of words. Words distinguish us from other parts of creation. Words give us the capacity for memory and history, from which we can learn. In fact, words are so much part of our lives that we forget how powerful they are.
Words are only words, of course. We even have sayings like, "Actions speak louder than words." We have sayings like this: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." You might remember this song:
Georgie porgie, puddin’ pie
Kissed the girls to make them cry
When the girls came out to play
Georgie porgie ran away.
I cannot believe how difficult it is for me to say that song, even at my age. I still hate my name when I hear it. Words could hurt then. Words can hurt now. Our words become part of the on-going tension in our relationships with others, whether we express difference with others or seek common ground and friendship. When we play with words, we are not playing an innocent game. At times, it is life and death.[3] Encouragement is important for all of us. We need to offer it. We need to receive it.
Philemon 8-20 contains the request Paul makes of Philemon. 8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you with apostolic authority to do your duty, 9 yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, defining himself in the following way, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Paul makes Philemon aware of his duty as a Christian brother, but Paul will not enforce it. Paul appeals to Philemon "on the basis of love," not authority, even though he has a right to assert his authority. Yet even though the letter now makes it clear that Paul is going to ask a favor, Paul still has a few points to make. He leads up to his request very gradually, taking both verses 8 and 9 to lay more groundwork. Philemon now has four definitive reasons for granting whatever request Paul is about to make. First, he is a Christian, Paul tells him, of active, compassionate love. Second, Paul has spiritual authority over him. Third, Paul is his elder - a quality that engendered respect and compliance at a much greater level than it does today. Fourth, Paul is currently suffering in prison for the sake of the gospel. Each of these alone gives Paul advantage over Philemon's response. Taken all together they certainly form an almost irresistible force. 10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Paul arrives at the statement of the purpose of the letter. He is interceding for the slave. Note the relation of father-child, relation between teacher and student. While it is a reasonable assumption to consider Onesimus a runaway slave for whose pardon Paul is pleading, the text itself never specifies Onesimus as a runaway. German scholar Peter Lampe has suggested a reasonable explanation for Onesimus' presence with Paul in prison. He theorizes that while Onesimus did run away from his master Philemon, we should not consider him a simple fugitive. After examining several other avenues that might have brought Onesimus to Paul's prison cell, Lampe finds the most compelling evidence the possibility that Onesimus ran from an enraged Philemon to seek the calm hand of Paul, his master's friend and spiritual mentor. Thus, Roman authorities had not thrown Onesimus into prison with Paul against his will. His presence in the prison cell was intentional and calculated. Even legal precedents were on Onesimus' side, for if he claimed he ran away from his master to keep him from maiming or even killing him in his rage, Onesimus could argue that he was saving Philemon's investment in slave property by fleeing. In such a case, Roman authorities would not consider Onesimus a runaway. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. Onesimus will be true to his name. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. Note the play on Onesimus' name. He is a changed man. Onesimus accompanied the letter. Whatever the actual circumstances, it is evident that there is considerable tension between Onesimus and Philemon, with the master finding the slave truly "useless." Paul playfully and cleverly uses Onesimus' own name, which means "useful," to demarcate his remarkable transformation - from useless to useful, from pagan to Christian, and from slave to brother. Indeed, the change in Onesimus has been so great that in sending the slave back, Paul claims his own heart returns to Philemon and his church community. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel. Paul assumes Philemon would have liked to do these helpful acts himself. He appeals indirectly to his compassion. Pure self-interest would mean Paul would keep Onesimus. Just as Paul declares Onesimus a fit substitute for his presence with Philemon, he also defines Onesimus now as an adequate stand-in for Philemon himself. 14Nevertheless, I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. He suggests he must show no appearance of constraint. Paul must act out of respect for the law that demanded to return the slave. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might 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. Here is the motive for the decision of Paul. Onesimus has been gone only a brief time, departing from Philemon a reprobate, he returns a saved man. The passage may be divine passive, God being in on Onesimus' leaving so that they could now have a new relationship. Paul claims he is sending Onesimus "back to you." However, he does not indicate here in any way that Onesimus is property -- i.e., a slave of Philemon. Much has been made of Onesimus' presence with Paul, who calls himself here a "prisoner." However, all the scholarly conjecture has assumed Chrysostom's suggestion that Onesimus is a runaway slave. Other than the fact that there is no clear literary evidence to prove Onesimus' house-slave status, there would be almost insurmountable barriers that would separate a fugitive slave (either still on the run or newly captured by the authorities) from an imprisoned Roman citizen like Paul. Even if the two prisoners somehow had connected, how could Paul have guaranteed Onesimus' safe-conduct back to his "master" Philemon? What Paul says is that he is sending Onesimus back to Philemon, but reluctantly. In Onesimus, Paul has found a spirit and a heart that encouraged him and loved him just as Philemon himself does. Onesimus is much like Philemon. Paul confesses to Philemon that he wants to keep Onesimus with him so that Onesimus might "be of service to me in your place." Both men are Paul's "encouragers." In Christ, Onesimus has become a brother. Onesimus is no longer a slave, whether Philemon recognizes it or not. We find here the only mention in the letter of Onesimus as a slave. His new standing as a Christian is all-important. The apostle now suggests that Philemon consider something even more radical - the notion that his slave is now his brother in Christ for all eternity. The whole incongruity between Christianity and slavery rears up at us in this one sentence. Certainly, Paul opens a complex issue here by stressing the kinship and equality that Philemon and Onesimus now hold in common through their adoption into Christ. However, Paul does not go on to recommend that Philemon take any specific course of action. Unlike the next section of his letter (vv.17-20), Paul's intentions here in verses 15-16 remain ambiguous. Onesimus has become a spiritual brother to Paul during this period as a new member of the household of faith. Nevertheless, Paul goes on to state that Onesimus' new status is a cause for even greater joy for Philemon. Onesimus is now a brother to him, "both in the flesh and in the Lord." If we take this statement as it is, we may rightfully conclude that Onesimus is no runaway slave that Paul is returning to his master but a wayward brother who now returns to his family's household. Whatever status he had endured in his brother's house previously -- and as the younger, unlanded sibling, it may have been quite "slave-like" – he is to forget. The love of Christ has redeemed him into full fraternity. 17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. The new status of Onesimus is partly due to his already existing relationship with Paul. 18 If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. Though hypothetical, they represent the actual offence of Onesimus. He probably robbed Philemon and fled to escape punishment. Paul will take responsibility for what Onesimus owes. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Introduction of Paul's name gives it the character of a formal and binding signature. It shows Paul wrote the whole letter in his own hand. Paul was Philemon's spiritual father. Paul has spelled out in verses 17 and 18 exactly what he wants Philemon to do and how Philemon should accomplish it. He wants Philemon to welcome Onesimus back without hesitation, without punishment. To allow the relationship between Philemon and Onesimus to start over with a clean slate, Paul also offers to pay for any "wrongs" Onesimus may have committed against his master's household when he fled. This involves money and/or supplies Onesimus took to facilitate his journey to his intended mediator, Paul. Despite the fact that Onesimus was previously "useless," and then compounded his sins by taking off and deserting his household position, helping himself to his master's goods in the process, Paul insists that Philemon give the slave a carte blanc promise of forgiveness. As a final pinprick to this master's conscience, Paul once again reminds Philemon of his spiritual authority - for he is the one who brought Philemon to Christ, thus truly saving his life. In comparison, Paul's request appears paltry and insignificant, though forgiveness is never an insignificant act. 20 Yes, brother, an entreaty of one brother to another, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.
For many people today in America, the idea of owning another human being is incomprehensible. We can be grateful for the advance we have made in human rights.
Paul met a slave who had run away from his master. Slaves were a common occurrence in the ancient world. The economy of most societies had slavery as an important component. However, this slave that Paul met converted to Christ. The slave became “useful” to Paul. He became a source of encouragement to Paul. However, he was also the slave of a Christian. Paul determines that the proper thing to do was to send the slave back to his master. However, he does so with a provocative personal note. He reminds the owner of the loving nature of the Christian community to which he belongs. He informs him that the slave is no longer just a slave. He is a Christian brother. Paul is sure that the owner of this slave would want to encourage Paul while he is in prison in person. However, his slave has been a source of encouragement in his place. If the slave has left the home of his master because of a financial debt he owed, Paul offers to pay the debt. Of course, the master owes his relationship to Christ to the preaching of Paul, but Paul will not expect repayment on that debt. The point is clear. Paul wants the slave to return to him, providing encouragement and comfort while he is in prison. Paul wants the owner to experience this slave as a brother in Christ, and out of love for God, for the slave, and for Paul, release the slave to continue his service to Paul.
Philemon 21, part of a segment that extends to verse 25, contains the personal and liturgical conclusion. 21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. Paul hints at his apostolic authority here. He expects freedom for the slave. Thus, “even more” may mean freedom. In fact, it would be worth pondering what living a life of doing “even more” might look like in personal life and in the church.
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