Delve Into Luke-Acts & Paul's LettersSample

DAY 16 – PHILEMON

From prison in Rome, Paul sent his friends Tychicus and Onesimus to Asia Minor to deliver the letters we know as Colossians and Ephesians. Tychicus hadn’t ever met the people Paul was writing to, so Paul had to introduce him in these letters. Onesimus was origi­nally from Colossae, and the people there would have known him. Even so, Paul also had to write on his behalf; in fact, he had to write a separate letter for him. This was because Onesimus had been the slave of a wealthy Colossian named Philemon, who hosted the com­munity of Jesus’ followers in his own home. Onesimus had run away, probably robbing Philemon in the process, and had ended up in Rome. There he became a follower of Jesus. He’d been helping Paul in prison, but now he needed him to return to Colossae. Paul hoped that Philemon would not only forgive Onesimus, but welcome him “no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother,” so Onesimus could help serve the churches in that area.

Paul’s brief letter to Philemon stresses the change in Onesimus’s life. His name means “useful” in Greek, and Paul tells Philemon that while Onesimus had formerly been “useless” (a servant he couldn’t count on), he could now be useful to both of them. The letter reminds Philemon how much he owes Paul, since it was Paul’s own coworkers who brought the good news of Jesus to his city. Paul addresses his letter not just to Philemon, but also to Archippus, another leader of the church, and to Apphia (probably Philemon’s wife). He likely hopes that they will help persuade Philemon to do as he is asking. Even so, he doesn’t put Philemon under any obligation. He ultimately appeals to him on the basis of love but also promises to honor the demands of justice by making whatever restitution Philemon requires.

It’s most likely that Paul’s appeal was successful. This letter, and the other two that Onesimus and Tychicus were carrying, would probably not have been preserved otherwise. One tradition says that Onesimus was not only freed to work with the churches, but eventually he became the leader of the large and influential community of believers in Ephesus. In his life, therefore, we have a specific example of the kind of transformation that occurred in thousands of lives as the good news about Jesus spread throughout the Roman Empire.

PRAYER: Cause my love for Your people and my faith in You to grow.