Paul's Prison Epistles: Paul and PhilemonSample

Onesimus’ Petition: Colossians 4:12-13

During this time, Paul was in prison. It is most likely that he was imprisoned in Rome, although it is also possible that he was in Caesarea Maritima. But whether he was in Rome or Caesarea Maritima, he was quite a long way from Colosse where Philemon lived.

According to some scholars, this distance was too great for Onesimus to have sought out Paul as an advocate or mediator. As a result, they conclude that Onesimus was seeking to start a new life far from Philemon and encountered Paul only accidentally.

Now, we should admit that Scripture does not tell us what Onesimus was thinking when he fled from Philemon, nor does it tell us how he came to meet Paul in prison. Nevertheless, it does provide some details suggesting that Onesimus sought out Paul as his advocate.

For one thing, Onesimus went to the city where Paul was imprisoned. And he should have known full well that Paul resided there because the church at Colosse had sponsored Epaphras’ mission to care for Paul in prison. We read about this in Colossians 4:12-13 where Paul wrote these words:

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12-13).

Since Onesimus was from Colosse, and since his master Philemon was a prominent member of that church, Onesimus probably knew where Paul was. And with this knowledge, Onesimus chose that same city as his destination.

Besides this, once in the city, Onesimus pursued a meeting with Paul. Paul was imprisoned under house arrest so that he could not move about freely. It’s hard to imagine, then, that Onesimus could have run into him accidentally. It’s most likely that Onesimus went to Paul on purpose.

Finally, Paul wrote to Philemon only after Onesimus had endeared himself to Paul. In Paul’s letter to Philemon, he indicated that he had converted Onesimus to Christianity, and that Onesimus had ministered to Paul in prison. In other words, Paul defended Onesimus only after Onesimus had proven himself to Paul. Since Onesimus stayed with Paul long enough to secure his advocacy, it suggests he had fully intended to seek Paul’s help in his situation.