Paul's Prison Epistles: Paul and PhilemonSample

Paul as Advocate: Philemon 8-10

Because Paul was an apostle of Christ, he had the authority to order Philemon to do the right thing. But instead, he wrote to Philemon in ways that elicited Philemon’s sympathy and concern. 

In this passage Paul spoke as a weak, elderly man in need of help. And to those who are familiar with his strong writing style in other letters, this may seem more than a little unusual. After all, Paul commonly demanded that people respect his authority and submit to his teaching. Was he merely trying to manipulate soft-hearted Philemon? No. This was simply another side of the real Paul that we do not see often in his other letters. Consider the way Paul’s critics in Corinth spoke of this other side of Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:10:

His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing (2 Corinthians 10:10).

Paul’s critics attacked him for presenting himself as forceful in his letters, but humble and unassuming in person. In person, Paul could be quite meek. And this should not surprise us. After all, Paul constantly strove to be like Christ, who also knew when to be forceful and when to be humble. 

Consider Paul’s teaching in Philippians 2:5-8:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who … made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant … he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8).

Jesus Christ, God incarnate, was a strong teacher. But he also humbled himself so far as to let mere creatures subject him to an ignoble criminal’s execution. It was only fitting, then, that his apostle should emulate him in similar ways, having a strong presence at some times, and being needy and mild at others.

Paul didn’t need to trick or manipulate Philemon — he was an apostle. If he had wanted to, he could have demanded Philemon’s obedience. And had he done so, Philemon probably would have complied. But Paul wanted Philemon to respond to this situation with genuine Christian love. So, he appealed to Philemon’s heart, asking him to have compassion on an elderly man in prison and on the newly converted brother in Christ who ministered to him. And it was from this perspective that Paul introduced his advocacy for Onesimus.