Christ in Philemon -- Our Redeemer Who Paid Our Debt

Paul wrote his note to Philemon at about the same time he wrote the letter we call the book of Colossians, about 60 – 61 A.D.  As a matter of fact, he may have sent the two letters together since Philemon lived in Colossae.  But the note to Philemon was intended just for him and the church that met at his home, not necessarily for all the Christians in that city.  Philemon must have been a wealthy man since his home was large enough for the followers of Christ to gather there for worship, and since he was a slave-owner.

Slavery was commonplace in those days, not just in Rome and Colossae, but all over the known world.  Jesus even spoke about slavery as a fact of life, neither condoning nor denouncing it. (See Matthew 18:21-25, the parable of the unforgiving debtor; Luke 12:42-47, the parable of the faithful servant and the foolish servant.)  It was accepted, and even expected, that runaway slaves were to be harshly punished if they were found and brought back to their owners.  Under Roman law, slaves were not considered to be human, but were property, without any civil rights at all.  They were completely subject to the whims of their masters who could sell them, give them away, beat them, and even kill them.  Even though Jesus didn’t condemn slavery, he did teach that all people are equal in the sight of God, whether slave or free, male or female, Jew or Gentile.  This was a revolutionary idea in the culture of that day and age.

It was out of that teaching that Paul wrote this letter to Philemon.  For you see, Philemon had a slave named Onesimus.  Onesimus ran away, perhaps even stealing from Philemon to finance his getaway.  He made his way to Rome where he met the Apostle Paul.  Whether that was by the providence of God or whether Onesimus had met Paul when he was teaching in Colossae we do not know, and it has no bearing on the lesson God wants us to learn.  No matter how their paths crossed, they did.  Onesimus heard Paul’s preaching while he was in Rome and became a believer in Jesus Christ.  Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with the note, asking Philemon to show mercy to his slave.  That required a lot of faith on the part of Onesimus, since Philemon had every right as a Roman citizen to punish him severely.  It also showed a lot of faith on the part of Paul who trusted Philemon to do the right thing according to what he had been taught as a follower of Christ.

As I read this short note, only 25 verses in all, I couldn’t help but think of how Paul’s pleading on behalf of Onesimus parallels the way Jesus Christ’s sacrifice pleads to God on our behalf.  Consider the following points:

• Paul asked Philemon to be kind to Onesimus, rather than demanding it.  Jesus asks us to come to Him; He does not impose His will on us:

That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me (v. 8-9a).

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends (Revelation 3:20).”

• Onesimus sinned against Philemon, his master, by running away and perhaps by stealing from him.  We have all sinned against God:

Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past (v. 11a).

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard (Romans 3:23).

• Paul was willing to pay for any loss that Philemon may have incurred because of the behavior of Onesimus.  Jesus paid for our sin by dying on the cross in our place:

If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me (v. 18).

He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world (1 John 2:2).

• When Onesimus became a follower of Christ, he became a brother of Paul and of Philemon.  When we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, we become brothers with Him:

He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord (v. 16).

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11).

• The relationship that was once broken between Philemon and Onesimus was restored.  Our relationship that was once broken with God due to sin is restored when we trust Jesus:

So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me (v. 17).

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you (Galatians 3:28-29).

• Paul looked forward to returning to Colossae one day and asked Philemon to prepare a room for him.  Jesus is coming again and He wants us to be prepared for His return:

One more thing—please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon (v. 22).

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected (Matthew 24:42-44).” 

My prayer for you and for me this week is that we would treat our brothers and sisters – whoever they are and whatever they have done to us – in the way that Paul was asking Philemon to receive his brother, the slave, Onesimus.  My prayer is adapted from verse 6 of Philemon:

Heavenly Father,
I am praying that (we) will put into action the generosity that comes from (our) faith as (we) understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Amen.

All scripture references are from the New Living Translation.