Day 323: Philemon 1–10

I, Paul, as an elderly man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus, appeal to you for my child, whom I fathered while in chains—Onesimus (vv. 9–10).

In the last years of the apostle’s life, four out of five of his letters were written to individuals rather than to bodies of believers. One of these was addressed to Philemon, a believer from Colosse whom Paul probably met while ministering in a nearby city. Quite possibly Paul had been the one who had personally introduced Philemon to the Savior. They developed a friendship, and Paul saw Philemon become an active worker for the gospel. Philemon must have been a wealthy man to own a home large enough to serve as a meeting place for the church (see v. 2) as well as being a slave owner.

At some time in the intervening years, one of these slaves—Onesimus—had run away, apparently stealing from Philemon in the process. And by the providence of God, he had found himself in Rome, where he met Paul. We have no way of knowing for certain, but perhaps while he was on the run, Onesimus may have stolen again and been incarcerated with Paul. Either way, imagine how strange their meeting must have been once they realized they both knew Philemon. You can be sure their meeting wasn’t a coincidence. God had ordained the fugitive slave to have a heart-to-heart collision with the most well-known slave of grace in all Christendom. Paul told him about Christ, and the runaway slave became a brother. Then Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with the letter that bears his name.

I am a hopeless romantic. I hate conflict, and I love happy endings. Of all the encounters we’ve studied, the conflict between Paul and Barnabas was one of the most difficult. I had grown to love the partnership between them so much. My heart ached over their disagreement about John Mark. Twelve years after that event, Paul was placed under house arrest in Rome. Now we see Mark with him once again (see v. 24).

You may be wondering why I am focusing on Paul and Mark when this letter is so obviously about Paul and Onesimus. I think Mark may have been Paul’s inspiration for seeking restoration between Philemon and Onesimus. A dozen years earlier Paul had been hard and unyielding. But time heals and, if we’re the least bit cooperative, it matures us. Sometimes we live and learn. Perhaps he had since learned a more excellent way.