On Philemon

Philemon is one of the most neglected books in the New Testament, but it is also one of the most moving. Philemon is a short letter; in the original Greek, it consists of only a few hundred words (335, to be exact). However, it is packed with gospel teaching.

The story behind the letter is quite simple. Onesimus, a slave of Philemon, has run away to Paul; and, in the letter, Paul asks Philemon to forgive Onesimus, who is now prepared to return home, and to receive him as a brother in Christ. Here is the full text of the letter:

1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved and our co-worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church at your house. 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
        4 I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, 5 as I hear of the love and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones, 6 so that your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us that leads to Christ.
        7 For I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the holy ones have been refreshed by you, brother. 8 Therefore, although I have the right to order you to do what is right and proper, 9 I rather urge you out of love, being as I am, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner from Christ Jesus. 10 I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment, 11 who was once useless to you but is now useful to [both] you and me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary. 15 Perhaps this is why he was was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord. 17 So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. 18 And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay. May I not tell you that you owe me your very self. 20 Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
        21 With trust in your compliance I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time prepare a guest room for me, for I hope to be granted to you through your prayers.
        23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as well as Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

What makes this letter so powerful is that Paul embodies Christ's self-sacrificial love, and that he does so in a way which has the potential to restore a badly broken relationship. Paul's self-sacrificial love reminds us of Christ's own self-sacrificial love, and the potential of Paul's love to heal a broken relationship reminds us that Christ's sacrifice on the cross healed so much brokenness in the world. But let's look at the text. Here are vv. 10-12 and 15-16:

I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment, who was once useless to you but is now useful to [both] you and me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 

Perhaps this is why he was was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord.

And here are vv. 17-19:

So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay.

In these verses, Paul declares his love for Onesimus, and he expresses his wish that Philemon forgive Onesimus for running away and receive him again into his home, though not as a slave only, but also as a brother in Christ. In other words, Paul doesn't merely want Philemon to forgive Onesimus for running away and to consider him a member of his household once more - Paul also wants Philemon to accord Onesimus more status, and bestow on him greater love, than Onesimus had before running away. What was basis of this additional status and this greater love that Paul expects Philemon to accord to Onesimus? It is the fact that Onesimus has now become a Christian. As Christ has forgiven Onesimus all his sins, so Paul asks Philemon to forgive him for running away; and, as Christ loves all His children, so Paul asks Philemon to love Onesimus. But running away from one's master was a serious crime in Paul's day, and it cost the master money. Paul doesn't call for Philemon to cancel the debt that Onesimus incurred in running away, and Onesimus certainly can't afford to pay it. Instead, Paul himself offers to pay Onesimus's debt, much as Christ payed our debt. Of course, Paul's offering to pay Onesimus's debt can never compare to Christ's sacrifice. Nonetheless, it is entirely proper that Paul be motivated by Christ's sacrifice to offer to pay Onesimus's debt, even though he was under no obligation to do so. Finally, by offering to pay the debt, Paul provides the necessary grounds for Onesimus and Philemon to be reconciled; again, much as Christ's sacrifice provided the necessary grounds for us to be reconciled with God.

This is a beautiful example of Christian love. In his brotherly love for both Onesimus and Philemon, Paul is an example of the love of Christ. In his self-sacrificial offer to pay Onesimus's debt, Paul is an example of the self-sacrifice of Christ. And, in the potential of this offer to effect reconciliation between Onesimus and Philemon, Paul is an example of the atoning effect of Christ's sacrifice. True Christian love is often self-sacrificial, but it also has the potential to heal some of the brokenness of the world. And all such love is modeled on, and flows from, the love of Christ for us.

The last point is particularly important. Paul's love for Onesimus and Philemon, and his willingness to sacrifice for them, flow directly from the love of Christ. When reading Philemon, one quickly senses that Paul is a man whose entire mental life is pervaded by an awareness of the love of Christ and by the knowledge that Christ has saved him; and, it is obvious that Paul's love for Onesimus and Philemon, as well as his willingness to sacrifice for them, is the natural, organic result of this awareness and this knowledge. In Paul, we see what happens when someone is completely dedicated to Christ. When we surrender ourselves to Christ and accept His loving sacrifice on our behalf, we cannot help but show the love of Christ to others. And this is what the Christian life is all about. We are taught this in the gospels; and, in Philemon, we see it in action in Paul.

There is a lot more that I could say about Philemon, but I will not. It is such a beautiful letter, and its beauty is best revealed through careful study; it would be misguided of me to attempt to analyze every detail, and I wouldn't succeed even if I tried - as many commentators have observed, nearly every verse of Philemon is pregnant with meaning, and it would take a lot of work to unpack even the obvious messages of the letter, to say nothing of the unobvious ones. Suffice it to say that in Philemon Paul shows us a clear, shining example of what Christian love can look like in practice, and that we would do well to study this example carefully.

One last thing. In Philemon, Paul recognizes but does not repudiate the institution of slavery. However, that does not mean that Paul refrains from criticizing slavery, or that the views of Paul or other New Testament writers on slavery are simple. Quite the contrary, they are complex. But this is not the place to enter into a discussion of Pauline (or New Testament) views of slavery.

(These reflections on Philemon were inspired in part by a lecture of N.T. Wright in which Wright discussed Philemon and other letters of Paul.)