Chapter 14
Philemon
The History:
Onesimus, a solemn, rebellious, resentful slave, runs away to the big city of Rome because, there is less chance of being found. We are not told how, but he met Paul chained to a Roman solder and is converted under Paul’s leading.
Philemon lived in Colossi and had a church in his house. His wife and son and other members of the household were also involved in the Church.
The normal punishment for a runaway slave was automatic crucifixion. However, The slave’s master could ask for clemency, in which case the slave would be branded with the letter F for fugitive on his forehead and returned to the master. Paul chooses a different option, he sent Onesimus back with a letter. This left Onesimus with the chance to disappear again.
The Letter:
Paul has a clear understanding of being born again. It is not for simply praying, ‘I believe, and now I am saved forever’. From his Damascus road experience, Paul had learned conversion meant facing the past, deciding to change, calling on the name of Jesus to facilitate that change in the heart, and repairing whatever you can from the past. Paul is often reminding his readers to remember the past, ‘Such were some of you’, is a phrase that comes to mind. The first fruit from conversion is often, ‘I will repay double of all I cheated from them’,
As the way of God is, ‘It just so happened’, Paul knew the slave owner. And the save owner ‘just so happened’, to be a Christian that, ‘owed Paul one’.
You can’t run from your past, you must face it. Repentance is putting the past right not starting new. What you can put right is covered by the fruit of repentance. What you cannot put right is covered by the account of Jesus.
Artful Paul writes Three things. He offers to cover any loss, He reminds Philemon he too has debts, and he points out his temporary loss was an investment because Onesimus could now live up to his name which means ‘useful’.
If you look at it ethically, Paul didn’t speak against slavery but changed the nature of it from inside. Paul lists slave traders as those who will not get into heaven in Timothy. But he could do nothing about it himself.
If you look at it spiritual it is a picture of our salvation we ran from God and Jesus covered the cost, writing a name in a book to square it on Judgement day.
