Act 1: The Letter Arrives
While Philemon reads the letter let us look at the characters caught up in this true life or death story.
First there is Philemon. He was a rich man possibly of noble blood or a ruler in the city of Colosse. He is also a slave owner as many others were in the times of the Roman Empire. Philemon had met Paul and had become a believer in Jesus Christ. Now the at Colossian church met in his home every Sunday. Paul was a close personal friend for whom Philemon prayed every day. Many believe that Archippus, was the pastor of the church and perhaps his son and that Apphia was his wife.
Secondly there is Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave, probably captured from Germania, or the British Isles where the Romans were at war during this time. He was taken from his family who were either also slaves somewhere in the Roman empire or more probably killed by the very soldiers who took him and later sold him to the slave traders. He would have been chosen to be a household slave because he showed intelligence and could think. It was that intelligence that allowed Onesimus to escape. After months perhaps years of planning, he runs away taking with him some of his master’s money or goods.
He runs to Rome a city even in 63 AD of one and a half million people. With so many, he could hide forever, a fugitive, a criminal with a price on his head and a death penalty as his judgment. But even the best plans of an intelligent man can go wrong and Onesimus, afraid, probably broke and hungry begins to look for someone to help him. He remembers a man who his master, Philemon had dearly loved, a man who had told him of another kind of freedom than the freedom ran away to find. This man, the apostle Paul, who he knew was in a Roman prison at the order of the emperor Nero
Finally there is Paul, the apostle and author of this letter. Paul is under arrest and constantly guarded by a Roman soldier. He is past 60 now and his body is marked by scars and etched with the pain of a life fully given to God. He is a soldier of the Lord wanting to go to the One he has served so long. Now he sits in the cell and writes letters, the “Prison Epistles” of Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon, still serving the Lord though in heavy cutting chains.
Into his place of bondage one day walks Onesimus, his friend Philemon’s slave now a criminal and fugitive. After hearing Onesimus’ story and leading him to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Paul writes a letter to Philemon. The letter is a plea for forgiveness on behalf of Onesimus based upon Paul’s love and friendship with Philemon.
Act II: The Letter is Read
Philemon reads the letter from Paul delivered by Onesimus.
Paul is asking Philemon to forgive his thieving runaway slave. He says, “I know in the past he may have been useless to you but now he truly lives up to his name Onesimus (useful). Paul’s plea to Philemon is a picture of the working of the Gospel.
The Working of the Gospel
The Love of the Gospel. Vs. 8-10 It uses love not force to convince and to persuade what is right.
The Authority of the Gospel. Vs. 12 It finds a runaway slave and sets him right with his master
The Sacrifice of the Gospel. Vs. 21 It makes a nobleman give up revenge and what is his for the Lord’s service.
When I read Philemon I wonder does the Gospel we preach work the same way?
Does it use love, as its most powerful tool?
Does it have the authority to send runaways back to their master, God and seek His forgiveness?
Does it call for sacrifice? Does it call for the willingness to give up ourselves for the cause of Christ?
Act II: The Letter Works
Ultimately, without Paul ever having ordered Philemon to do anything , Onesimus is freed. According to the letters of Ignatius, a disciple of John, Onesimus was given his freedom and then went back to serve Paul in Rome. He was probably there when Paul was killed by Nero's command. Later according to Ignatius he even pastored the church at Ephesus. Philemon had understood as Paul had meant him to, that you can’t put a brother in Christ in chains nor keep him there. What a great ending to this great story. From slavery, to rebellion, to repentance to freedom and then to slavery once again, but this time as a slave to Jesus Christ serving his flock in Ephesus.
Did you wonder why the Holy Spirit put such a personal letter in the Bible? It is because the role of Paul, Onesimus and Philemon are representative of more than just themselves.
Paul stand as Mediator, the go-between for Onesimus and Philemon. Just as Christ stands as the mediator between Us and God. Onesimus stands as the criminal the runaway, just as we stand before God as sinners and runaways from his ruling over us. Philemon stands in the role of the Master, the rightful owner of Onesimus, just as God stands as our master and the rightful owner of us.
The real life letter and life and death case of Onesimus is a picture of Christ mediating between us and God’s wrath, putting our sin on His own account. Christ forgiveness of us uses the same three appeals of Paul on behalf of Onesimus.
In love he came to this earth and died in our place
In authority he defeated sin and brings us back to God whom we have wronged and turned away from.
In sacrifice he mediates for us and takes the wrath of his father toward us on his own account.
Paul wrote in verse 18 “If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; 18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it:”
The word used for “put that on mine account” is the word Greek word elloguyao means imputed. It is used in 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Christ took the payment or our sin upon Himself and then imputed His righteousness to us. There as he is scourged, there as he is beaten, there as he is spat upon, there as he is crucified, there He is the Son of God, taking the wrath of God, the punishment for our sins on his own account. And God seeing the suffering and death of his Son, and our cry to Him for salvation marks it paid in full! Jesus put our sin on His own account and paid the price with His life’s blood.
In Paul’s words we hear an echo of the heart of Christ pleading for us before His Father. “If he hath wronged thee…,put that on mine account; I, Jesus, have written it with mine blood, I will repay…”
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