Read with Me
Philemon 1-3 (HCSB)
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother:
To Philemon our dear friend and coworker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your home.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Listen with Me
Paul’s letters to the Churches were “occasional letters”, letters written to answer questions or to give instruction or correction. His pastoral epistles were written to specific workers to give guidance and instruction. But this short note to Philemon is different. In it, Paul is interceding for an escaped slave, Onesimus, who he is returning to Philemon, his master.
Paul begins his very personal letter in much the same way that he starts all his letters. A key difference is that, instead of identifying himself as an apostle, as he does in his other “prison epistles” (Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1), he identifies himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. These words would conjure up images of someone who was not only suffering imprisonment in chains for the gospel, but also of someone who is a willing slave of Jesus, even willing to suffer punishment for doing what was right. This, of course starts to foreshadow Onesimus, now a Christian, who is willing to suffer punishment for doing what is right, returning to the master from whom he had fled.
Philemon and his whole family, his wife Apphia and their son Archippus, are addressed not merely as recipients of this letter, but as fellow Christians, coworkers with the most notable apostle of the time. This was not flattery, intended to “butter up” his audience before asking for a huge favor. Instead, it was a deliberate painting of a clear picture. These people really were on the same team as Paul, whether they had ever thought about it that way or not. And as such, they were all pursuing the same goals: growing God’s kingdom while actively living out its values.
Paul next prays God’s grace, His favor and provision, on the whole household. He also prays for peace, shalom, wholeness in every area on the household of Philemon in God’s name and in the name of Jesus.
Pray with Me
Father, there is a lot more going on here than I realized. The subject matter of this letter, literally saving the life of a returning slave who legally deserved the death penalty, or at best a severe beating, was close to Paul’s heart. So, he carefully crafted this letter from the very first words to accomplish his goal: the peaceful restoration of a repentant sinner who had been accepted and forgiven by You through faith in Jesus, and who should thus be accepted and forgiven by those whom he had wronged. This is an important point for all of us to really internalize. If we are to freely and fully forgive even our enemies when they sin against us (Matthew 5:43-48; 6:12, 14-15), how much more should we freely and fully forgive our fellow Christians. Thank you, Lord, for helping me to see this so clearly today. Amen.