Philemon is a super-short, one sitting, under ten-minute read. It's a very practical demonstration of reconciliation and peace-making in the body of Christ.
There are three people to consider.
The Apostle Paul, the author of the letter. Paul was a prisoner in Rome.
Philemon, the recipient of the letter. The church in Colossae met at his house. His wife and son were also devout Christians.
Onesimus, Philemon's runaway slave, who had stolen a large sum of money before he ran away.
Paul led Onesimus to the Lord and sent him back to his master with this letter. We shouldn't interpret this as an endorsement of slavery or an obligation to return slaves to their masters. Slavery was a social and political reality in Roman times. Paul was advocating the restoration of the relationship between these men who were now brothers in Christ.
Philemon was within his legal rights to have Onesimus put to death. Paul urged him as a friend, brother and mentor to act with grace rather than assert his rights under the law. Consider the following as you read.
- List what you learn from the text about each of these men.
- What is Paul's tone in the letter? What does that tell you about the role of a peacemaker?
- Have you ever been in Philemon's position – wronged and facing a decision on how to receive the one responsible? How did you respond?
- How is Onesimus like all believers?
- BONUS: I think Paul's passionate intercession on behalf of Onesimus comes from his own experience with John Mark. He mentions Mark in v. 24 here. Read Acts 12:25, 13:13, 15:36-40, 2 Timothy 4:11 to get a timeline of the relationship between them.
Paula Wiseman says
Thanks Katie! It’s a neat little letter I really learned to appreciate while I worked on Contingency. 🙂
Katie McAleece says
I’ve honestly never looked at Philemon in this way before. I love a to-the-point study like this, that quickly opens your eyes to details of scripture that you weren’t aware of. Awesome post!