SURVEY OF PHILEMON

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Text
PHILEMON 10-14
10

I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:

11

Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

12

Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:

13

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in
the bonds of the gospel:
14

But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity,
but willingly.

Overview
Life is filled with relationshipsHusbands and wives, Parents and children, employers and
employees, government and citizens, and many more. In all those cases, relationships can be
either good or bad. It all depends on our experience in those relationships and how those
relationships are nurtured or neglected by each party. The Bible has numerous things to say on
how to nurture these relationships and in each case, the responsibility is on the believer
regardless of their position or role in the relationship.
The first step in reconciling any relationship is forgiveness. No matter how hard it may seem,
no matter what the offence may have been, we are instructed by Christ to forgive. For if ye
forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not
men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
The second step is recognizing that no matter what our role or position may be in a
relationship, in Christ, there is always equality and therefore, as Christians, we should always
seek Christian unity. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of
you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there
is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Galatians 3:26-28)
Finally, while there are roles, positions and sometimes barriers in these relationships, some of
which are defined biblically, we need to recognize that all humans deserve the same love, respect
and dignity that we want for ourselves. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also
to them likewise.

Lesson Theme

Philemon was a man of wealth. He was hospitable and known as a man of faith. However, he had
a slave named Onesimus who evidently had stolen his property and run away. Paul wrote
Philemon to let him know that Onesimus had been transformed by the power of the gospel and
that Philemon should forgive Onesimus allow Christ to transform their relationship from one that
was merely master and slave to one that is now brother and brother.

Lesson Objectives
1. To show those in authority that you do not always have to pull rank to get your way.
Try to use respect as the supreme power of persuasion.
2. To demonstrate that while there are barriers, positions and roles in relationships that
ensure those relationships work, God has broken down those barriers creating true
equality in Christ.
3. To encourage Christians to take the first step in healing damaged relationships
forgiveness.

Teaching Outline
Introduction
I. Pauls Praise of Philemon
A. Philemon was a faithful man. (v4-6)
B. Philemon was a friendly man. (v7)
II. Pauls Petition for Onesimus
A. A request of Philemon. (v8-9)
B. The recognition of Philemons ownership. (v10-14)
C. A renewed relationship. (v15-17)
D. The repayment of Onesimus debt. (v18-19)
Conclusion

SURVEY OF PHILEMON

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Text
PHILEMON 10-14
10

I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:

11

Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

12

Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:

13

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in
the bonds of the gospel:
14

But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity,
but willingly.

Introduction
Two men are walking down a dusty road. They approach the ancient city of Colossae. They
have been on the road for almost four days. Before that, they had spent weeks aboard a ship from
Rome to Ephesus. They stopped for a short while to deliver a letter to the church in Ephesus, but
now they press on. Having been on the road for four days, one of the men, Tychicus is likely
ready for a rest.
The other man is apprehensive as they approach the Merchants Gate. Its difficult to even
put one foot in front of the other. But he forces himself, struggling with fear, maybe dread of
walking through that gate and he fights the urge to turn and run all the way back to Rome. For
this second man, a return to Colossae is a homecoming of sorts. Just a few years ago, he ran
away. He didnt just run, he stole his masters property before he ran away.
The mans name was Onesimus and he was a runaway slave. His master was Philemon.
Onesimus now returns a Christian and a disciple of Paul and he carries with him, a letter from
Paul for Philemon.
Imagine the conflict this man must be going through! Under Roman law, a master could have
a slave put to death for even attempting to run away. But Onesimus not only ran away, but was
also guilty of theft. What judgment he must have feared awaited him.
A 17th Century physician and political philosopher named John Lock in his Second Treatise
on Government wrote, To understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we
must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order

their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of
the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man.
The subject of slavery is a difficult one especially as it has been outlawed in the United States
and rightfully so. But the Bible talks about slavery in a very different way than we often think of
slavery. A study of slavery in light of the Bible is definitely a study unto itself, but suffice it to
say that slaves under biblical regulations were treated much better than slaves in any other
society in history. Consider:

A person could not be kidnapped and forced into slavery. (Ex 21:16)
The term of slavery was limited to six years. (Ex 21:1-4)
Slaves received wages. (Deut 15:12-18)
Slaves could themselves own other slaves. (2 Sam 9:10)
Slaves could not be resold. They were either redeemed, fulfilled their term or were let go
free. (Ex 21:8)

So you see, the Bible regulates slavery in a much different way than we often think of
slavery. The Bible also uses the term bondservant interchangeably with slave. A modern word
that we could utilize to understand biblical slavery is indentured servitude. In fact, when the
biblical concept of slavery is understoodessentially a contractually binding agreementwe
can see there are many parallels to biblical slavery in modern America. The military for example:
A person signs a contract that obligates them to a certain number of years. The military member
must fulfill this obligation and there are very few circumstances under which a member of the
military can legally break the contract such as injuries or medical diagnoses that make it
impossible to carry out military duties or buying back the contract. The military may also at its
discretion break the contract because they dont have spots in the specialty they guaranteed the
service member, they are overmanned in a specific specialty overall, and many other reasons.
If you dont think that the military is like indentured servitude, ask your military friends what
would happen if they tried to put in their two weeks notice when there are still more than two
years left on the contract, or just quit. Having spent 20 years on active duty in the military
(voluntarily) I can tell you that the outcome wont be pretty.
It is important to deal with the issue of slavery because it is a central subject in Pauls letter
to Philemon. As we launch into this survey of Pauls letter to Philemon here is a passage to keep
in mind:
LEVITICUS 25:39-41
39
And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee;
thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
40
But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve
thee unto the year of jubile.
41
And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall
return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
42
For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they
shall not be sold as bondmen.
If one were to purchase his own brother into slavery, this law prevented treating him as other
slaves, but rather as a guest or servant.

But while a biblical understanding of slavery is important, the themes of the letter to
Philemon are forgiveness, human dignity, mutual respect, and the ability of Christ to transform
lives and relationships.

Background
PHILEMON 1-3
1

Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved,
and fellowlabourer,
2

And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:

Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul likely met Philemon on his third missionary journey in about AD57 while he was in
Ephesus and led him to the Lord. Philemon was a man of means, he owned slaves and his house
was the meeting place for the Colossian church.
Paul wrote the letter to Philemon while he was imprisoned in Rome which was sometime
between AD60 and AD65. It was also during this time that he wrote Ephesians and Colossians.
In the letter to the Ephesians, we see that Paul had Tychicus deliver the letter. Pauls letter to the
Colossians names Tychicus as the deliverer of the letter and it also names Onesimus in
Colossians 4:9 as being with Tychicus. Since Ephesus is a port city on the way to Colossae, one
can infer that Onesimus was probably with Tychicus in delivering that letter as well. Paul likely
made special mention of Onesimus in Colossians in consideration of the special circumstances
regarding his return to Colossae.
Who is Onesimus? you might well ask. He is the subject of the letter to Philemon.
Onesimus was one of Philemons slaves. He had run away from Philemon and stolen something
from him. Eventually he made his way to Rome, likely to hide in the massive population of
Rome. While he was there, he met the apostle Paul who led him to the Lord. Onesimus probably
explained his situation to Paul and he wrote the letter to hopefully reconcile Onesimus to his
master, Philemon.
Verse 1 lists Timothy as being part of the authorship of this letter. After the first verse,
however, we can clearly see that it is Paul addressing Philemon. It is likely that Paul, under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, dictated the letter and Timothy wrote it down.
Paul addresses his letter not only to Philemon, but also to Apphia and Archippus. Apphia is a
womans name and she is named before Archippus which means she is probably Philemons wife
and Archippus is most likely their son.
While the letter is primarily to Philemon, Paul also addresses his letter to the church in thy
house. As was already mentioned, the Colossian church met in Philemons house. We tend to
think of churches as buildings, but the church is the people in the building. I have attended
churches in just about every situation. I attended one church that first met in an apartment, then a
storefront, then the cafeteria at a factory and then later moved to another familys apartment.
Many people want to go to a church that is already established so they wont have to work as

hard. We must remember Christs simple formula for what constitutes a church: For where two
or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).
If we had to worship in the first century, we might be forced to worship in caves like the
Cappadocians or in garbage dumps like the church in Smyrna.

I.

Pauls Praise of Philemon

PHILEMON 4-7
4

I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,

Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;

That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good
thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
7

For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed
by thee, brother.
Pauls letters usually follow a formal five part format. This letter on the other hand is an
intimate letter to a friend and follows that informal style. However Paul, being brought up in the
Roman world uses an approach suggested by Greek and Roman rhetoricians. After his salutation,
Paul begins his letter by praising Philemon. There are two things we can learn from Pauls praise
of Philemon.

A. Philemon was a faithful man. (vv. 4-6)

Philemons faith was well known in the Colossae. The reports of his love and faith had
reached all the way to Rome to Pauls ears. Paul wanted to commend Philemon for his faith.
Philemon had great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and was faithful to serve Him. He was also
faithful to serve his brothers and sisters in Christ.
The word communication in verse six is the Greek word koinonia (). Koinonia does
not just mean communication. It also means fellowship, generosity, and sharing. Philemons
communicated his faith by telling others, by inviting people into his home, and by being
generous. His faith influenced every part of his life. Paul prayed that the fact that his faith was so
well known would have a positive impact on the overall reputation of the church.
We need to have Philemons attitude and Pauls recognition that how we display our faith can
reflect on the entire church. If we are negative or mean spirited and people know we are
Christians, how will the world then perceive the church? Especially if we are the only Christian a
person comes in contact with.

B. Philemon was a Friendly man. (v.7)

Philemons koinonia faith made him a very hospitable man. Paul was so moved by the news
of Philemons generosity and love toward all Christians that he himself felt joy and consolation
more than 1000 miles away, under house arrest with a Roman guard chained to him 24 hours a
day.
Philemon opened not just his home, but his heart and his wallet, if you will. Philemon had
ministered to the Church in such a way that Christians felt refreshed. The idea here is that they
were soothed and encouraged. Philemon had a way of just putting people at ease.
Philemons hospitality was known even outside the Colossian church. Paul said in verse five
that Philemons love and faith was toward all saints. Evidently, somewhere along the line,
Philemon had taken in a stranger or two or twelve or maybe more.
HEBREWS 13:2
2

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have

entertained angels unawares.
We have a responsibility to be hospitable, not just to the brothers and sisters we know, but
also to the brothers and sisters we dont know.
ACTS 2:44
44

And all that believed were together and held everything in

common.
The early church didnt keep back all their wealth to themselves. Certainly rich Christians
enjoyed the fruits of their labor, but their doors were open to all their brethren whoever they
might be. When we are hospitable, it means that we should do it without any expectation of
thanks, although we should be thankful when people show hospitality to us. We should also be
hospitable knowing that someone may try taking advantage of us. There is always risk in
obeying the Lord. The scripture in 2 Timothy 3:12 is very clear that all that will live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Luckily, I have missed that bullet, but hospitality can also lead to hurt even when it is not
intended.

Illustration
In the book Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell relates the story of how he survived during and
after a Taliban attack. On June 28th, 2005, four US Navy SEALs were on a mission in
Afghanistan, searching for a notorious al-Qaeda terrorist leader hiding in a Taliban stronghold.
As the battle ensued, three of the SEALs were killed, and the fourth, Marcus Luttrell was
blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade and blown over a cliff. Severely injured, he spent the
next four days fighting off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, and then crawled

for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked
everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.
They took Luttrell back to their village, where the law of hospitality, considered strictly
non-negotiable, took hold. They were committed to defend me against the Taliban, Luttrell
wrote, until there was no one left alive.1
The Law of Hospitality is very strong in Middle Eastern culture, and has been that way for
many millennia. It prompted Abraham in Genesis 18 to offer food and drink to his three visitors,
the Lord and two angels. It is what prompted Lot in the next chapter to protect the two angels in
his home in Sodom from the men who wanted to rape them. While Lots idea of how to protect
them is appalling to ushe offered his daughters to the crowd insteadthe point is that the Law
of Hospitality is so strong that it even supersedes the obligation to protect ones own family.
Philemon lived in Asia Minor, so the traditions were a little different, but Paul was a Jew and
would have compared Philemons hospitality to the hospitality he knew as a Middle Easterner.
Philemons hospitality was worthy of praise.
How about our hospitality? As I was writing this, I came under some conviction about my
own habits of hospitality. There was a time when I invited complete strangers into my home in
order to minister to them. I have had ex-cons and Christians in my home. I have had College
students and the friends of my kids spend the night. I even hosted a father and daughter from
Honduras who were in the US to sell traditional arts and crafts. I wonder if my hospitality has
waned a bit.

II.

Pauls Petition for Onesimus

PHILEMON 8-20
8

Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,

Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a
prisoner of Jesus Christ.
10

I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:

11

Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

12

Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:

13

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in
the bonds of the gospel:
14

But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity,
but willingly.
1 Luttrell, Marcus with Patrick Robinson. Lone Survivor. New York, NY: Little, Brown
and Company 2007

15

For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;

16

Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much
more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
17

If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.

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: albeit I do not say to thee how thou
owest unto me even thine own self besides.
20

Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.

Onesimus was Philemons slave. He had not fulfilled the indenture he had agreed to or had
been subjected to. Either way, he had committed a crime that under Roman law made him guilty
of death. Philemon could have put Onesimus to death.
Paul began his letter by building rapport, but now, he moves on to an appeal to Philemon to
grant mercy to Onesimus..

A. A request of Philemon. (v8-9)

Paul was an apostle. As such, he had authority over the believers. We see that in the other
epistles where he gives orders to the believers.
1 CORINTHIANS 7:10
And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not
the wife depart from her husband:
2 THESSALONIANS 3:4
And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do
and will do the things which we command you.
2 THESSALONIANS 3:6
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that
walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of
us.
2 THESSALONIANS 3:12
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus
Christ, that with quietness they work , and eat their own bread.
1 TIMOTHY 4:11
These things command and teach .

Paul could very well have given an order to Philemon and says as much. The word translated
bold in verse 8 is the Greek word (parresian) which means frankness or openness.
Paul is essentially saying, Let me be frank. I could have given you an order.
Instead, he makes a simple request as a friend, for loves sake. He proves his love in the
type of request he makes. He beseeches.
Now in English, the word beseech sounds like Paul is begging. But Paul does not feel the
need to lower himself to that level. Instead, the request he makes is as an equal. Again, we really
have to go to the Greek to see this. The Greek word is (parakalo) and it means alongside calling. Paul does not lord his position over Philemon and neither does he grovel. He
makes a request of a friend and equal.
In leadership, we do not always have to appeal to our position. There are a lot of different
styles of leadershippacesetting, authoritative, affilliative, coaching, coercive, and democratic.
Each kind of leadership has its time and place. If you use the wrong kind of leadership style, you
can lose followers, respect or even lose productivity. Paul, as an apostle could have used the
coercive style of leadership (do what I tell you), but instead chose to use the affilliative style
(the people come first style). Paul applied the Golden Rule.
LUKE 6:31
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them
likewise.

B. The recognition of Philemons ownership. (v10-14)

Paul had somehow met Onesimus while he was imprisoned in Rome and led him to a saving
relationship with Christ (begotten in my bonds v10). Onesimus had become a faithful friend
and servant of Christ. Paul wanted to keep him around. But when Paul found out that Onesimus
had run away from Philemon, Paul realized that Onesimus must return to Philemon. Paul also
realized that he needed to intercede on Onesimus behalf because while even though Philemon
was a good man, there was also a chance that Philemon would follow Roman law and have
Onesimus executed.
The name Onesimus means profitable or useful. Paul uses a play on words to show Philemon
that he understands why he would be disappointed in Onesimus, but that Onesimus has changed.
Paul says that he understands that Onesimus was unprofitable (literally useless) to Philemon, but
his change has made him profitable (literally useful) to both Philemon and Paul.
When a person becomes a Christian, they often bring a lot of baggage with them into their
relationship with Christ. While salvation is an immediate event, sanctification takes a lifetime.
But if a person becomes a Christian, while they may not change completely overnight, some
change should be seen in their life. Christ said, by their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew
7:20). We should be different and people should see that we are different. Do people see a
difference in you?
Paul has convinced Onesimus to return to Philemon. When Paul says in verse12, that is,
mine own bowels, he is talking about a sincere desire. The Greek word translated bowels,
(splangchna) literally means internal organs especially the stomach and intestines.
That might seem strange to us. We might use a dynamic equivalence and say heart. Think

about when you have a strong desire, you might say like Paul did in Romans 11, my hearts
desire, but there Paul actually used the Greek word heart. It was a desire.
This desire went beyond the desire he had for his own Jewish people. It was deep seated.
Think about it. When you are fearful about something, you dont just feel it in your heart, you
feel it, as we say, in the pit of your stomach. Thats what Paul is saying. This is a deep, sincere
desire out of genuine concern out of love for the wellbeing of Onesimus.
Even though Paul was sure that Philemon was a good enough man not to kill Onesimus, he
was still so concerned about sending Onesimus back that he thought about keeping him in Rome.
Paul says, Whom I would have retained with me. It could have been a blessing both to Paul
and to Philemon to keep Onesimus in Rome. He says that Onesimus could have ministered to
Paul in thy stead (v13). In Roman and Greek culture there was the idea of a divine emissary.
This is a servant who represents their master in such a way that it was as if their master was
actually there. Historically when a divine emissary does something in his masters name, the
master gets credit and when these actions are recorded, it is as if the master actually did what the
servant did. It may not make sense or even seem fair to us, but it helps us to understand history a
little better when there are apparent contradictions that indicate a historical figure was in more
than one place at a time.
A good example of this from the Bible would John 19:1.
John 19:1
Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scouged him.
Now we know Pilate did not actually do the scourging, but he gets the credit. It also helps us
understand other supposed contradictions such as that found in Matthew 8 and Luke 7 when the
Centurions servant is healed. In Matthew 8, it says the Centurion came personally to Jesus and
asked him to heal his servant, but then in Luke 7 it says that the Centurion sent the elders of
Capernaum. Matthew and Luke would have both understood the idea of the divine emissary, so
while Luke was more precise, there is no contradiction.
Pauls point is that Philemon would have gotten the credit for Onesimus work. Again, that
does not seem fair, but in the work of the Kingdom of God, we should be less concerned about
who gets credit for what as to whether or not the work of Gods Kingdom is actually getting
done. Gods going to get all the glory anyway so we should not really concern ourselves with the
credit.

Illustration
A few weeks back, there was some controversy over an NBA basketball player who revealed
that he was homosexual. Many people came out to say just how courageous he was. Retired
Colonel and former Congressman Allen West said, a true measure of courage would be if he
decided to come out of the closet in a place like Iraq. He then went on to tell about a person that
he felt demonstrated real courageArmy Sergeant 1st Class Greg Robinson.
On the same day the NBA star came out Sergeant Robinson was completing Army Air
Assault School. You may wonder whats so amazing about that. You would even be right in
pointing out that people pass that school all the time and it has never been news before. All that
is true.
First of all, most people do not even attempt to serve their country (please understand, I am
not judging). Of those that do serve their country in the US Army, few try out for Airborne

training. Of those that try out, many do not qualify. Of those that qualify, many do not complete
the training. A person who completes Army Air Assault School is truly one of the elite in the
modern military.
But Sergeant Robinson is even more special. You see, he is the first amputee to complete to
ever complete this training. In fact, he proved that he was tougher than his prosthetic leg as he
broke it twice during training, but the training didnt break him.
He never asked for the credit or the accolades. In fact, if somebody else hadnt pointed it out,
you probably never would have heard about Sergeant 1st Class Greg Robinson. He never even
asked for the credit.

Quote
Its amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets
the credit.
~Harry S Truman~
In verse 14, we see that Paul recognized that there is no right way to do the wrong thing.
Onesimus belonged to Philemon. So, Paul was not going to make any decision without
Philemons permission. Paul also repeats that he did not want to appeal to his authority, but
rather to Philemons good will and that he would willingly allow Onesimus to serve.

C. A renewed relationship. (v15-17)

Paul has already informed Philemon that Onesimus has become a Christian. Because of the
limitations of translating from Greek to English, no translation can really do this verse 15 justice.
In the King James Version, the verse says perhaps as if to say maybe this was the reason. But
the reality is the Greek verb is conjugated in such a way as to help us know that God was always
working behind this situation.
ROMANS 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Now Paul tells Philemon that Onesimus is coming back, not just as a servant, but as a
brother. Notice Paul does not say Onesimus is no longer Philemons property. Instead, he says
Onesimus is now his brother and needs to be received as such. Perhaps Paul had the Old
Testament Law in mind when he wrote this. If a person bought his own family as slaves, the
relationship was to be entirely different.
LEVITICUS 25:39-41
39
And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee;
thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
40
But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve
thee unto the year of jubile.

41

And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall
return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
42
For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they
shall not be sold as bondmen.
The whole relationship dynamic changed. Paul once again uses the idea of the divine
emissary when he tells Philemon, he should receive Onesimus as if he was receiving the Apostle
Paul himself.

D. The repayment of Onesimus debt. (v18-20)

Finally, Paul promises to pay off Onesimus debt to Philemon. If Philemon was reading this
letter, he would have seen the handwriting change. Remember, Paul was likely dictating to
Timothy. But now, Paul says, you can charge to my account whatever Onesimus owes you, I
Paul have written it with mine own hand.
Onesimus had probably take quite a bit from Philemon. He had gotten out of Colassae,
probably arranged passage from Ephesus to Rome and was living in Rome for some time before
he met Paul. Maybe Onesimus found work in that time, but it would have taken quite a bit to get
that far.
Paul expects Philemon to forgive Onesimus even that debt. While he offers to pay Philemon
whatever Onesimus owes, Paul reminds Philemon of the debt that Philemon owes Paul.
Evidently Philemon was converted under Pauls ministry during one of his missionary journeys.
He ends his request with the closest thing to a command that you will find in this letter. He says,
Refresh my bowels in the Lord. He saying, Do the right thing and put me at peace.

Conclusion
In the ending verses, Paul tells Philemon that he knows that he will go above and beyond
what he has asked on Onesimus behalf. He even asks that Philemon prepare a room for Paul
because he expects God to deliver him from Roman house arrest.
While neither scripture or history tells us what happened to Paul after his arrest in Rome,
tradition says that Paul was martyred in Rome and indeed, recent archaeological excavations in
2009 in Rome seem to bear this out.
But our story does not end here. We see a couple of things in Pauls closing that are important
in this study of the letter to Philemon. Incidentally we see that Paul was not the only person
under house arrest. There was also a man under arrest named Epaphras. He is only mentioned in
Colossians and Philemon, but evidently he was under house arrest for preaching the gospel.
More importantly Paul ends this letter by giving us a wonderful example of what he is
requesting Philemon to do. In verse 24, the very first name mentioned is Marcus. That is the
Latin spelling of Mark, the author of the gospel of Mark, but more importantly, the same Mark
that Paul had a falling out with in Acts 15.
ACTS 15:37-40
37
Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.

38

But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had
withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to
the work.
39
And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated
from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to
Cyprus,
40
but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended
by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
Paul and Mark had such a falling out that they could not even be in each others presence.
They had to separate and it even caused a separation between Paul and Barnabas who had been
such good friends and effective ministry partners. But Paul and Mark had been reconciled and
now, they were fellowlabourers. What a change Christ can make if believers are willing to
forgive.
For a Christian, there is no relationship where forgiveness and reconciliation are impossible.
Sometimes divisions are allowed because God has a purpose in it. We need to recognize that
good can come from these falling outs, but only if we are willing to apologize, forgive and be
reconciled.
What about us? Is there someone that perhaps you are mad at? Maybe you are holding a
grudge. Maybe you are having a fight or are separated from a loved onea parent or spouse. It is
important that you seek their forgiveness and be reconciled. They may not forgive or be
reconciled to you, but God will not bless you until you seek restoration.
Now as we end our study of Philemon, it leaves a lot of questions about Philemon and
Onesimus. What happened to them?
Where scripture and history leaves little clue as to what happened to Paul and many of the
other apostles, the same is not true with Onesimus. History tells us that he was freed by
Philemon. His faithfulness as a Christian was so well recognized that he eventually became the
pastor of the church at Ephesus and was later martyred for his faith during the reign of the
Roman Emperor Trajan.