At only 355 Greek words, Philemon is the shortest, and arguably most personal, letter Paul penned. Paul makes a passionate plea to Philemon, on behalf of Onesimus. We jump into the middle of the story and leave before there is a resolution, but the purpose is that Paul requests Philemon receive back Onesimus, a runaway slave, as a beloved brother, due to the fact that Onesimus came to faith in Christ. I believe there is a tendency to skip over Philemon because it is short and understood as speaking to the issue and institution of slavery, but it seems there is more to it.

Paul doesn’t prohibit slavery here, but he does, as FF Bruce describes, create an atmosphere where slavery, for a Christian, withers and dies. While slavery is a concern in the letter, the primary issue seems to be mutual love and respect believers are to have for one another. Whereas in many of Paul’s letters he seems to be occupied with right doctrine, here in Philemon, his concern is right relationships. The thread throughout is “Forgive others as Christ has forgiven you” which is found in Eph. 4:32 and Col. 3:13. It is similar to Paul’s warning against lawsuits between believers in 1 Cor 6. The point in 1 Cor. isn’t that Paul is banning lawsuits, but that one Christian ought not take advantage of another Christian in a way that results in a lawsuit. In the same way, here Paul is not simply teaching slavery is wrong (although he does indicated that in 1 Timothy 1:10), but that when a person comes to faith, it changes relationships. At the foot of the Cross there is no longer Jew nor Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, slave or free. Christ is all and is in all. There is an unmatched equality in the body of Christ and it should impact how we behave towards one another.

This short epistle instructs in two additional ways. First, the sacrifice of self-interest promotes unity in the body of Christ and ministry of the Gospel. Each of the main characters in this book denied themselves to some degree. Despite Onesimus proving to be a tremendous asset to him while he was in prison, Paul sent him back to Philemon and offered to pay any of debt Onesimus owed Philemon. Onesimus sacrificed his own self interest, even self preservation, by willingly subjecting himself to return to his owner, with the possibility of receiving harsh, even lethal punishment for running away. Philemon risked financial/ property loss, assuming he acquiesced Paul’s request. Secondly, Paul brilliantly models how to skillfully restore relationships and strengthen the cause of Christ through wise counsel and leadership. He does not use his authority for the purpose of commanding, ordering, or obligating Philemon to do anything. Rather, he appeals to Philemon in love.

Paul asks Philemon to receive back, forgive, and, ultimately, free a someone who had betrayed and hurt him. Paul is willing to pay a debt to Philemon that was not his. Kind of sounds like the Gospel, doesn’t it.

Is there another believer in your life who has hurt you that God is asking you to receive back? Is there a brother or sister in the faith with whom you do not rejoice when blessings come their way? Is God urging you to take a risk for  a fellow Christian who has failed you in the past? Prayerfully consider seeking reconciliation. We serve a God who makes all things new.