THIS is Paul’s shortest letter, and strictly speaking, his only private one. The others, even to individuals, all deal with church questions or doctrine, while Philemon only relates to domestic matters, and was written with his own hand. The occasion of it was as follows: Philemon, apparently a man of some wealth and influence, dwelt at Colosse. He had a slave Onesimus who, after committing some misdemeanor (possibly theft), ran away and eventually arrived at Home. There, during the time of Paul’s first imprisonment, he met Paul, and was brought to repentance and salvation by his instrumentality; probably they were in prison together.
The household at Colossae consisted of Philemon, his wife Apphia (such she is believed to have been), and Archippus, who had already fought the Lord’s bales with Paul (Col, 4:17); here it was that “others” were wont to assemble, and were known as the “church” in Philemon’s house. Paul had aforetime been the means of Philemon’s conversion, and now faraway his slave, who had wronged him, was also by his means changed into “a brother beloved in the Lord,”
But the conversion of Onesimus did not render him less the slave who had duties toward his master, according to the existing laws of that country, where slavery was an everyday matter: and Paul, much as he loved Onesimus, and useful as he had found him in prison, knew that he ought to return to Philon. He sends him, therefore, as the bearer of the touching letter we have before us, and which it would be hard for any one to resist. Though the blood of Christ washes away all and every sin, yet the consequences of sins often remain, and this, no doubt, gave Onesimus an anxious heart as he pursued his long journey from Rome to Phrygia, the province of Asia Minor, in which Colossae was situated. It is possible that Paul had never been there when he wrote, but he evidently cherished the thought of regaining his liberty and visiting the saints there, and asks Philemon to prepare him a lodging. It is believed that Onesimus also carried the Epistle to the Colossians at the same lime (Col. 4:7-127All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: 8Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; 9With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here. 10Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) 11And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. 12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. (Colossians 4:7‑12)); he and Epaphras Were natives of Colossae, “who is one of you” being said of both. A comparison of Colossians 4, and Philemon, has led to the belief that the house of Philemon was at Colossae. We cannot visit it now, because history says that an earthquake destroyed the old town shortly after New Testament times. The epistles to Colossae and Philemon were written from Home about A.D. 61-63.
The name Onesimus means useful or profitable, and Paul alludes to this in writing about him.
Paul’s Roman prison was indeed a place of great blessing. Not only were souls born again there, but many letters issued thence which have been watched over by God to this day for our edification. Probably 2 Timothy was written during a second imprisonment, but we know no details concerning Paul’s liberation, nor ultimate incarceration and death.
ML-06/26/1960