Philemon Study #1

“Asking for a Friend”

Philemon 1-11

Study 1 in Philemon Series

INTRODUCTION:

If you spend much time on social media, you have seen someone post a sarcastic or humorous question followed by the words, “Asking for a friend.” Of course, we all know that this is not a legitimate request for more information but rather is a kind of statement, usually a snarky comment masked as a question.

Paul’s letter to Philemon is the only truly personal epistle that has survived. We know that Paul wrote many letters, some were to local Christian assemblies, some were to believers at large, and some were to individuals. But apart from his letter to Philemon all the other personal epistles were obviously also intended to be shared with the whole church.

Paul wrote this letter to a Christian friend and brother in Colossae after a series of fascinating events that occurred in Rome where Paul was being held prisoner by the Romans. In this letter we hear Paul “asking for a friend,” pleading for mercy for a man he had come to know and to love, but who was also legally connected to his friend, Philemon. It is the story of a triangle relationship, one for which Paul was standing as a mediator, representing both of his friends.

TRANSITION:

This letter breaks down nicely into four (4) sections:

          A. Verses 1-3 = Paul’s greetings to Philemon and his family

          B. Verses 4-9 = Paul’s thanks to God and prayer for Philemon

          C. Verses 10-19 = Paul’s earnest plea for Onesimus

          D. Verses 20-25 = Paul’s final request, greetings, and blessings.

NOTES on the Text:  

Verse1:

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,

·       This letter begins with a typical Pauline greeting and introduction.

·       “Paul, a prisoner” – Paul almost certainly penned this short letter to his friend, Philemon, during his first Roman imprisonment described in Acts 28:30-31.

·       “…and Timothy our brother” – Timothy was with Paul in Rome when he wrote this letter, so his presence was acknowledged.

·       “…a prisoner of Christ Jesus” – Paul did not consider himself to be a prisoner of Rome, of circumstances, or of the Jewish religious leaders who started his legal troubles back in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 23-24). No, Paul was a prisoner of Christ. He saw his imprisonment as the sovereign will of God.

·       “…to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker” – Philemon was a beloved Christian brother living in the city of Colosse, located in Asia Minor. While this is the only place in the New Testament where Philemon is mentioned by name, it is obvious that he was a beloved friend to Paul and a man that Paul held in high esteem.

Verses 2-3:

² and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

·       “…and to Apphia our sister” – Apphia was probably Philemon’s wife, and Archippus was probably his son, although no one can prove this one way or another. Paul’s address to the family members here is unique among Paul’s letters, but it makes sense considering the content of the letter to Philemon. Onesimus, the fugitive slave, would have been well known to all of them. Moreover, Philemon’s wife, Apphia, would have been the supervisor of the household slaves, so the letter concerned her also.

·       “…and to Archippus our fellow soldier” – While Apphia is mentioned nowhere else in Scripture, Archippus is also mentioned in Colossians 4:17 where Paul urged him to “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” He was apparently actively involved in the Gospel ministry in Colossae and Paul regarded him as a valuable fellow worker.

·       “…and to the church in your house” – Just as Lydia hosted the newly formed

Philippian Church in her home (cf. Acts 16), so also Philemon hosted a Colossian congregation in his home. This fact leads us to several conclusions:

o   He was almost certainly wealthy. He owned slaves and servants and must have had a spacious home, adequate for the church to gather.

o   He was gracious and given to hospitality.

o   He was likely involved from the beginning of the ministry in Colossae. First Century Christians had no property of their own for church buildings. Pagans had their temples, Jews had their synagogues, but Christians met in the homes of their members. They would gather into house churches with a “bishop” overseeing the various congregations in the region. This is the way the Church expanded in the early days. They would just keep adding house churches. And these small groups functioned on the micro level as autonomous churches:

§  They had their own leaders who taught the Scriptures and watched over the flock

§  They worshiped together

§  They observed the ordinance of baptism and communion

§  They evangelized friends and family members

Verses 4-7:

⁴ I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; ⁶ and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. ⁷ For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

·       “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers” – Paul prayed often for Philemon, giving thanks to God for him. It would have been a great honor to know that you were on Paul’s daily prayer list. That fact speaks volumes for Philemon.

·       “…because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints” – Paul thanked God for Philemon because of his love and faith, first towards the Lord Jesus and then towards all the saints (i.e., “holy ones” meaning believers).

·       “I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.” – Paul’s prayer for Philemon was that the sharing of his faith would become more and more effective as Philemon understood the work God had done, and was continuing to do in him.

·       “…through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake” – Paul here is reminding Philemon that any good thing he is, or possesses, is from God and is to be used for His sake and for His glory. Paul is starting to lay the groundwork for the request he is going to make on behalf of his friend, Onesimus, by pointing out to Philemon that every good thing that has been given to him has come as a gift from God.

·       “…the fellowship of your faith” – This word “fellowship” is koinonia, which can be translated as communion, communication, fellowship, or sharing. This idea of sharing is the foundation for all effective evangelism: i.e., the overflow of a life touched and transformed by God.

·       “…For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love” – You can sense in these words the genuine fondness that Paul felt toward Philemon. He was not just trying to butter him up.

·        “…because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” – Paul here is remembering how wonderfully Philemon had met not only his needs but the needs of other Christians. Philemon effectively refreshed the hearts of many others.

Verses 8-9:

⁸ Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, ⁹ yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—

·       “Therefore…” – Everything Paul has said up to now is groundwork for the main subject of this letter, i.e., Paul’s advocacy for Onesimus.

·       “…though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper” – I find Paul’s approach somewhat humorous. Paul was a canny old preacher, and he knew how to apply moral leverage. He knew how to use guilt to his advantage. Paul says, “While I could just order you to do this, because I have that authority as an apostle, I have chosen to take another approach, by appealing to you as a dear friend, and as a Christian, not to mention appealing to your conscience about the debt you owe to me personally.”

·       “…to order you to do what is proper” – Paul was not hesitant to command when the situation demanded it (cf. 1 Cor. 5:4-5), but he also wisely knew when to use a softer, more loving approach. There was no doubt in Paul’s mind about what the outcome of this case should be. He was convinced of what would be proper and just regarding Onesimus, but he wanted Philemon to come to this conclusion without coercion or compulsion.  

·       “…yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you” – I think Paul is referring here to the mutual love that he and Philemon shared for one another. Paul certainly had an agenda and something he wanted Philemon to do for him and for Onesimus, but he wanted Philemon to make the right choice on his own, motivated by Christian love, not just because he was doing Paul a favor.

·       “…since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus” – OK, having just said all that stuff, it’s also obvious that Paul is not above playing on Philemon’s sympathies. This is a very Jewish thing to do. It is a truism that Jewish mother’s have mastered the art of guilt-tripping. They are famous for it! Here Paul is just using what his momma taught him many years ago. Paul appealed to Philemon’s sympathies in two ways: (1) by the way he described himself = “I am Paul, the aged one, your old buddy!” and (2) by his circumstances = “And I am a prisoner, locked up in jail, for crying out loud!”

Verses 10-11:

¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, ¹¹ who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.

·       Paul has been pulling out all the stops to prepare Philemon for what salesmen call the “BIG ASK.” Now in verses 10-11 he finally broaches the subject—i.e., Onesimus, Philemon’s run-away slave.

·       “I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus” – Onesimus was an escaped slave from Colossae who had fled from the household of his master, Philemon. It seems that when Onesimus escaped, he fled to Rome and, whether intentionally or not, he somehow met up with Paul.

·       “…for my child, Onesimus” – Paul often spoke of his converts as his “children.” Timothy (1 Cor. 4:17), Titus (Titus 1:4), the Corinthian Christians (1 Cor. 4:14) and the Galatian Christians (Galatians 4:19) were all called Paul’s “children.”

·       “…whom I have begotten in my imprisonment” – Although under house arrest by the Romans, Paul led Onesimus to faith in Jesus Christ (cf. “…whom I have begotten in my imprisonment”).

·       It was logical that Onesimus had escaped to Rome, the biggest city of the Roman Empire, probably thinking that no one would ever recognize him there. Being a huge city, Rome was known for being something of a human cesspool. But what Onesimus didn’t know was that God was pursuing him. Somehow or another at just the right time God brought Paul and Onesimus together and the runaway slave’s life was radically transformed. This was the act of a sovereign, all-knowing God. Miraculously Onesimus had met the man who many scholars believe had led his master, Philemon, to Jesus (cf. Philemon 19).

·       “…who formerly was useless to you” – Here Paul uses a play on words (a pun). The Greek name, Onesimus, means “useful, or profitable.” Paul is saying here, somewhat ironically, before this man met me and met Christ, he was useless to you, despite his name.

·       “…but now is useful both to you and to me.” – But now, since Onesimus met Jesus, he is finally living up to his name! How wonderful! Paul says, “Onesimus is not only useful to God, but he is also useful to me, and hopefully, to you as well.” The runaway slave became unprofitable to Philemon when he escaped, but now he had become profitable to Paul, and by extension, also to Philemon. Paul’s logic runs as follows: Since Philemon loved Paul, if Onesimus helped Paul he was helping Philemon also.

·       One more thing, when Paul spoke of Onesimus being unprofitable and profitable, he made a play on a word, his point being that now that he was a Christian, Onesimus could live up to his name. By making this clear to Philemon, I believe that Paul was gently hinting that he would like to retain the services of Onesimus, although he would not command Philemon to do this.

CONCLUSION:

William Barclay, in his commentary on Philemon said, “It is significant to note that Paul claims that in Christ this formerly useless person has been made useful.” But isn’t that true of all of us? Our value, our worth, our usefulness can only be established in our relationship to God. He is the one who declares our worth; He is the one who determines our value; and He is the only one who can truly measure our usefulness.

Onesimus finally began to live up to his name. Are you living up to your name? The God of Heaven has called you “My son,” or “My daughter.” Are you living up to your name? It’s worth thinking about.