Philemon is the third shortest book in the New Testament and being that we are covering the entire book in one shot I will write a little longer than usual. Philemon is probably a man that is wealthy, first because only wealthy people had enough room in their houses to gather multiple people, secondly because he owned a slave. I think it is important to keep in mind that slavery back then was very different to what it used to be as we know it now. According to Benjamin Gladd “In the Greco-Roman world, slaves were granted many rights, such as worshiping, marrying, and making money.” I think it is also worth noting that this book does not condone slavery as we have seen in the very early stages of this country. What we have in this book is a runaway slave and a master who have both been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and what we will see is how the gospel plays a part in that relationship. Some scholars think that Onesimus was either in charge of finances or stole something from Philemon according to (v.18). Onesimus must have done something which caused him to run away from Philemon and he fled to Rome where he came in contact with Paul providentially. It is very possible that Onesimus knew who Paul was and sought him out or Paul knew of Onesimus and called for him. It is not sure but one thing we know is that when Onesimus came to Paul somewhere down the line he got saved (v.10). It seems like once Onesimus was saved he grew immensely very quickly by the way Paul speaks of him. So, what can we glean from this book? Two things.

1. God is a God that is able to reconcile people

When Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon he is encouraging Philemon not to see him only as a slave but as a brother in Christ. The gospel and God’s kingdom transcends any social status, wealth, club, or people group we can have or be a part of. Ephesians 4 teaches us clearly that when we are in Christ, we are one body and one people in the Lord, therefore we should treat each other as being one in the Lord. Even though Philemon might have a right to punish Onesimus when he returns, Paul urges him to take a look that he is not the same person that ran away, but he is born again just like Philemon is. (v.16) “no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” When Paul says this, he is showing Philemon that this slave that ran away is now part of the same family he is in, which means that since God showed him kindness by saving him, Philemon should show kindness to him by forgiving him and treating him as family. Only God is able to restore relationships that are broken through his grace. Only God can help us to truly forgive those who sin against us. Only God can help us extend kindness to others when it seems unfair. That is because God’s kindness has shown us that he has forgiven us of far greater sins we have committed against him. God is able to reconcile two people who have issues with each other, not because of anything in them, but because God’s grace is powerful and able to enable them to forgive.

2. This is a pure picture of the gospel

In (v.18-19) Paul says “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it.” What does this remind you of? There was a debt that we owed to a living God, and there was no way for us to pay that debt. We deserve God’s wrath and justice but instead we have been met with so much grace. Why? Because Jesus is the one who took our charges and put on his account, Jesus is the one who paid for our debt. In this passage Paul is merely doing what was done for him first, that Jesus paid his debt for him. This is such a picture of the gospel that what we owed someone else paid for. The book of Philemon does not only show us that God can reconcile people’s relationships, but that he has reconciled us to himself. Paul grew to love Onesimus so much that he was willing to take on his debt for him. Jesus loved us so much that he took our debt for us. In Philemon we find a vivid picture of the gospel.