Overview:
Unlike Paul’s other letters, the letter to Philemon was written to an individual, not to a congregation. It purpose is not to expound theological doctrine, but to deal with an awkward social situation. Philemon, the addressee, owned a slave by the name of Onesimus. Onesimus ran away from his master, became a follower of Paul, and was converted to Christianity. Paul writes the letter to Philemon for the purpose of seeking a reconciliation that would not involve simply returning Onesimus to his master’s service. Philemon is Paul’s shortest letter – so short that it was never even divided into chapters.
v.1 “A prisoner of Christ Jesus,” may refer to an actual imprisonment in the ordinary sense, or may be a metaphorical expression of Paul’s condition as a slave or servant of Christ. Or the phrase could be a play on both those meanings. Paul introduced himself as a “slave of Jesus Christ” in the letter to the Romans. If he means here that he was actually writing the letter to Philemon from prison, then there are three possibilities for the place of origin – Ephesus, Caesarea, and Rome, with Ephesus receiving the majority of support from scholars. Note also Paul’s reference to his “imprisonment” in Philippians 1:7.
v.2 Although this introduction also greets the “congregation in your house,” this could be just a polite expression equivalent to “give my regards to the church in your house,” and not an indication that the letter is intended for their eyes. The content of the letter is clearly addressed to an individual, and not to a group. Of the three individuals named in the greeting, it has long been supposed that Philemon is the one to whom Paul addresses his plea for Onesimus’ freedom. But a case can just as easily be made that Archippus is the one in whose house the church meets, and to whom Paul directs his request. If so, then Colossians 4:17 may refer to this same Archippus and whether he has fulfilled the request implied in Paul’s letter. The name of Philemon, on the other hand, is not otherwise mentioned in any of Paul’s other letters.
v.8 After the obligatory niceties of verses 4-7, Paul now gets down to business. Here he points out that his status in the movement is such that he would have all necessary authority to command Philemon to do what is required in regard to his runaway slave. However, he prefers to persuade, rather than command, and give Philemon an opportunity to do what is right from his own free will.
v.9 Paul refers to himself as “an old man,” but with the addition of a single letter the Greek word would mean “ambassador.” A few ancient manuscripts have this addition, and the RSV follows it in their translation, although the other major English translations do not.
v.10 Paul likes to refer to himself as the “father” to his converts, as he does here. But Jesus taught that his followers should “not call anyone on earth your father, for there is only one father, who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9) Paul also used the image of himself as father to his flock in 1 Corinthians 4:15, and hints at it again in 2 Corinthians 11:2.
v.12 Paul says that he is sending Onesimus back to Philemon, but his clear expectation is that Philemon will renounce any right of ownership, and allow Onesimus to remain with Paul. Paul could not call outright for the freedom of a runaway slave without violating Roman law. “In the ancient world slavery was regarded as a legitimate and necessary segment of the social order, and . . . severe laws punished those who interfered with the rights of slave-owners.” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, 1973 ed., p.1453.) And Paul himself had written that everyone is subject to the governing authorities, because their authority comes from God, and violating the state’s laws is tantamount to opposing God’s own commandments. (Romans 13:1-2) There are a number of additional passages in the New Testament that support the rights of slave owners and which command slaves to be obedient to their masters: Colossians 3:22; Ephesians 6:5; Titus 2:9; 1 Timothy 6:1-2.
v.13 The reference to “imprisonment” here and in v.10 argues for a literal interpretation of Paul’s reference to himself as a “prisoner” in the letter’s introduction. The context in these two instances does not seem to support a metaphorical interpretation.
v.16 Paul suggests that their common faith in Christ unites Philemon and Onesimus in a way that transcends the old master/slave relationship. This echoes Paul’s statement in Galatians 3:28 that for those who have been baptized, “there is neither slave nor free,” but all are sons of God. This comes very close to suggesting that the relationship of master and slave no longer applies among Christians, which, as we have seen, conflicts with Paul’s own teaching that earthly authorities should be obeyed. (See comment to v.12.)
v.17 Paul appeals to his personal relationship with Philemon in urging him to receive Onesimus as he would receive Paul himself.
v.18 From the few details given in the letter, it is not clear what Onesimus may have done to wrong Philemon. Given that Paul avoids saying anything directly in this letter, we may reasonably conclude that the “if” clause of this verse refers to a wrong that has actually occurred. Perhaps Onesimus has stolen something from Philemon, or has caused him to suffer some loss in his business or financial dealings.
v.19 By writing this “with my own hand,” Paul seems to be formalizing his promise to repay Philemon for any wrongs done by Onesimus. The emphasis on Paul’s writing with his own hand puts the matter in terms of a binding obligation between Paul and Philemon. It is not clear what financial resources Paul may have had for compensating Philemon, especially if the damage done by Onesimus was great. Although he sometimes claimed to have supported himself by manual labor during his missionary travels (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 2:9), such labor was not likely to have made him rich. There was apparently some suspicion in Corinth that Paul needed to be watched in the collection of money for the poor of Jerusalem. (See comment to 2 Corinthians 8:18-19.) So perhaps he had no problem getting his hands on money when he needed it.
Or perhaps Paul’s offer to repay any wrongs is merely a formality, which he does not expect Philemon to take advantage of. After all, he pointedly reminds his correspondent, “you owe me your own self,” apparently a reference to Paul’s having converted Philemon himself to Christianity and thus saving him from judgment before God. In comparison to such a service, compensation for a runaway slave seems rather trivial, and Paul may be hoping to shame Philemon into giving up his rights to Onesimus. However, Paul has written elsewhere that salvation is not by any man’s efforts, but is a gift which comes only through the grace of God. (e.g., Romans 3:24; 5:15) If that is the case, then Philemon owes Paul nothing, because Philemon’s salvation was not due to any action on Paul’s part.
v.21 Paul has not come right out and asked Philemon to release Onesimus to him, but he has come as close as possible without actually saying the words. Certainly Paul’s expectation has been made clear, and he has given Philemon ample opportunity to do the right thing of his own free will, without Paul’s having to exercise his authority as an apostle of Christ. The fact that Paul did not go farther in denouncing slavery may be grounds for charging him with hypocrisy, since he did say, as we have seen, that in Christ no one is slave or free (Galatians 3:28), but equal. But see also the comments to v.12.
v.23 The additional individuals who send their greetings are also mentioned as extending greetings to the church at Colossae in the letter to the Colossians (Colossians 4:10-14). Mark and Luke are the individuals to whom the second and third gospels were attributed, according to ancient tradition.