Paul began this letter by introducing himself and Timothy, by naming the recipients, and by wishing them God's grace and peace. He did so to clarify these essential matters and to set the tone for his following remarks.
v. 1 Paul described himself simply as a prisoner of Jesus Christ's. He was in prison because he served Christ.
"As himself the Lord's bondsman he will plead for another bondsman whose story is the burden of this letter. In begging mercy for this bondsman he points to his own bonds. No less than six times in this brief letter does Paul make reference to his imprisonment (vv. 1, 9, 10, 13, 22, 23)."6
"He is not asking for a measure of sacrifice from Philemon, as one who knows nothing of sacrifice. He has forfeited his freedom for Christ's sake and so has a ground for appealing. This is a principle involved in any true pastoral work. The pastor can only appeal to his people for self-sacrifice and discipline if he himself knows the meaning of discipline in his own life. Otherwise his call is empty and lifeless."7
Paul probably did not refer to his apostleship because of the personal nature of the appeal contained in this epistle. Philemon undoubtedly knew Timothy by reputation if not personally. The mention of his name implies that Timothy agreed with Paul concerning what follows in the letter. Philemon's name does not appear elsewhere in Scripture.
v. 2 Apphia was evidently a family member, probably Philemon's wife. Paul may have addressed her specifically because normally the wife had day-to-day responsibility for the household slaves.8
Archippus may have been their son, or perhaps Philemon's physical brother, or his friend. He seems to have been old enough to be responsible for some kind of ministry (Col. 4:17). He may very well have been the leading man in the church that met in Philemon's house. Paul also addressed the letter to the other Christians meeting with Philemon's family in their Colossian home (Col. 4:17).
"Christian congregations were dependent upon the hospitality of wealthy members who could furnish their own houses for this purpose. This note then contains an indication of the social status of Philemon. In a large city there would be several such assemblies. (Cf. Rom. 16:5, 10, 11, 14, 15.) Whether the church at Colossae had more than one place of assembly is not known. Probably they did."9
v. 3 Paul's benediction is the same as the one in the Colossian epistle except that he added the name of the Lord Jesus Christ here (cf. Col. 1:2). Perhaps Paul intended that this addition would remind the recipients (plural "you"in Greek) of their union in Christ and God's grace to them in Christ.
Paul commended Philemon for the fruit of the Spirit that Philemon permitted the Spirit to manifest in his life. He also prayed that it would continue to abound to encourage Philemon to respond to the request that follows in a manner consistent with God's will.
vv. 4-5 "When Paul states he gave thanks continually' he means that he did not forget Philemon in his regular prayers . . ."10
"Again we should not regard this as mere literary flourish . . . . Paul must have had an extensive prayer list and presumably spent some time each day naming before God all his churches, colleagues, and supporters. This would help maintain and strengthen the sense of a faith shared with all the saints' (5-6)."11
Whenever Paul remembered Philemon in prayer he gave thanks for him. Evidently his testimony had been consistently honoring to the Lord. The basis of this thanksgiving was Philemon's love and faith. Reports of these qualities had undoubtedly reached Paul through Epaphras (Col. 1:7-8) and probably others as well. The objects of Philemon's love and faith were "all the saints"and "the Lord Jesus"(v. 5) respectively. The Greek construction is chiastic (cf. Eph. 1:15; Col. 1:4). That is, the first and fourth elements in verse 5 go together as do the second and third. This construction emphasizes the unity of the entire thought: love for the saints grows out of faith in Christ.
v. 6 We should probably understand Paul's prayer request for Philemon to be that his sharing with others, which was an outgrowth of his faith, would become even more energetic (cf. Phil. 1:5; 2 Cor. 8:4). Paul would give him an opportunity shortly. This interpretation includes another possible interpretation, namely that Christ might be increasingly visible through his life. As Philemon's appreciation of God's grace toward him grew he should have wanted to demonstrate more grace toward others in his interpersonal relationships.12Paul had in mind Onesimus particularly.
"In the present context epignosis["knowledge"] conveys both the ideas of understanding and experience. The apostle's prayer was not simply that Philemon might understand or appreciate the treasures that belonged to him, but that he might also experience them."13
v. 7 Paul experienced much joy and comfort as he heard of Philemon's love. The Greek word translated "hearts"(splagchna) designates total personality at the deepest level.14Philemon had already demonstrated the kind of behavior that Paul was going to call on him to manifest again. Paul's request would test his response. However, Paul was confident of Philemon's cooperation. He appealed to him from the same authority level, as a "brother"(cf. v. 2 where Paul called Apphia a "sister").
"Paul must have put Philemon in a precarious position indeed. In pleading for forgiveness and restitution for Onesimus without a punishment that was obvious to all, he was confronting the social and economic order head on. While he does not ask for manumission, even his request for clemency for Onesimus and hint of his assignment to Paul defied Roman tradition. By this plea Paul is also giving new dignity to the slave class."15
Paul appealed to Philemon to receive Onesimus back and to forgive him. He did this to enable Onesimus to fulfill his obligations to Philemon and to encourage Philemon to benefit from Onesimus' conversion rather than to be stumbled by it.
v. 22 Paul expected release from his house arrest in Rome soon (cf. Acts 23:29; 24:13; 25:25-27; 26:31-32; Phil. 2:24). This happened, but we have no record that Paul did or did not fulfill his desire to visit Philemon. The prospect of this visit would have motivated Philemon further to accept Onesimus. Paul believed the prayers of the Christians in Philemon's church could result in his being released.
"Paul held that prayer had an objective as well as a subjective value. He believed in prayer as a mighty working force in the spiritual universe. As such he sought and valued the prayers of others on his behalf, and he himself faithfully exercised such intercession for the saints."45
vv. 23-24 Epaphras was the evangelist of the Lycus Valley and a leading man in the church at Colossae, probably the leading pastor (Col. 1:7). He was probably not in prison with Paul (Col. 1:8; cf. 4:10). "Fellow-prisoner"is more likely a figurative expression referring to the Christian's spiritual warfare. Paul mentioned his other four companions in Colossians 4:10 and 14.
v. 25 The final benediction is typical of Paul. The "your"is plural in the Greek text and refers to the whole church in Philemon's house. This is the only occurrence of pneuma("spirit") in the epistle, and it clearly refers to the human spirit.
What happened as a result of this letter? Did Philemon forgive Onesimus? We have no direct record of his response to this letter. However the fact that Philemon preserved this epistle and allowed it to circulate among the churches strongly suggests that he did behave as Paul had requested. According to Christian tradition Onesimus later became bishop of Ephesus.46
Paul's bringing pressures of various kinds to bear on Philemon to respond as he requested while verbally appealing in humble terms has created problems for some students of this epistle. Was Paul being manipulative? Was he guilty of emotional blackmail? I do not think so. It would have been obvious to Philemon, as it is to us, that Paul definitely wanted a certain response to this letter. Nevertheless it would have been equally clear that Paul was making his appeal on the basis of love rather than apostolic authority.
"Those who see in Paul's earlier appeal a form of emotional manipulation should also acknowledge here [in v. 14] that Paul in effect confesses his vulnerability and complete dependence on Philemon's goodwill. In the social relationships of a church existing in an unequal society there is a particular responsibility on the part of the powerful to act toward others in a spirit of goodness rather than standing on their rights."47
It is not inconsistent with love to motivate by pointing out obligations, opportunities, and consequences.48
