ONESIMUS
The short book, Philemon, in the Bible is a letter written by Paul to Philemon, and primarily revolves around his runaway slave, Onesimus. And while Paul makes Onesimus the theme of the letter, several transcendent truths about the gospel come through.
Regeneration: The gospel of Christ regenerates people. Onesimus came into contact with Paul and when the gospel was shared with him, he became a believer in salvation through Christ. Paul calls him his son and asks Philemon to accept him now as a brother in the Lord. Despite its heterogeneity, the singular message of the Bible from start to finish is God’s love for mankind, ultimately manifested in the cross, where Jesus gave himself for us, and in doing so regenerates us from death to eternal life.
Transformation: The gospel has the remarkable ability to transform people beyond belief. Onesimus means ‘useful’ or ‘beneficial’. This was not an uncommon name for a slave to have. Yet, Paul refers to how he was once useless to his master, because he had abandoned him. But now after finding Christ, he became a transformed person. Paul talks of how Onesimus, his spiritual son, gave himself to serving Paul when he was in prison, as he struggled the infirmities of old age. Paul says, “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me” (v11). And in the transformation, Onesimus discovered his purpose, fulfilling his calling and becoming in a different way true to his original name.
Forgiveness: One of the most difficult things for man to do is to forgive. Here Paul appeals to Philemon to forgive Onesimus. Thankfully, slavery is now a punishable offense. However, in those times, slavery was acceptable and abandonment by a slave was a punishable offense. Paul therefore asks Philemon to go beyond justice and not only forgive Onesimus, but to receive him back, not as a slave but as a brother. Undoubtedly, this would have caused a stir in Philemon’s circle and also would have likely made him the butt of jokes. Forgiveness is costly, yet that is the way of the cross.
Sacrifice: The life of a believer is one of sacrifice. Paul while asking Philemon to receive Onesimus back, also empathizes with him. He offers to pay back anything that Onesimus would have owed Philemon. Paul reminds Philemon of the sacrifices that Paul made to facilitate the life-giving gospel being shared with him that eventually made it possible for him to saved. Paul also talks of his chains and his ongoing sacrifice to honor God, asking Philemon to emulate him.
Philemon is indeed a manifestation of the revolutionary love that was initially demonstrated by Jesus, and now is evident in the labor of Paul as he seeks to bring reconciliation between two men who were both very dear to him. It is believed that Onesimus not only changed from slave to brother, but went on to become the Bishop of Ephesus and is venerated as a saint by some Christian traditions.
