Philemon 1:9-12
“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— I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart.”
Reading this story somehow reminded me of my high school yearbook, seeing the names of people who were said to be most likely to succeed. Some people were considered useless. Today, we call them the least, loss, and the last. Useless men and women often find themselves in jail or prison. Once in the justice system, the mindset is to lock them up and throw away the key! But thank God for believers like Paul, who found himself in prison for the case of Christ and showed us the importance of empathy and understanding for those considered ‘useless’ or marginalized.
Paul’s plea to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus is not just a matter of duty or obligation. It’s a heartfelt appeal rooted in empathy and understanding of Onesimus’ situation. It’s worth noting that Philemon’s name means ‘affectionate’ or ‘kind,’ Paul may be highlighting this to encourage Philemon to show these qualities towards Onesimus.
Onesimus was a runaway slave who escaped from his enslaver, Philemon. It is believed that Onesimus fled to Rome and crossed paths with Paul, possibly by chance or even intentionally. Despite Paul being under house arrest in Rome, he was able to lead Onesimus to faith in Jesus Christ.
When Philemon’s slave Onesimus ran away, he became unprofitable to Philemon. However, he had become profitable to Paul and, indirectly, to Philemon (profitable to you and me). It seems that Onesimus became profitable to Paul in some way, perhaps by assisting him during his house arrest. Because Philemon loved Paul, if Onesimus helped Paul, he would also be helping Philemon.
Consider this: Prisons are full of people like Onesimus.
Will you join us in setting the “captives free”?
In His Service,
Dr. Jeffery Parker
