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Bible story · Philemon 1–25
More Than a Servant
Read it yourself in the King James Bible: Philemon 1–25 ↗
“For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?”
Philemon 15–16 (KJV)The Story
Onesimus was a slave who belonged to a Christian man named Philemon. At some point, Onesimus ran away, and it seems he may have taken something with him.
Somehow, he ended up near the apostle Paul, who was in prison. And through Paul, Onesimus came to faith in Jesus. His life changed. Paul came to love him like a son and called him “my very heart.”
But there was unfinished business. Onesimus had wronged Philemon, and Philemon was also Paul’s friend. So Paul did something brave. He sent Onesimus back, carrying a letter.
In the letter, Paul didn’t command Philemon. He appealed to him in love. Onesimus’s name means “useful,” and Paul made a play on words: he was once useless to you, but now he is useful to you and to me.
Paul asked Philemon to welcome Onesimus back “not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved.” And he added, “If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account… I will repay it.”
Reflection
This short letter is a picture of the gospel. Onesimus ran away, owed a debt he couldn’t pay, and deserved punishment. Paul stood in the gap and said, put it on my account.
More Bible stories from Philemon. More about: Forgiveness · Family · Paul
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Day 26 of Book 3
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