A Request Hard to Refuse
As the shortest of Paul's epistles, Philemon appears last among them. Paul's coworker Tychicus served as courier of this "Prison Epistle" and traveling companion of the runaway slave whose conversion to Christianity and return to his master occasions Paul's cover note.
A Request Hard to Refuse
The imprisoned Paul acknowledges his longtime ministerial protege Timothy as coauthor (perhaps secretary) of this very personal letter. Archippus (v 2), addressed in Col. 4:17, is the leader currently in charge of the congregation Colossae where Philemon appears to live and host a house church. Since Paul neither founded the church in Colossae nor visited the town, it seems likely that Philemon encountered him and embraced the Christian faith during Paul's more-than-two-year ministry in Ephesus, some ioo miles west (see the Introduction to Colossians [678]; Acts 19). The opening celebration of Philemon's faith resembles the apostle's joyful praise of the Philippian Christians (vv. 4-7; cf. Phil. 1:3-11).
While a prisoner, Paul has met and converted to Christianity Philemon's runaway slave, Onesimus ("whose father [in the faith] I have become"). Paul wants to retain him as a colleague in ministry and believes he has the apostolic authority to mandate Philemon's compliance (v. 8). But instead he sends Onesimus home and challenges Philemon to take some Christian initiative. Such initia tive involves receiving the returning slave as a spiritual brother on par with Paul himself, when the usual response called for the slave's punishment or even execution. Christian renewal enables the formerly "useless" Onesimus to live up to his name, which means "useful, profitable" (cf. v. ii). By expressing confidence that Philemon will go the extra mile in honoring Paul's "request" (v. 21), the apostle might also be hinting that Philemon lend Onesimus for ministerial service (v. 13) or perhaps set the slave free altogether. That elsewhere Paul assumes the continuation of slavery in his teaching on Christian relationships might argue against the suggestion that he has the liberation of Onesimus in mind (Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:22-4:1; 1 Cor. 7:21-24). Yet the immediacy of the situation with the runaway slave may form the backdrop for the apostle's comments on master-slave relationships in Ephesians and Colossians, probably written contemporaneously with Philemon.
That Paul handwrites this promise to pay any debts Onesimus owes to Philemon makes it all the more difficult for the slaveowner to refuse the apostle's request. The reminder of Philemon's own spiritual indebtedness to Paul (v. 19) and the prospect of hosting the apostle as a houseguest (v 22) increase the pressure. Naming Epaphras, founder of the church in Philemon's hometown and current coworker with the imprisoned apostle, first on his list of well-wishers suggests his endorsement of Paul's request.