Philemon 23-25 23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
This letter follows a typical feature of many of Paul’s letters by providing short greetings at the end. In this case, Paul sends greetings from those with him. Philemon knew some of those with Paul, and he probably knew about others by reputation and the close knit circle of the early churches.
First, he sends greetings from Epaphras who was Paul’s fellow prisoner in Christ. Paul mentions Epaphras twice in Colossians in 1:7 and 4:12. Both times Paul calls him a “slave of Christ.” In 1:7, Paul implies that Epaphras was instrumental in the beginning of the church in Colossae, Philemon’s home town. He taught the people there about God’s grace and the power of the gospel. Verse 8 indicates that he brought Paul news of the spiritual growth of the believers in Colossae. And then in 4:12, Paul mentions that Epaphras as one of the Colossians own people. It is possible that he came from this church. He may have even been sent by the church to check on Paul. Philemon 23 indicates that he had arrived to be with Paul. Paul calls him here his fellow prisoner implying that he had been arrested and was in prison with Paul. Why would Paul call Epaphras this? This description is similar to how Paul called himself in verses 1 and 10 but uses a different word. The word Paul uses for himself can literally mean chained up or bound (desmois). The word used for Epaphras can mean someone who has been captured (synaichmalōtos). It is possible that Epaphras had been imprisoned with Paul, although others with Paul seem to have had their freedom still.
Paul next mentions four fellow workers who were with him. These names are also mentioned in Colossians. Mark (see Colossians 4:10), also known as John Mark, was a travel companion with his cousin Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). He returned to his home in Jerusalem at one point (Acts 13:13), which disappointed Paul and led to a dispute and separation with Barnabas (15:38-39). This letter implies that Mark had returned and had become useful to Paul’s ministry. Paul mentions him again in 2 Timothy 4:11. If these two letters are put together historically, then Mark was with Paul in Rome when Paul wrote this letter to Philemon. Tradition states that Mark was with Peter and recorded Peter’s teachings into what we call the Gospel according to Mark.
Aristarchus (see Colossians 4:10) is mentioned four times in the New Testament (also in Acts 19:29; 27:2). When Paul wrote Colossians, Aristarchus was in prison with this him. Although little is known about him, he was an important early Christian leader who traveled with Paul and served in various ministries. Eventually, his efforts caught the attention of the authorities and he was imprisoned. There is no mention of his release in the New Testament.
Demas (see Colossians 4:14) is also mentioned at the close of 2 Timothy 4:10, indicating he was with Paul in Rome. This adds further evidence that Paul wrote Philemon and Colossians while in his Roman imprisonment. In the 2 Timothy passage, Paul’s comment about Demas could come across as negative because Demas liked comforts and so “deserted” Paul. There is no way to know what happened, but the stress of the situation or perhaps another opportunity compelled him to leave Paul at a point when Paul needed him.
And finally Luke (see Colossians 4:14) was another important travel companion to Paul. In the Colossian letter he is called “the beloved physician.” He joined Paul in some of the missionary journeys indicated in Acts with the so-called “we” passages (16:10–17; 20:5–15; 21:1–8; 27:1–28:16). These passages have led scholars to conclude that Luke wrote Acts which has the same author as the Gospel according to Luke. All of these companions had important ministries in the early church. Paul assumes Philemon will know them or know of them. Mentioned these names in this short, personal letter adds weight and witnesses to Paul’s request.
Each of these person had come to know and witness to the change in Onesimus. They could attest to what Paul asks in this letter. This shows that a lot of people were now watching Philemon. Word would likely spread in the early church of this divine encounter between Paul and Onesimus, and people would want to know how it all turned out. This may have also influenced why this letter was preserved and eventually became part of our canon of Scripture.
Paul ends the letter with a short prayer blessing, asking the Lord Jesus Christ to grant grace to Philemon’s spirit. The possessive pronoun your is plural, indicating that this is a blessing for the whole church that met in Philemon’s home. The word spirit is singular, suggesting that Paul is thinking about the community as a whole. How Philemon responds to this letter would make an impact on his house church. This was not simply a personal matter but a church matter. The perspective and actions of the leader could influence the spiritual well-being of the whole fellowship. What would make the difference in this situation was the grace of Christ. Philemon had experienced this grace and so had Onesimus. The power of grace transforms and changes cultural norms, worldviews, and personal choices.
This letter may be short, but it has powerful and relevant messages for readers today. We see how relationships were important in the early church. People from all walks of life came together into one body of believers where there was neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female (Galatians 3:28). “In Christ” believers become one and support and love one another as if they were caring for themselves. Philemon’s love and faith would grow by a positive response to Paul’s letter. His love and faith could then become an inspiration to other believers. We also see how Paul took the effort to intercede for a slave who was in trouble with his master. We get a glimpse of the personal side of Paul and how he interacted with people. Sometimes he used strong language and force, but he seems to have preferred a spiritual approach of using gentle but also clear rhetoric to convince his readers to make the necessary changes.
This letter leaves us with many historical questions. One of the most significant is what ever happened to Onesimus when he and this letter arrived back home in the Lycus valley. It is obvious that this letter made an impact on Philemon because he preserved it, copied it, and at some point, it was shared with other churches. The early church considered it important enough to accept it as God’s inspired word to the church of all ages. Whatever happened to Onesimus? In his letter To the Ephesians (1:3; 2:1; 6:2; written around 100 AD), Ignatius (35 AD – 108/140 AD), who was the bishop of Syrian Antioch, wrote that a person named Onesimus had become bishop of Ephesus. It is very possible and even likely that this is the same Onesimus who met Paul. God had softened Philemon’s heart and changed Onesimus into a strong Christian leader. We never know how one changed life and influence many others.
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