Philemon 10-12 10I appeal to you in behalf of my child, whom I have begotten in chains, Onesimus, 11who formerly was useless to you but now is useful both to you and to me, 12whom I am sending him back to you, this one is my deep affection.
Paul finally comes to the point of the letter in verse 10. Paul’s appeal is indirect with unstated assumptions. His appeal begins in verse 10 and is more explicit in verse 13. The key person who is the focus of this appeal is now introduced, although his name comes last in the Greek sentence. These verses give several descriptions of Onesimus that show the close bond that had developed between him and Paul. These build up Onesimus and create a new portrait of him for Philemon. This letter serves as Paul’s verification and endorsement of these changes.
In the first description, Paul calls Onesimus his child. The verb I have begotten implies that Paul was his spiritual father and led him to faith in Christ. It is possible that Paul had met Onesimus at a visit to Philemon’s house in the past during his long stay in Ephesus, which was not far away from Colossae, but there is no clear evidence of that. Paul was imprisoned when he “gave birth” spiritually to Onesimus. If Paul was in Rome at this time, which is a strong possibility, then Onesimus had gone a long ways from Colossae. The questions about Paul’s location and how he Onesimus are some of the more difficult parts of history to reconcile.
Second, Onesimus had become useful for Paul in his imprisonment. Paul does not say how Onesimus was useful, but there are many ways he could have assisted Paul. Prison was difficult for many situations. Having assistance would have prolonged Paul’s life. There is a wordplay in verse 11 with Onesimus’ name, which means “profitable” or “useful.” There is no indicator how Onesimus was useless to Philemon, but the traditional interpretation is that Onesimus had run away from his master, and thereby, had become useless to him. He was now useless from a human perspective. But now as a believer in the same Savior as Paul and Philemon, he had become useful in a spiritual way. He had become a brother and fellow minister of the gospel. This changed everything about the relationship of Philemon, the master, and Onesimus, the slave.
Third, Onesimus had now become significant to Paul. He had worked his way into Paul’s deepest affections and now had a special place in his life. Deep affection (splangchna) describes the compassion and love one feels deep within. It is related to the word for “bowels” or “visceral.” Paul felt strongly about this new believer. It could only be by the grace of God that a slave of someone Paul knew from far away could ever cross paths with the great missionary apostle.
Fourth, Paul reveals his plan of sending Onesimus back home to Philemon. This was the risky part because Philemon would have all the legal right to punish Onesimus, even severely, if indeed he had run away. The questions is, how would Philemon deal with this situation? What would he reaction be? Paul wants him to have the response of love and acceptance. The relationship had changed from master/slave to brother/brother. Paul has already hailed Philemon for the two key attributes of faith and love. Now Philemon would face a test of these in his response to Onesimus’ return.
For older posts, click here.