Philemon 18-19 18But if he has wronged you in anything or owes anything, charge it to my account; 19I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it; not to mention to you that you even owe me your own self.
In these verses, Paul extends and amplifies his key request form verse 17. He pre-empts possible objections from Philemon and seeks to smooth the way for Onesimus’ return to Colossae. Verse 18 implies that there was some financial obligation involved and that Onesimus owed Philemon some money. There have been many ideas over the years about what this might have been, such as, Onesimus stole money from Philemon and ran away. This is certainly possible but not clearly stated in this letter. The word anything is broad and could include many things, but the verb owes gives more of a financial nuance to the situation. This financial obligation may have been why Onesimus was reluctant to return. Slaves had few ways of earning money. He would return at the mercy of Philemon. The law would allow punishment, even severe forms and death, for slaves who stole money. If Onesimus indeed ran away with stolen money, that would only make the situation worse and the punishment more severe.
Paul inserts himself into the situation again and writes that he will pay for any damages Onesimus had done. Paul did not have a bank account in Colossae or leave a surplus of money with Philemon. He also probably had few ways of earning money to send back to Colossae because of his imprisonment. At that point, he relied on the generosity of others to care for his needs. Perhaps he hoped he would be freed and allowed to return and could then repay everything. His account was probably more of a spiritual type account, as implied by verse 19. It is unlikely that Philemon could take Paul’s account literally as some form of bank account. There were deeper issues at stake than simply the finances here.
Paul takes up the scribal pen in verse 19 and adds a personal note and signature, basically creating an IOU and promissory note for Philemon. He will compensate Philemon for any loss incurred by Onesimus. Paul sets ups a comparison in this verse between what Onesimus owes–and thus Paul owes–Philemon, and what Philemon owes Paul. Philemon owes Paul his own self. Paul uses a more intense from of the verb owe in this verse (prosopheileis). Philemon owes Paul an even more expensive debt—his very life! The letter does not describe in detail Paul’s past dealings with Philemon. It is possible based on this verse that he was instrumental in Philemon becoming a believer. Philemon had experienced the same transforming power of God in Christ as Onesimus. They were now brothers in the Lord. Paul puts additional pressure on Philemon to accept Onesimus back as a brother and no longer as a slave.
Philemon must have paused at this point in his reading and done some deep thinking about his own life. Perhaps he even shed some tears recalling all that God had done for him. It all came to a focus now with his runaway slave. There are moments like this in all of our lives when we are confronted with the power of grace. We can be channels of this grace in the lives of others, or we can try to keep it quiet and horde it, which will only lessen its power in us. This was a transforming and growth moment for Philemon. Obviously, he came through this trial in a positive way because this letter has been preserved in our canon.
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