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Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Group Study
Thread: Slavery and the Bible
Post Topic: The New Testament’s Runaway Slave
Post in Thread: #1
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Scripture: Philemon 1:4-22
Key Verses:
Philemon 1:8-11
8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
Note – This story is divided into 2 sections in order to keep with the Burning Bush Blog’s pledge to produce less-demanding studies. But there is no right or wrong pace. Use in whatever manner works for you and your group. Also, if you are time-constrained, feel free to pick and choose discussion questions.
Part 1 – Philemon’s Perspective
Key Verses:
Philemon 1:15-16a
15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.
Observations
Context
The year is approximately 62 AD. Paul has been arrested and taken to Rome as a prisoner. It is later in his career as a missionary. He has traveled around the Roman empire, preaching the gospel, and establishing churches.
Missionaries sprang up from this cities and went outward, spreading the Gospel around the region to other places like Colossae (has different spellings), where a house church was started and led by a man named Philemon.
Paul was imprisoned in Rome (NW corner of map). He was writing to Philemon, back in Collasae.
The Greeting
This begins as what seems like a very personal, warm letter from Paul to his good friend Philemon. Paul gives thanks for Philemon, and tells him how much Philemon means to him and keeps him going, even during times of turmoil.
Philemon’s got to be feeling good at this point.
The Plea
Starting in verse 8, the tone changes, as Paul reveals his relationship with Philemon’s runaway slave.
- Paul begins by saying that his plea to Philemon is based in love, not in authority.
- Paul reveals that he met Onesimus while in chains, as a prisoner of Christ, and that Onesimus was converted to Christianity as a result of this interaction.
- Paul declares that Onesimus had lost his usefulness to Philemon, but now, as a brother in Christ, is very useful to both Paul and Philemon.
- Paul expresses his love for Onesimus, now a brother in Christ, telling Philemon how dear the man is to him.
- Paul also explained that he sent Onesimus, Philemon’s property under Roman slavery laws, back to Philemon.
- He tells Philemon to welcom Onesimus as if it were Paul himself.
- He also tells Philemon to forgive any of Onesimus’s debts, and charge those debts to Paul’s account.
- Finally, he states that he’s confident Philemon will do as Paul requests.
Discussion
- What do you know about slavery laws under the Roman empire? How did they compare to slavery in early America?
- In verse 19, Paul says that Philemon owes Paul his very life. Do you think this means that Philemon was converted to Christ under Paul’s tutelage?
- Before Philemon’s conversion, do you think he regarded Onesimus as his property—as a lesser human?
- How about after his conversion? This is speculation…
- Consider the structure of Paul’s plea to Philemon. He mixes logic with appeals to emotion and brotherhood. What can we learn from how Paul wrote this letter?
- Have any of you ever had to write an email or letter of intercession like this?
Interpretation
Setting
Paul wrote the letter from a Roman prison. Some speculate that Onesimus had been captured and met Paul in prison. Others speculate that he had known of Paul from Paul’s missionary visit to the region of Colossae (although Paul never specifically visited this city), and decided to run away and appeal to Paul directly.
Takeaways
We’ll speak more about Onesimus in Part II. For now, we’re focused more on Paul and Philemon.
- We don’t know why Onesimus decided to run away, but clearly Philemon had not seen fit to free him after conversion to Christianity.
- This must have been a poor testimony to Onesimus.
- The sin against Philemon:
- It’s possible Philemon had paid a great deal of money to acquire Onesimus as his slave, so he would have lost financially when Onesimus left.
- Verse 18 (If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me) implies that it was even worse than running away. Perhaps there was a debt, or perhaps Onesimus stole from Philemon to afford his trip to Rome.
- Because slavery was commonplace in the empire, Philemon probably had been justifying his ownership of another human.
- If Paul felt the need to give such an impassioned plea on behalf of Onesimus, Philemon’s grudge must have been great indeed.
- Philemon’s relationship with Paul:
- For some reason Paul says that Philemon owes Paul his very life. Perhaps Philemon had met Paul somewhere, or one of Paul’s students, and had been converted because of it.
- The two of them had become close somehow, even if was mainly by correspondence.
- What Paul was asking of Philemon:
- Forgiveness for Onesimus’s wrongs.
- To view Onesimus as a fellow man and a brother in Christ. As an equal.
- To receive Onesimus the same way he’d receive Paul.
- End Onesimus’s status as a slave.
Imagine
Intercession
Philemon open the door and stood there flabbergasted. On a knee, bowing his head with a letter in his hand, was the runaway Onesimus.
The nerve of this guy! Showing up here unannounced. What, life on the run wasn’t so good? Not as easy as you thought it would be to support yourself, is it! I showed you kindness, cared for you when you were sick, paid off that debt you had, gave you responsibility… you had it better than any slave I know! Just because I became a follower of Jesus, you thought I should let you go? After all I’d invested in you? Couldn’t you see the change in me? Didn’t I treat you better? And you repay me by stealing my silver and disappearing?
Suddenly, Philemon recognized the seal on the letter. Paul. The Paul. Wordlessly, he snatched it out of Onesimus’s hand.
Philemon scanned the letter. The beginning calmed his spirit. He recalled the time he met Paul. The business trip to Laodicea. He’d stayed in the town an extra week, soaking in all he could about the Jewish Messiah. And now, a personal letter from Paul himself? His heart warmed, even as a tiny voice warned him that that something else was coming. Something harder.
And so it did. Paul wanted him to accept Onesimus as a fellow believer. To charge his debts to Paul—no, Philemon could never do that. He’d have to forgive the debts instead. And there it was—to forgive Onesimus himself.
Philemon let the letter flutter to the ground. This wasn’t going to be easy. But it couldn’t have been easy for Onesimus to have returned here either.
Discussion
- Review the list of what Paul was asking of Philemon. Given the views of the day on slavery, which of these would have been the most difficult?
- Forgiving Onesimus.
- Viewing Onesimus as a fellow man and a brother in Christ. As an equal.
- Receiving Onesimus the same way he’d receive Paul.
- Giving Onesimus his freedom.
- Paul was not calling out Rome for the sin of slavery in this letter. But what was he saying about the practice to Philemon?
- Was this letter more about slavery, or something else?
Correlation
- Ephesians 6:9 – Instructs masters to treat their slaves with respect and the love of Christ. Their true master is in heaven, and he is the master of both the slave and the slave owner.
- I Timothy 6:1-2 – Instructs slaves to respect their masters, especially if their masters are believers. The end of the verse assumes that the masters are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.
Discussion
- These and other teachings of Paul don’t call for masters to set their slaves free (although he did ask Philemon to do so). But it does insist that respect and devotion to the welfare of the slaves is shown.
- How can we square this with modern views on slavery?
- If a non-believer challenges you about this, how would you answer?
- Deeper study for those who have time:
- Are there laws or traditions today that are not biblical that we have to live under? How should we handle this as a believer?
Application
Generic Applications
Slavery is evil. No man should be another man’s property. Our true master is God in heaven. Yet Paul didn’t attempt to abolish the institution of slavery.
Paul’s instructions to Philemon are about the heart. He wanted Philemon to have a change of heart about how he regarded Onesimus, and he wanted Philemon to forgive the wrongs that had been committed against him.
Group Discussion
Slavery is no longer a legal institution in most civilizations, thank God. But are there other areas in life where we don’t regard others as having equal value?
- Boss-employee relationship at work?
- Citizen vs non-citizen?
- Church leader vs new Christian vs non-believer?
- Other?
At work, how should we maintain the proper relationship with a subordinate while exemplifying Christ?
Personalize it
- Is there someone who has wronged me who I need to forgive?
- Recall a time you’ve forgiven someone. What did that moment do for you? Was it freeing?
Group Discussion
- What happens to us when we hold a grudge for an extended period of time?
- Did Philemon need to be freed from something? Was his bondage just as crippling as Onesimus’s?
Part 2 – Onesimus’s Perspective
Key Verses:
Philemon 1:10-12
I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you.
Observations
Context
The year is approximately 62 AD. Paul has been arrested and taken to Rome as a prisoner. It is later in his career as a missionary. He has traveled around the Roman empire, preaching the gospel, and establishing churches.
Missionaries sprang up from this cities and went outward, spreading the Gospel around the region to other places like Colossae (has different spellings), where a house church was started and led by a man named Philemon.
Paul was imprisoned in Rome (NW corner of map). He was writing to Philemon, back in Collasae.
The Plea
Paul is writing to Philemon about a runaway slave of his named Onesimus.
- Paul reveals that he met Onesimus while in chains, as a prisoner of Christ.
- Paul says Onesimus became his son. In other words, Onesimus converted to Christianity as a result of this interaction.
- Paul declares that Onesimus had lost his usefulness to Philemon, but now, as a brother in Christ, is very useful to both Paul and Philemon.
- Paul expresses his love for Onesimus, now a brother in Christ, telling Philemon how dear the man is to him.
- Paul also explained that he sent Onesimus, Philemon’s property under Roman slavery laws, back to Philemon.
- Paul implies that there is some sort of debt, beyond just a missing slave, that Onesimus owes. It would seem that Onesimus had stolen from Philemon on his way out the door, making a return trip even more daunting.
Discussion
- Why do you imagine Onesimus ran away, considering that his master was a Christian?
- What rationalization might Onesimus have used for stealing from Philemon?
- How do you figure Onesimus reacted to Paul’s instruction to return to Philemon? What arguments might he have used against this plan?
Interpretation
Setting
Paul wrote the letter from a Roman prison. Some speculate that Onesimus had been captured and met Paul in prison. Others speculate that he had known of Paul from Paul’s missionary visit to the region of Colossae (although Paul never specifically visited this city), and decided to run away and appeal to Paul directly.
Takeaways
- It’s clear that Onesimus’s conversion was real. Paul spoke glowingly about what a help Onesimus had become to him as a prisoner.
- Paul doesn’t excuse or justify Onesimus’s actions.
- Onesimus was guilty and in need of forgiveness.
- We don’t like the situation he was in, but that doesn’t justify bad behavior.
- Paul could have just written a letter and hoped Philemon offered forgiveness. But no. He sent Onesimus back to Colossae.
- Onesimus needed to be an active part of the reconciliation.
- He needed to go and face the man he’d wronged, and accept the consequences.
- But having Paul’s letter had to help ratchet down his stress level.
- Paul interceded for Onesimus like Christ intercedes for us (more about this in Applications).
Discussion
- What led Onesimus to seek out Paul, all the way in Rome?
- Remember, Onesimus wasn’t a believer until he was converted by Paul.
- What does this say about how God calls to unbelievers?
Correlation
- John 8:34-36 – Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
- Colossians 3:22-24
- Slaves are to obey their earthly masters
- They should do so all the time, not only when being watched
- Their motivation is not to curry favor, but is out of sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord
- Consider yourself working for the Lord and not for your masters
- Your true inheritance is from the Lord.
Discussion
- Explain what Jesus was talking about in John 8:34-36 with regard to slavery and freedom. How can this be applied to Onesimus?
- The Colossians passage is a hard teaching, especially considering our current views on slavery. How can we apply it to our lives today?
Application
Generic Applications
- Onesimus was a slave to Philemon, in need of forgiveness. We are all slaves to sin, in need of forgiveness.
- Paul interceded on behalf of Onesimus, asking Philemon for undeserved grace. Christ interceded for us with the Father, so that we can receive undeserved grace.
Group Discussion
Do you see the picture of Christ interceding for us in this letter? He wants us to experience freedom from sin, as Paul wanted Onesimus to experience freedom from slavery.
Personalize it
Is God calling me to reach out to someone and seek forgiveness? That person also might be struggling with the burden of the conflict. Whoever takes the first step might free the other from pain and bondage.
Group Discussion
Without giving details, let the others in the group know if you need to give or receive forgiveness to/from someone. Together, pray over each other, asking
God to make the reconciliations a reality.
Bonus – Does the Bible Condone Slavery?
It is clear that Paul doesn’t condone slavery. But opponents to Christianity will point out that he doesn’t condemn it, and in fact, encourages slaves to obey their masters. Furthermore, they will point to Old Testament passages that contain laws regarding slavery that do seem to condone it. I prefer to be honest that those laws are more difficult (though not impossible) to defend. We will discuss the Old Testament in more detail in the next post in the series, so stay tuned.
But as far as Paul and the New Testament are concerned, a number of good arguments can be made on behalf of the Bible:
- Paul and other NT writers were more concerned with the heart than laws and customs of the time.
- Paul in particular warns us against being slaves to sin. As bad as human slavery is, slavery to sin and its consequences is an infinitely more serious condition.
- Numerous passages instruct masters to care for the welfare of their servants.
- As we saw in this passage, Paul encouraged Philemon to free his slave.
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
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