12 November 2020

Perhaps this is the reason Onesimus was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
Philemon 7-20, NRSV

The Letter to Philemon is very short and much of it is taken up with a plea to Philemon to receive back Onesimus – his slave. We do not know quite how Onesimus found his way to Paul but if Onesimus had run away, Philemon was entitled to have him crucified. Paul seems to be aware of the jeopardy in which he could be placing Onesimus but, perhaps aware that his life is coming to an end, wants him to be safe. Although he says that he sees Onesimus as a son, he does not tell Philemon to free him – Paul is still a man of his time, a time when the keeping of slaves as part of a household was the norm.

• • Why did Paul not see the keeping of slaves to be wrong?
  • How do you think Onesimus felt as he took the letter to Philemon? 

Pray today for those who are today being kept in slavery – and for the places where the legacy of slavery lingers.