Philemon 17-25

17 | Paul makes a third and final appeal to Philemon to receive Onesimus – this time, on account of their partnership in the faith. If Philemon and Paul both share in the same faith, then what God had done to reconcile Philemon to Himself should cause Philemon to reconcile with Onesimus.

18-19 | When Onesimus left his master, he probably stole from the household the things he needed to make his journey. Once in Rome, Onesimus did not have the means to redeem himself, so Paul offered to pay on Onesimus’ behalf so that master and slave can be reconciled. This illustrates the doctrine of imputation. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, the sins of all people were put on His account, and His righteousness was credited to anyone who would accept it.

19 | Paul commonly dictated his letters to a secretary or scribe (Rom. 16:22), but he would also often take up the pen and write the concluding portion of the letter for particular emphasis (1 Cor. 16:21; Gal. 6:11; 2 Thess. 3:17). He does so here to demonstrate his deep desire to see Philemon and Onesimus reconciled.

21 | Even more than I say suggests Paul’s confidence (2 Cor.7:16) that Philemon would not only forgive Onesimus but return him to Paul so he could continue to minister alongside the apostle in Rome.

22 | The apostle trusted that Philemon’s prayers would help free him from prison and permit him to visit Philemon in person in Colossae (Phil. 1:19). Paul was eventually released, but whether or not he was able to visit Philemon is unknown.

23 | Epaphras founded the church at Colossae and was deeply committed to it (Col. 1:7; 4:12). By this point he had become a fellow prisoner with Paul in Rome. No further details are known about his arrest.

24 | Mark, the author of the Gospel that bears his name, had accompanied Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey (Acts 12:25; Col. 4:10). Luke (Col. 4:14; 2 Tim. 4:11), the author of Luke and Acts, and Aristarchus both accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey (Col. 4:10). Demas followed Paul for a while, but then deserted him (2 Tim. 4:10).

25 | The Book of Philemon is all about grace – God’s grace to reconcile both Onesimus and Philemon to Himself, and Paul’s desire that Philemon will extend such grace to his runaway slave. Only grace can free people from their bondage, especially their bondage to sin.