Philemon 3-7
A private letter written to Philemon that has become very
public, and was probably written from the time Paul was in Rome. In my Thompson Chain- Reference Bible
it refers to Philemon in this way; “Philemon was
apparently a member of the church at Colosse, which seems to have met in his
house, v. 2. As Paul had never
been in Colosse (Col 2:1), Philemon must have met him elsewhere, possibly in
Ephesus, which was not far away.” If a person were going to have a private
letter exposed to the whole world, this would be the type of letter you would
have wanted others to read.
Paul is telling Philemon that he not only thinks about him,
but that he is thankful for him and shares that with God our Father. Paul tells Philemon that he has heard
of his love and faith, faith that is being expressed to the Lord Jesus and to
all the saints. If your mind works
like mine, you may ask how did Paul hear about Philemon, in that he is in
prison in Rome, and he has never been to Colosse? I believe this insight came from a run away slave named
Onesimus, a slave Paul calls his child, and goes on to state that he became a
father in the faith to Onesimus while in prison at Rome.
Philemon may also consider himself a child by faith in
Christ Jesus and see Paul as his spiritual father. We can only assume that they have met and it may have been
at Ephesus during Paul’s visit there.
If you got just this part of a letter from anyone how would it affect
you? “I
thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your
love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints,
and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full
knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort
from your love, my brother; because the hearts of the saints have been
refreshed through you.” If
that letter came from just about anyone it would blow your doors off, but when
it came from a giant in the faith, an apostle of Christ; you would surely share
this with your best friend, and because Philemon’s best friend was Jesus
Christ, He chose to share it with you and me.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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