1 December | EVERYONE
"I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart." Philemon 1: 10-12
The Epistle to Philemon leaves open questions about the context of the addressee and especially, of Onesimus, the escaped slave estranged from his "master" (Philemon himself).
Even if some scholars do not understand it that way, the text reflects the Christian spirit of overcoming slavery, a spirit of the letter’s author, the apostle Paul (see Galatians 3:28). This overcoming, in coherence with the teachings of Jesus (cf. Matthew 5:43-48, for example), is not posed in terms of "defense of justice" and frontal struggle against slaveholders, but of persuasion based on love for both "masters" and slaves.
From what Paul says, Onesimus learned about the faith from his lips (and his example) by spending time in the same prison as the apostle (see also Philem. 1:13). The reasons for the imprisonment of the two must have been quite different. In any case, it is striking that Paul emphasizes that Onesimus has now become a "profitable" person, that is, valuable to the cause of the gospel and society (verse eleven includes a play on words, since "Onesimus" means, precisely, “profitable” and "useful").
Thus, Philemon's escaped servant represents the sinner who one day accepts the gospel and repents, which opens the way to freedom for him. Hence, Paul begs Philemon no longer to receive him as a servant, but as he would receive the apostle himself. Incidentally, the way in which the petition is made shows that slavery cannot be a permanent condition, whether there is a "ransom" to achieve freedom or not. And this is something that torpedoes at its foundation the very existence of that custom so contrary to the principles of God (see Deuteronomy 10:17; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Romans 2:11; James 2:1; etc.).
Take Action
If you accept Jesus as your Savior, God will receive you as Jesus, His own Son. And unlike Paul with Philemon, no one will have to convince the Father of this, for He already loves you unconditionally. Enjoy that great news!