Except for These ChainsSample

Being in prison often focuses attention on personal needs and priorities. Hope is placed on the future, on when the prison sentence will end, on what can be done to speed up release, on how to rebuild personal and family life outside prison. Paul’s personal letter from prison to Philemon, his friend and brother in faith, shows a different prospective: he wants to ensure the future of Onesimus, a slave who had escaped from Philemon’s household and whom Paul had met in Rome. Read this letter to understand how each of us can put the interests of others before our own.

Paul starts by saying that he has been encouraged by what he had heard about Philemon’s life and actions: Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people (v.7). When others encourage us, it is important to let them know this by speaking, phoning, or writing to them.

Paul then mentions Onesimus, a slave whom he had met at Rome while in prison. He calls him my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains (v.10). From this we learn that Paul had shared his faith with him, and that Onesimus had believed in Christ for salvation. So instead of complaining about his personal situation, Paul used every opportunity to witness. While preaching to crowds may seem more productive, individual witness is the most effective way to evangelize.

There is a play on words with the name of this slave – Onesimus means “useful”, but by escaping (and, perhaps, stealing), Onesimus had proved to be useless to Philemon (v.11). But the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to transform people from being a drain on society to being useful to others. Paul therefore uses this personal letter to Philemon to ask his friend to do something that in the Roman Empire of the first century was very unusual – welcome back Onesimus without punishment as a brother in Christ as well as a servant. This was part of the revolutionary message of the gospel: There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

Paul has not forgotten his own needs – he trusts in God that he will soon be set free, thanks also to the prayers of God’s people: And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers (v.22). When we rely on God for our needs, we are freed to look out for the needs of others. This is Paul’s message to us from prison.