The letter from Paul to Philemon reveals a deep truth about the great change that takes place when one encounters Jesus. The runaway slave was totally transformed from a wanderer to a follower of Jesus. This is not specific to Onesimus. The work of Jesus Christ in our lives sparks a circle of transformation. The sinner who comes to faith is renewed and transformed as a new person. All the bad things of their past are totally wiped away. Paul’s appeal to Philemon was obviously heeded to and the result would have been a changed Onesimus activity involved in the things of God. Paul, a man of faith also spoke about his own restoration in the letter. Remember, Paul’s goal had been to restore Onesimus back to Philemon. However, Paul himself was in chains. He was a prisoner in Rome.
And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers. (Philemon 1:22)
In Philemon 1:22, Paul writes this: “And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.” The churches had been praying for the release of Paul and Paul was hopeful that this prayer would be answered. Different Bible scholars believe that Paul was released in Rome and rearrested in around AD 66. He was martyred during his final arrest which was credited to Emperor Nero. Paul’s ministry impacted several lives including that of Philemon and Onesimus. If Paul had the opportunity to visit Colossae again before his death, he would have celebrated the brotherly love between Philemon and Onesimus. The church would have shown gratitude to Paul for restoring to them Onesimus. Other people mentioned in Paul’s letter include Epaphras (a fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus), Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke (Philemon 1:23-24). Earlier in Paul’s ministry, Mark had abandoned him and Barnabas (Acts 16:36-41) and this even brought a sharp dispute between Paul and Barnabas. Seeing Mark again with Paul indicates that an attempt was made to restore the relationship.
While Paul enjoyed the company of his fellow workers while he was in Prison, Paul would later write about Demas deserting him because of his love for the world (2 Timothy 4:10). Our walk with the Lord is a journey with different highs and lows. We need to understand that irrespective of how right we live, there will always be others whose actions are likely to cause us pain. Like Paul, we should rather be agents of transformation and restoration. Our desire should be to see the restoration of those who have fallen along the way. We should be ambassadors of Christ who will hold the hands of the lost sheep and restore them to the body of Christ. If you don’t know what to do, just pray!