Philemon 1:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It teaches us to forgive the faults of our servants and not always be harsh with them. It teaches us not to be ashamed of slaves, and to have fellowship with them in all things if they are good.

If Paul was not ashamed to call a slave his son, his own heart, his brother, and his beloved, how shall we be ashamed? But why do I speak of Paul? Paul's Master is not ashamed to call our slaves His brothers. How then shall we be ashamed?

See what honor He shows us. He calls our slaves His brothers, friends, and coheirs. See how He humbled Himself. What then must we do in order to attain this fully?

We can never attain it fully. Whatever degree of humility we reach, the greater part of it will still be lacking to us. Consider: whatever you do, you do for a fellow servant like yourself. But your Master did this for your slaves.

Listen and tremble. Never exalt yourself on account of your humility. Perhaps my words seem laughable to you, that humility can be exalted. But do not be amazed. It is exalted when it is insincere.

How, and in what way? When it is done to appear before men and not before God. When it has its own glorification and vainglory in view. Then it is the work of the devil.

Just as many are vainglorious about not being vainglorious, so also they are exalted in humility through arrogance. For example, some brother or servant comes to you. You receive him and wash his feet, and immediately you are proud of it. You say, I have done what no one else has done. I have performed an act of humility.

How then can one remain humble-minded? By remembering the commandment of Christ, who says, "When you have done all that is commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants" (Lk 17:10). And by remembering the words of the teacher of the universe, who says, "I do not consider that I have attained" (Phil 3:13).

Only the man who is convinced that he has done nothing great, whatever he has done, and who does not consider himself to have reached the end, can be humble. Many have fallen from humility into pride. May this not happen to us.

Have you performed some work of humility? Do not exalt yourself, or you will destroy everything. Such was the Pharisee. He began to exalt himself because he gave a tithe to the poor, and he destroyed everything. But the publican was not like this.

Listen also to what Paul says: "I know nothing against myself, yet I am not thereby justified" (1 Cor 4:4). Do you see how he did not exalt himself, but in every way abased and humbled himself, even when he had reached the very height of the virtues?

And what did the three youths say when they were in the fire, in the midst of the flame? "For we have sinned and acted lawlessly, departing from You, and in all things we have sinned" (Dan 3:29). This is what it means to have a contrite heart.

Therefore they could also say, "But with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted" (Dan 3:39). Thus they were humble after being cast into the furnace, even more than before being cast in.

When they saw the miracle that had taken place, they considered themselves unworthy of salvation and came to deep humility. For we are especially contrite in spirit when we are convinced that we have received great benefits without deserving them.

Yet what benefits did they receive without deserving them? They allowed themselves to be cast into the furnace. They had been led into captivity while still young, although others had sinned. They did not murmur, nor become vexed, nor say, What profit is there for us in serving God?

What have we gained by worshiping Him? An impious man has become our master. With idolaters we suffer torment from an idolater. We have been led into captivity, deprived of homeland, freedom, and all our kin. We have become captives and slaves, and we serve a barbarian king.

They said none of this. What did they say? "For we have sinned and acted lawlessly." They offered prayer not for themselves, but for others. "And You gave us over," they said, "to a lawless and most wicked king" (Dan 3:32).

Likewise Daniel, when on another occasion he was thrown into the den, said, "You have remembered me, O God" (Dan 14:38). Why did God not remember you, Daniel, when you glorified Him before the king and said, "As for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me because I am wiser than all the living" (Dan 2:30)?

Why did He not remember you then, when you were cast into the lions' den for disobeying a most impious decree? For the very same reason. Were you not cast in for His sake also now? Yes, he says. This is because I am a great debtor before Him.

If he spoke so, with such great virtues, what shall we say? Hear also what David says: "But if He says thus, I have no delight in you, behold, here I am; let Him do to me what seems good to Him" (2 Sam 15:26). Yet he could have pointed to countless virtues of his own.

Eli also says, "It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him" (1 Sam 3:18). Grateful servants must entrust everything to Him, not only in benefits, but also in punishments and temptations.

Is it not unreasonable to think that God will not spare His servants in punishments, when we allow masters to punish their servants, knowing that they will spare them because they are their own? Paul expresses this when he says, "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's" (Rom 14:8).

He will not wish His wealth to be diminished. He knows how to punish. He punishes His own servants. No one spares us more than He who brought us from nonbeing into being, commands the sun to rise, gives rains, breathed the soul into us, and handed over His Son for us.

Therefore, as I have said, and for this reason have said all this, let us be humble-minded as we ought. Let us abase ourselves as we ought, so that humility may not become for us an occasion for pride.

Are you humble, even humbler than all men? Do not exalt yourself in this, and do not censure others, lest you destroy your praise. You are humble-minded in order to escape arrogance. But if through this you fall into arrogance, it would be better for you not even to be humble.

Listen to what Paul says: "Through what is good, death was caused in me, so that sin might become exceedingly sinful through the commandment" (Rom 7:13).

When the thought comes to you to marvel at your own humility, set before yourself your Master, how He humbled Himself. Then you will no longer marvel at yourself, nor praise yourself, but will laugh at yourself as one who has done nothing.

Always recognize yourself as a debtor. Whatever you have done, bring that parable to mind: "Which of you, having a servant coming in, will say to him, Go at once and sit down at table? Will he not rather say to him, Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me" (Lk 17:7, 8)?

Do we thank our servants because they serve us? Never. But God repays with thanks us who serve not Him, but do what is profitable for ourselves.

Yet let us not act in this way so that He may repay us with thanks, or so that He may know of it, but as those fulfilling their duty. Indeed, every good work is our duty, and everything we do is the fulfillment of a duty.

If even we, having bought slaves with money, want them to live entirely for us, and want to possess everything they have, how much more does this belong to Him who brought us from nonbeing into being and then redeemed us with precious blood?

He gave for us a price that no one would give for his own child. He shed His blood. Therefore, if each of us had a thousand souls and sacrificed them all, would we give Him an equal return? No.

Why not? Because He did this for us though He was not obliged, but entirely by His mercy. We, however, are obliged to do it. He, being God, became a servant. Being not subject to death, He became subject to it according to the flesh.

If we do not lay down our souls for Him, still by the law of nature we must surely lay them down. After a little time, unwillingly, we will part from life. So also with money. If we do not give it for Him, we will necessarily give it up at death.

So also with humility. If we are not humble for His sake, afflictions, misfortunes, and oppressions will humble us. Do you see how great His gratitude is? He did not say, What great thing have the martyrs done? If they had not died for Me, they would in any case have died.

Rather, He repays them with great gratitude, because they willingly gave what they would later have had to give unwillingly, by the law of nature. He did not say, What great thing do those who distribute their possessions do? They will necessarily surrender them even unwillingly.

Instead, He repays them also with great gratitude, and is not ashamed to confess before all that the Master was fed by servants. Indeed, this too is the glory of the Master, to have grateful servants. This too is the glory of the Master, to love His servants so greatly.

This too is the glory of the Master, to make what belongs to them His own. This too is the glory of the Master, not to be ashamed to confess it before all. Let us then be ashamed before such love of Christ, and let us ourselves be kindled with love.

When we hear that someone loves us, even if he is of low rank and poor, we are kindled with special love for him and show him great honor. We ourselves love him. Our Master loves us so greatly, and shall we remain insensible?

No, I exhort you, let us not be so careless about the salvation of our souls. Let us love Him according to our strength. Let us give everything out of love for Him: soul, possessions, glory, and all the rest, with joy, readiness, and zeal.

Let us not think this profitable for Him, but for ourselves. Such truly is the law of love: those who love count it happiness for themselves when they suffer for those they love.

Let us also be so devoted to our Master, that we may attain the good things to come in Christ Jesus our Lord. With Him to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Nor did he say, ‘he separated himself,’ but, ‘he was separated.’ That is, this separation was not a matter of his own design.

So also Joseph, justifying his brothers, said, ‘God sent me here.’ That is, He turned their evil intent to good.

‘For this reason,’ he says, ‘he was separated for an hour.’ He shortens the time, confesses the sin, and turns everything toward the divine economy.

‘That you may receive him forever,’ not only in the present, but also in the future, so that you may have him always. He will no longer flee.

Remaining a slave, he will be devoted to you more than a brother.”

According to Ambrosiaster’s explanation, the Apostle speaks of brotherhood “so that Philemon should not yield to proud contempt, as masters usually do toward slaves.

The Apostle humbles him by calling Onesimus his brother both according to the flesh and in the Lord.

By this he teaches us also to turn our thought away from the differences between people in social conditions.

We should all recognize ourselves as brothers, since we come from one Adam, especially when faith intervenes, for faith cuts off every pride.”

The thought could arise: but I need a servant, and you send me a brother. The Apostle suggests: receive him as a brother, and he hastens to you as a slave, despite knowing himself also to be your brother in the Lord. As a brother he would zealously care for your good. But since, together with this, he regards himself as your slave, he will be twice as zealous in serving you. “Remaining a slave, he will be more devoted to you than a brother” (Saint Chrysostom).

That he was separated for a time is a loss. But you have a greater gain in him who has returned (from Saint Chrysostom). For Onesimus, this was not a great difficulty. He had to conduct himself and serve as a slave while conscious of brotherhood with his master in the Lord. He had not yet grown unused to slave relations, and in his soul he regarded himself as nothing other than a slave. Brotherhood in the Lord only softened this slavery, joining him more closely to his master by spiritual love.

But for Philemon to receive as a brother a slave, and one who had offended, was not easy. Therefore the Apostle especially adorns this side, saying, “not as a slave, but above a slave.” He does not immediately say, “as a brother,” as though afraid to dazzle him by illumining slavery with the Christian view. First he raises him a little: “above a slave.” Only then does he clothe the slave in bright brotherhood.

To make this suggestion more acceptable, he sets himself forth as an example. I, he says, see in Onesimus above all else a brother, and a beloved brother. That he is now a brother covers in my eyes everything that came before. I see nothing in him except a beloved brother.

But if I look on him so, all the more is it possible for you to look on him so. He is not a stranger to you. He belongs to your house. And to this another relation has been added, in the Lord. Thus he is doubly your own, both by outward relations and in the Lord.

Saint Chrysostom says: “Here there is also great virtue. If he is my brother, then do not be ashamed of him either. By the name ‘child’ above, the Apostle expressed love for him. By the name ‘brother,’ he expressed a good opinion of him and equality with himself.”

“How much more to thee,” blessed Theodoret understands thus: “From a useless slave he became a brother. And if he is a brother to me, then much more to thee, since he belongs to thee also by bodily service.”

Blessed Theophylact with Oecumenius understands it thus: “Instead of a slave, receive a brother; instead of one useless, receive a ‘beloved’ one, beloved to me, and ‘how much more to thee.’ ‘In the flesh’ means that he is worthy of love also because of his service to thee in worldly things, as one skilled in arranging them and giving thee rest. ‘In the Lord’ means also because of his spiritual relations to thee.”

Ambrosiaster sees here the following suggestion: “Lest Philemon give way to proud disdain, as masters commonly do toward slaves. The Apostle humbles him by calling Onesimus his brother ‘both in the flesh and in the Lord.’ By this he teaches us also to withdraw our thought from differences of human condition and to recognize ourselves all as brothers, since we come from one Adam. This is especially so when faith enters in, for it cuts off every pride.”