Philemon 1:23-25: Greetings from Fellow Believers and Farewell
2022-06-12
Philemon 1:23-24
The farewell of this letter includes several men who are with Paul that sent their greetings. These are the men listed.
Epaphras. This man is a “fellowprisoner.” He is in prison with Paul for the sake of the Gospel. According to Colossians 4:12, he is a fellow Colossian with Philemon. He had informed Paul of their Spirit-led Christian love that existed in the Colossian church. Consider Colossians 4:12-13. He was a man of prayer who diligently prayed for his fellow Colossians and their church. His desire for the church was for them to be complete and stand in the will of God. He had a zealous love for his fellow Colossians as well as those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Marcus. As we have discussed before, he was the one who once abandoned Paul and Barnabas, and when he wanted to join them again, Paul and Barnabas parted ways because of him. He eventually matured and proved himself to Paul and was faithful when many were not.
Aristarchus. This man was mentioned in Acts three times and was a traveler together with Paul (Acts 19:29; 20:4; 27:2). He was from Thessalonica. He also was a fellow prisoner with Paul according to Colossians 4:10.
Demas. Demas was a fellow laborer with Paul, but as you recall, eventually left service with Paul, “having loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). No other details were given.
Lucas. Luke was a physician and possibly a Gentile, and a frequent traveler with Paul. He stayed with Paul when others did not, as you recall. He is the author of the Gospel bearing his name and the book of Acts.
These men were considered “fellowlabourers” who served with Paul in the Gospel ministry.
Philemon 1:25
The final verse is like many closing verses of the Pauline epistles, a blessing of grace upon the recipients. The entire phrase also exists in Galatians 6:18. Grace is a central theme in the faith because it is the only reason why we belong to Christ. Jesus Christ’s work on our behalf in his death for us is the sole source of grace to us.
This grace is to “be with your spirit.” Here, note that “your” is plural and “spirit” is singular. The blessing is directed to the entire recipient list, including Philemon.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that Jesus Christ forgave us of every sin. There will be people that do not “deserve” our forgiveness. They have wronged us in deeply hurtful ways. However, our sin put the Savior on the cross. It is our duty to cancel every debt of sin that others have toward us. The Lord did so for us.
Every time someone harms us, we have Philemon’s choice before us. Are we going to forgive and receive them back? Or are we going to walk contrary to Christ by not forgiving, holding grudges, and possibly retaliating? Today is the year of jubilee. Let it go. Go even further and accept them back with joy.