Onesimus really messed up. He ran away. He stole. Because of his actions, he ended up in prison and you want to say that’s how it should be. If you do wrong, you have to take your punishment like a man.

Fortunately, Paul felt sorry for Onesimus there in prison. He spent a lot of time with him. He talked to him. He shared the Gospel with him and through the working of the Holy Spirit Onesimus repented.

In a way one could think that Paul’s work was done. He had done his part by leading Onesimus to the Lord. Anyway, Paul was in prison too. What more could he have done?

Paul doesn’t think like this. He tries to make Onesimus’ road ahead as smooth as possible. He writes a letter to his friend, who is also Onesimus’ master. Paul knows Philemon and probably expected Philemon to give Onesimus a hard time, which Onesimus obviously deserved. Onesimus had stolen his master’s money.

However, Paul sees it differently. When someone repents and confesses his sin, it is our responsibility to look through the same lenses as God. Through his lenses the sins of the past are no longer part of the picture. Because it’s not so easy for us, Paulus pleaded:

¹⁸ If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self.

Paul couldn’t stop himself. He wanted to support Onesimus on the new road he had to walk. He would not leave a stone unturned. He would immediately grab any rope he could get hold of. Any letter he could write, he would. Because he really cares. Because he really loves. That’s his style.

That’s Jesus’ style too. He paid all our debt that we accumulated with God. The sins we committed, are committing and will still commit, earn a lot of punishment. Our books are full and we have to take the punishment. The punishment of the eternal fire. Death.

That’s how it works. If you run away and steal, you owe a debt to your master and that package comes between you and your master. It can only be removed if you pay. That’s the only way.

But it’s not the only way to get rid of your debt. You can become friends with someone like Paul, who screams out loud: “I will pay for everything!”

Our friend and brother, Jesus, said and did exactly the same: “I will pay for all the books filled with debt that you have collected from my father. Yes, I WILL PAY FOR EVERYTHING!”

THAT’S WHAT YOU WOULD CALL GRACE!

Scripture
Philemon 1:15-20

Reflection
What baggage are you carrying?
Can you give it to Jesus?
Do you believe that he has paid for everything?

Prayer
Father, sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that You have paid all my sin with God. But thank you for that. I would not have been able to do it on my own. Please help me now to go out into the world as a free person to help carry the burdens of others. In Jesus’ Name, amen.