Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Philemon 1, Hebrews 1
Devotional Thought
Onesimus was a runaway slave. He had fled from his master Philemon, a believer in Colossae, and somehow, in the providence of God, he crossed paths with Paul in Rome and was converted under the apostle’s preaching. Now Paul sends him back — not as property, but as a brother. The letter to Philemon is a masterpiece of pastoral tact. Paul does not command; he appeals “for love’s sake.” He offers to pay any debt Onesimus owed. He reminds Philemon that he owes Paul his own very self. And he sends this short letter in the same mail pouch, no doubt, as the letter to the Colossians, where Tychicus and Onesimus are named as the carriers.
Then, without a chapter break in the original, the letter to the Hebrews opens with a thunderclap: “God… hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” Where Philemon is intimate and personal, Hebrews is cosmic and majestic. Christ is the brightness of God’s glory, the express image of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power. He is better than the angels, better than Moses, better than Aaron. The same Onesimus who was reconciled to a human master is now part of a kingdom ruled by the Son who purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of Majesty.
These two letters belong together. Philemon shows us the gospel working in a kitchen, a household, a slave quarters — the ordinary, messy places of life. Hebrews shows us the throne room where that same gospel originates. The God who spoke through prophets and angels has spoken finally in a Son, and that Son cares about whether a runaway slave is received back with forgiveness or with chains.
As March stretches toward spring, we are in a season of thaw and return. Skies are still gray, but the light lingers a little longer each evening. Onesimus returned to Colossae in just such a season — a man going back to a place of fear, carrying a letter that asked for grace. Perhaps you have someone to return to this week. Perhaps you are the one who must open the door.
Reflection
- Paul told Philemon to receive Onesimus “not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved.” Is there someone in your life you have been treating as less than a brother or sister in Christ?
- Hebrews says God “hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” Are you listening to the Son’s voice this week, or to the noise around you?
Prayer
Father, we thank You that in these last days You have spoken to us by Your Son, the brightness of Your glory and the express image of Your person. Thank You that He purged our sins and sat down at Your right hand. Lord, make us like Paul — willing to intercede for the Onesimuses among us, to pay the cost of reconciliation, and to call every believer a beloved brother. Soften our hearts toward those we find hard to receive. Let Your Son’s voice be the voice we obey, this day and always. In His name, Amen.