“with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here” (Colossians 4:9).
While this verse may seem to contain little more than just a bit of personal information, there is an interesting back story behind this passage.
You see, the New Testament book of Philemon offers some important insight into this verse. Based on the account that’s given to us in that short Biblical letter, it appears that Onesimus was a slave who had been owned by a man named Philemon who lived in the town of Colossae. Judging from the text, it seems that Onesimus escaped from Philemon and may have stolen from him in the process.
However, it also appears that Onesimus later came into contact with Paul the Apostle and accepted Christ under his ministry. It was then decided that Onesimus would return to Philemon with a request for leniency from Paul in the form of the Biblical letter of Philemon. So it appears that Onesimus returned to Colossae along with the letter we know today as the New Testament book of Colossians.
One source elaborates on these hidden dynamics with the following observation…
“Paul was now sending him back to Colosse with Tychicus, not in chains, but as a ‘beloved brother’ in Christ who had proved himself ‘faithful.’ These men traveled from Rome to Colosse, probably by way of Ephesus and Laodicea, with the letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 6:21-22). They probably also carried one to the Laodiceans (cf. v. 16), another one to Philemon (Phile. 2:23-24), and this letter to the Colossians.” (1)
Finally, there is an intriguing historical footnote to this verse. Surviving records of an ancient church leader named Ignatius identify a bishop who later served in the city of Ephesus named Onesimus. (2) If Onesimus, the Bishop of Ephesus was the same Onesimus referenced here in the book of Colossians, then it means that Philemon surely acted on Paul’s request and Jesus’ counsel from the Gospel of Luke…
“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4).
If those individuals are one and the same, then it serves to remind us that our actions may generate a beneficial and far-reaching impact whenever we choose to act in obedience to God’s Word.
(1) Constable, Thomas. DD., Notes on Colossians 2019 Edition (4:9). https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/colossians/colossians.htm
(2) See here