For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
Before asking Philemon for anything, Paul names what Philemon's love has already done: it has given rest to the saints and joy to Paul himself. This is the hinge of the whole letter — the ground on which he will soon ask something hard about a runaway slave.
The strength of the word "refreshed"
The ESV speaks of "the hearts of the saints." Older translations use the stronger word "bowels," and one commentator objected sharply when translators softened it:
William KellyThe Revisers seem to have given in to bad taste in dropping, here and elsewhere, the strong scriptural word "bowels" for the weaker "hearts," which has its own expression.
What was refreshed was the deepest part of a person, and it was refreshed by what the saints had seen in Philemon:
The Bible TreasuryIt was the refreshment "of the bowels of the saints" — their deepest affections went out to Philemon as they saw the faith, love, and grace in him.
A house where people were made better
Philemon's home was the place where this happened. A visitor found something better than a cup of cold water there.
Frank WallacePhilemon was a brotherly man, not standing on his own self-importance or pompous dignity. He was a brother in the real sense of the word. When a man came into his home, Philemon treated him as a brother, and he received the refreshment that was in this home.
Love shown, not merely felt
Verse 5 spoke of Philemon's love and faith; verse 7 shows that love at work. What reached Paul in prison was not sentiment but something the Spirit had produced.
Truth & TestimonyPaul and Timothy are in prison, but joy and comfort are theirs, because Philemon has shown them brotherly love... The display of love was practical, and it was refreshing. It was not mere benevolence, but a display of the Spirit's fruit.
Why Paul says "brother"
The word Paul chooses here comes back at the close of the letter. What he wants from Philemon is love, not a favour granted from above.
William KellyAs he began so touchingly with "brother" in verse 7, so he repeats it again in verse 20. It was not in vain for Philemon. Paul sought earnest love, not condescension. The gain he yearned after was Philemon's even more than his own, without telling him so.
The foundation of the request
Paul's habit was to name every trace of Christ he could see in a person before dealing with anything difficult — and here that recognition carries a weight Philemon would soon feel.
W. W. FeredayWe may always notice this gracious way in Paul's letters. Where there was much to blame, if anything of Christ could be seen, he gladly owned it and gave thanks... This loving recognition of grace in Philemon is the basis of this Epistle. Paul proceeds on the ground of it, and appeals to his fellow-labourer's heart... Philemon's love for all the saints was about to face a hard test. Onesimus was now a saint; would he love him? It is not easy to love those who have done us a positive injury, yet nothing less is according to Christ.
Paul expects that same kindness to swallow up any grudge:
Leslie M. GrantBut Paul appeals to Philemon wisely and kindly. He builds on the grace he knew had already worked deeply in this dear brother, seen in the way he refreshed the hearts of the saints. The apostle's great thankfulness and encouragement at this would surely dissolve any resentment Philemon might have felt towards Onesimus.
The verse turned on us
We know nothing of Philemon's preaching. This one thing is what Paul remembered, and it shames the way we often treat each other:
The Christian's FriendOf his preaching, teaching, or work we know nothing; but Paul, in his beautiful letter to him, said, "the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother." How sweet is this! How ashamed we are before it! We can criticise our brothers and sisters. We can find fault. We can show that things are not as they should be — while our own souls stay as dry as Gideon's fleece left on a wet threshing floor.
Summary
- Refreshed — Philemon reached the deepest affections of God's people. What stirred them was the faith, love and grace they saw in him.
- Home — The refreshment had an address. People arrived at Philemon's house and left better than they came, because he treated everyone as a brother.
- Brother — Paul asks as a brother, not from above. The same word opens verse 7 and returns in verse 20, where he asks Philemon to refresh him.
- Ground — Paul names the good in Philemon first. The grace already shown becomes the ground for the grace he now asks toward Onesimus.
- Test — Loving the saints in general is one thing. Loving the person who wronged you is the real test, and nothing less is according to Christ.