Let’s think back to Paul’s letter to the Colossians once more. Tucked away at the end of the letter hides this seemingly insignificant detail: someone named Onesimus accompanies the man who carries this letter. Onesimus is identified simply and warmly as “our faithful and dear brother” and “one of you” (4:9). But here’s the secret. That simple name telescopes into another whole story—a story that takes shape in another of Paul’s letters, a short note to Philemon. There we learn that Onesimus was the slave of Philemon and that he ran away and ended up in jail with Paul. There, Paul introduced
...more
