Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter, Year B, First Reading (Acts 25:13-21)

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and

Monday of the 6th Week of Easter, Year B, First Reading (Acts 16:11-15)

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to

The Letter to the Colossians: Where Was It Written, When, and to Whom?

The letter is addressed to the saints in Colossae which was a Roman province in modern-day Turkey in the Lycus Valley. The city was close to two other places mentioned in the letter, Laodicea and Hierapolis. The church in Colossae appears not to have been founded by Paul but by his follower, Epaphras. In fact,

Introduction to Colossians: Did Paul write it?

The early church accepted Paul as the author of the letter to the Colossians but, since the 19th century, there has been a great deal of debate about whether Paul actually wrote it. It shows significant differences from the letters that everyone agrees Paul wrote, so some people are convinced that Paul was not the

The Conclusion of the Letter (Philemon 21-25)

21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask. 22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The

Debts (Philemon 17-20)

17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 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. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have

The Center of Paul’s Appeal to Philemon (Philemon 15-16)

15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. In

Sending Onesimus Back (Philemon 12-14)

12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but

The Appeal (Philemon 8-11)

8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while

Other Members of the Church (Philemon:2)

2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home: In verse two, Apphia is mentioned and described as Paul’s sister. Traditionally she is identified as Philemon’s wife although there is no evidence for this in the letter. She certainly is an influential figure in the local church.