Head Scratcher — Philemon - Thursday
Today’s Verse
Philemon 1:18
If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. (ESV)
Years ago, I loaned a close friend a significant amount of money. He was going through a rough patch, and I wanted to help without hesitation. At first, he was deeply grateful. Promises were made. “I’ll pay you back by the end of the year,” he said. But months passed, then years. Communication faded. He stopped returning my calls, and eventually, our friendship disappeared altogether.
I told myself I wasn’t angry. That I had written it off. But the bitterness had rooted itself deep. I would remember what he owed me at the strangest times—while driving, while praying, even while reading Scripture. Forgiveness, it turns out, isn’t about forgetting. It’s about surrendering the right to collect.
That’s what Paul is inviting Philemon to do. Onesimus had done real damage. As a runaway slave, he may have stolen, lied, betrayed trust. According to culture and law, Philemon had every right to seek restitution. But Paul doesn’t appeal to his rights. He offers to cover the debt himself. “Charge it to my account,” he writes—a line that echoes what Jesus has said to the Father on our behalf.
Forgiveness is costly. It’s not pretending we weren’t wronged. It’s absorbing the cost and choosing love anyway. It’s what Christ did for us. And it’s what He calls us to do for others.
There’s something deeply unnatural about this kind of forgiveness. Everything in us wants justice—the kind that is revenge in disguise. But the cross rewrites justice with mercy. It shows us a Savior who didn’t demand repayment but took our debt as His own. That’s the posture Paul models in this letter—not a transactional faith, but a sacrificial one. A faith that is willing to stand in the gap between the guilty and the wounded.
APPLICATION
Maybe someone has wronged you deeply. Maybe you’re still waiting for an apology that may never come. Forgiveness doesn’t mean the hurt didn’t happen. It doesn’t mean trust is instantly restored. But it does mean releasing your right to revenge. It means handing over the ledger and letting Jesus cover the cost.
In forgiving, we don’t just set others free—we realize Jesus already set us free.
PRAYER
Father, You know the places where I still hold on to offense, debt, and pain. Teach me to forgive as I have been forgiven—not because it’s easy, but because it’s what love requires. Help me to trust that You are just, and that I can surrender the weight of what others owe me into Your hands. Amen.