Where Are You Now?

“But you know it was because of a physical illness that I first proclaimed the gospel to you, and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, as though I were Christ Jesus himself! Where then is your sense of happiness now? For I testify about you that if it were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me! So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:13-16 NET

Many Bible commentators believe that Paul's difficulty was poor vision, referencing that when he first came to them, they would have pulled out their eyes and given them to Paul. This may or may not be the case though. Scholars also agree that Paul had an amanuensis who dictated and copied his work on papyrus. The skill of the amanuensis in crafting the draft into a thought-provoking narrative concerning the topic at hand truly reflects the quality and depth of Paul's written work.

It is very common to look at Paul as someone larger than life, but that is not the case; Paul was very human with frailties like us, including health concerns that limited him at times. His physical appearance, which was not always impressive, was a testament to his humanity and humility. Even when he and Barnabas visited Galatia, his appearance did not distract from the message he was preaching. Paul did what he could to overcome the physical limitations that plagued him so that the gospel could be preached clearly and concisely so that people may see Christ as their Lord and Savior and not focus on Paul.

Paul’s mission field was unique, for his message was to the gentiles. It begs the question, why the gentiles and not to his fellow Jews? The answer comes back to Paul’s understanding of what happened in Genesis 11 when the languages were confused and all the nations were dispersed at Babel, and what God had restored in Acts 2:5-11. “Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven residing in Jerusalem. When this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Completely baffled, they said, “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that each one of us hears them in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!”

Paul recognized that God’s inheritance was intact through Israel, but God was doing something altogether new, He was restoring the dispersed nations back to Himself. Paul saw it as his calling to reach all of the middle east nations that had been cut off at Babel and declare the gospel of Christ to those God was entreating. Paul made it his personal mission to reach all of the known nations outside of Israel but were located in Israel’s general neighborhood to preach the gospel, with Spain being the last nation on his radar.

The Galatian Church dealt with many who were trying to bring the church back to rules, laws, and ordinances, thereby forsaking their freedom in Christ as preached by Paul. This’ freedom in Christ’ refers to the liberation from the burden of the Mosaic Law, which Paul emphasized in his message. He had a personal investment in the Galatian Churches; he wanted to see them grow in Christ and become firmly established with Jesus residing in their hearts and minds so that the mandate he was given would be fulfilled in his life. That was Paul’s ultimate purpose for serving Christ. I believe that Paul believed that Christ would return soon, and the drawing in or salvation of the Gentiles was crucial to the return of the Lord, a mission of immense significance. But Paul did not realize that the world was much larger than the Middle Eastern countries he could reach in his lifetime; it would take subsequent lifetimes, and many people inspired by God the same way as Paul to bring more of the world’s population to Christ.

Paul is pulling out all stops here in this verse and using the sympathy of the believers from his first visit, pulling at their heartstrings by reminding them of their kindness and their willingness to do whatever it took to entreat Paul. Because Paul is now bearing down upon them by calling them out because of their sin, he feels they have abandoned their faith in Christ and in him. Why? Because the truth is much more difficult to bear when it reveals you have embraced a lie. But isn’t that how the enemy works? By exchanging the truth of God for a lie? Paul is still a shining light to those who have embraced leaving Christ and are now turning back to the law, even though he knows he will lose some of his precious friends. He will save some, but his passion for bringing back as many who will hear him and believe him is unwavering.

Paul used every circumstance he was offered to preach Christ and testify of His mercy and grace. To me, that is the legacy that Paul leaves behind, not that he was a great man of God, but a driven, obedient man of God. He knew what he was called to do and what his limitations were, but he didn’t allow his limitations to speak louder than his message of Christ. He knew that God had given him a mantle of authority over the churches he planted, but he never let that authority become the driving factor of his ministry. He carried his authority lightly, but he proclaimed the message of Christ boldly.

James, the bishop at the church in Jerusalem, finally settled the argument (recorded in Acts 15:13-20) by stating that there is no longer a need to expose Gentiles to the Torah laws as a means or requirement of becoming a Christ follower, which again bolstered Paul's ministry to the Gentiles.

Stephen Barnett