What Happened?

Hello everyone.

Today we will continue our exegesis of Galatians 4, covering verses 12 through 18.  Here is my translation: 

12 Brothers and sisters, I plead with you, be like I am, as I became like you are, and you did me no wrong.  13 You all know that it was due to illness that I preached the Gospel to you the first time.  14 Even though my illness was challenging for you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, or even Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where did such blessings go? I can testify that if you could, you would have plucked your own eyes out and given them to me.  16 Have I become your enemy by speaking the truth to you? 

17 These people have been very zealous for you, but not in the right way.  They wish to drive you away from us, so that you might zealously go after them.  18 It is good to be zealous for what is right all the time, not only when I am present with you. 

In verse 12, Paul gives an imperative to the Galatians, to become like him, as he had become like them.  It is not clear exactly what Paul means by this.  It seems that Paul is talking about how he, as a Jew, has become a lot more like a Gentile, while they, Gentiles, are trying to be more like Jews.  He has been urging them to not do that.  

Paul says in 1 Cor. 9:20-21  “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.”

Paul’s aim was to win people over to the cause of Christ.  Paul strove to relate to all people in order to help them know Jesus Christ.  He urges the Galatians to be more like that.  Their movement toward a rigid legalistic system and obedience to the Law actually doesn't help anyone to know Jesus. 

From here Paul goes on to describe the relationship that he had with them, as he was building the church there.  He tells them that he had only preached among them due to illness, and they apparently took good care of Paul during this time, welcoming him openly, in spite of great challenges.  He states that their love for him was so great that they would have willingly plucked their eyes out for him.  That is real devotion to someone.  So now, he openly wonders, “What has happened?” “Where has the kindness and love that you once showed me gone?”  

The impact of these Judaizing teachers must have been huge.  They were undoubtedly very negative in their assessment of Paul and his message, even though he received directly from God.  Apparently the animosity has grown to a place where Paul wonders out loud, “Have I become your enemy for telling you the truth?” This is a significant turnaround for the members of the Galatian churches, going from someone so loved for whom they would sacrifice their eyeballs, to now, an enemy.  

Paul asks whether he has become their enemy for telling them the truth. What is the truth that Paul has been telling them?  Douglas Moo states it like this, “the gospel is offered freely by grace and is to be accepted and lived out by means of faith.” (Moo, 286.) 

Note: It is interesting that Paul could become their enemy by truth-telling, since his message has been one of grace and faith.  Why would anyone rather hear a message of obedience to the point of allowing yourself to be circumcised as an adult?  It seems that men would be relieved for Paul to say that they didn’t need to go through with circumcision. 

Paul, then, weighs in on his detractors, stating that these teachers are very zealous.  That seems to be the nicest thing Paul has to say about them, and even in that, he states that their zeal is for the wrong reasons.  Paul acknowledges that zeal is a good thing (v. 18), but if it is for the right reason.  These teachers appear to have zeal for the purpose of sowing division here.  They are trying to separate the churches in Galatia from Paul’s influence and bring them under their own control. These agitators have undoubtedly been portraying Paul as their enemy, teaching that Paul is presenting an easy gospel that has big holes in it.  

In reality, we know that they were teaching a false gospel of an earned salvation, and Paul was teaching the true gospel of God's grace, which is not an easy gospel, but certainly a better gospel.