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The Letter to the Galatians

Martin Taylor

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Galatians 4:12-20 Overview

Transition from vv10-11
Put yourselves in my position
What changed?
Go back to basics!

Last week, we looked at Galatians 4:1-11.

In today’s passage Paul shifts gear. Moving out of ‘Theological Shock and Awe’ gear, he transfers to ‘Pleading’ mode.

Some have been tempted to see this section as an erratic and irrational emotional outburst by Paul. That is far from the case. Instead it should be viewed as a rational use of arguments based on personal relationship. He had spent months with the Galatians, (see Acts 13:1-14:28) preaching the gospel, making disciples, forming churches, appointing elders. Such shared experiences build strong bonds of friendship.

Remember that whilst he was in Lystra (Acts 14:1-20) the locals thought Barnabas might be Zeus and Paul, Hermes (the messenger of the Gods). In countering their mistake, Paul rudely referred to Zeus and Hermes as empty/profitless. Small surprise that back in Gal 4:8 Paul talked about weak and beggarly elements. He did not mince his words. Remember also that Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra after Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and stirred up trouble. This was neither the first nor the last time that he had suffered physical violence. So again, there is no surprise that in v13, Paul talks about infirmity of the body. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

This is the outline for today’s talk. But first, let us read through the passage. Today I am using ‘The Message’ version printed on the slides, but I will read from ‘The Living Bible’.

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Galatians 4:12-20

My dear friends, what I would really like you to do is try to put yourselves in my shoes to the same extent that I, when I was with you, put myself in yours. You were very sensitive and kind then. You did not come down on me personally.

Gal 4:12-20 Dear brothers, please feel as I do about these things, for I am as free from these chains as you used to be. You did not despise me then when I first preached to you, ¹³ even though I was sick when I first brought you the Good News of Christ.

¹⁴ But even though my sickness was revolting to you, you didn't reject me and turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Jesus Christ himself.

¹⁵ Where is that happy spirit that we felt together then? For in those days I know you would gladly have taken out your own eyes and given them to replace mine if that would have helped me. ¹⁶ And now have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

¹⁷ Those false teachers who are so anxious to win your favour are not doing it for your good. What they are trying to do is to shut you off from me so that you will pay more attention to them. ¹⁸ It is a fine thing when people are nice to you with good motives and sincere hearts, especially if they aren't doing it just when I am with you!

¹⁹ Oh, my children, how you are hurting me! I am once again suffering for you the pains of a mother waiting for her child to be born-longing for the time when you will finally be filled with Christ. ²⁰ How I wish I could be there with you right now and not have to reason with you like this, for at this distance I frankly don't know what to do.

TLB

Gal 4:12-20 My dear friends, what I would really like you to do is try to put yourselves in my shoes to the same extent that I, when I was with you, put myself in yours. You were very sensitive and kind then. You did not come down on me personally.

¹³ You were well aware that the reason I ended up preaching to you was that I was physically broken, and so, prevented from continuing my journey, I was forced to stop with you. That is how I came to preach to you.

¹⁴ And don't you remember that even though taking in a sick guest was most troublesome for you, you chose to treat me as well as you would have treated an angel of God — as well as you would have treated Jesus himself if he had visited you?

¹⁵ What has happened to the satisfaction you felt at that time? There were some of you then who, if possible, would have given your very eyes to me — that is how deeply you cared!

¹⁶ And now have I suddenly become your enemy simply by telling you the truth? I can't believe it.

¹⁷ Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important.

¹⁸ It is a good thing to be ardent in doing good, but not just when I am in your presence. Can't you continue the same concern for both my person and my message when I am away from you that you had when I was with you?

¹⁹ Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ's life becomes visible in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth.

²⁰ Oh, I keep wishing that I was with you. Then I wouldn't be reduced to this blunt, letter-writing language out of sheer frustration.

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Galatians 4:12-20

¹³ You were well aware that the reason I ended up preaching to you was that I was physically broken, and so, prevented from continuing my journey, I was forced to stop with you. That is how I came to preach to you.

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Galatians 4:12-20

¹⁴ And don't you remember that even though taking in a sick guest was most troublesome for you, you chose to treat me as well as you would have treated an angel of God — as well as you would have treated Jesus himself if he had visited you?

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Galatians 4:12-20

¹⁵ What has happened to the satisfaction you felt at that time? There were some of you then who, if possible, would have given your very eyes to me — that is how deeply you cared!

¹⁶ And now have I suddenly become your enemy simply by telling you the truth? I can't believe it.

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Galatians 4:12-20

¹⁷ Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important.

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Galatians 4:12-20

¹⁸ It is a good thing to be ardent in doing good, but not just when I am in your presence. Can't you continue the same concern for both my person and my message when I am away from you that you had when I was with you?

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Galatians 4:12-20

¹⁹ Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ's life becomes visible in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth.

²⁰ Oh, I keep wishing that I was with you. Then I wouldn't be reduced to this blunt, letter-writing language out of sheer frustration.

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Transition from vv10-11

Roman / Greek gods are foolish
Wasted work?
Religion to relationship

Whilst there is a change of gear in v12, in terms of drama, there is barely more than a pause to draw breath. Paul continues the concepts he was holding in mind back in v10-11 (and before). I have said before, and will repeat. This book is a marvellously complex interwoven sets of ideas and arguments. You should never see Paul as some sort of intellectual or literary weakling. He knew exactly what he was trying to put across, and creates a magnificently reasoned tapestry with nuanced wording and rationale giving colour, light and shade to the picture that he depicts.

So far, through the text we have covered in Galatians, Paul has been relentlessly hammering home his point. ‘You do not need to become Jewish in order to be a follower of Jesus. You do not need to be subject to the Law in order to be a Christian.’

Now, all of a sudden, he makes things personal. He makes the effort to recall and re-establish his relationship with the Galatians. He moves (for a while) from his scriptural argument approach to one based on personal relationship. He had spent months with the Galatians, (see Acts 13:1-14:28) preaching the gospel, making disciples, forming churches, appointing elders.

And whilst we are referring back to Acts, remember that whilst he was in Lystra (Acts 14:1-20) the locals thought Barnabas might be Zeus and Paul, Hermes (the messenger of the Gods). Whilst countering their mistake, Paul bluntly referred to the local gods as empty/profitless. Small surprise that Paul in Gal 4:9 talks about weak and beggarly elements. He did not mince his words. He goes on with ‘I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted.’ If he had stopped there, it would have sounded as though he had given up on them completely.

Instead, it is in the context of potential wasted work that Paul moves on to his next literary chapter.

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Put Yourselves in My Position

I thought you cared about me
My body was broken, yet…

(Paul at Lystra - Hermes)
(Later stoned)

What happened to your joy?
You would have broken your body to mend mine

Paul carefully addresses himself to the emotions of the Galatians.

He reminds them of the relationship they once had whilst he first evangelised them. It is as though he is saying ‘put yourselves in my position’.

Back then, when I was with you, you cared for me, you didn’t hurt me. My body was frail but you did not injure me.

It was my frail body that led to me being with you. I was a burden to you as a sick guest, but you treated me so well.

Now you who are sat here today will remember that whilst Paul was in Lystra (Acts 14:1-20) the locals thought Barnabas might be the chief Greek god, Zeus and Paul, Hermes (the messenger of the gods). Here Paul places a link to that when he say he was received like an angel. Angels are God’s messengers. Do you see the tie to ‘messenger of the god’s – Hermes? But Paul immediately focuses their eyes away from ideas of false gods and gets them to focus on someone who has so much more value. He says they (the Galatians) received him as Jesus the Messiah himself. Now is Paul flattering them? Maybe. After being abrupt and angry with them so far, Paul is definitely trying to bring them back on side, to get them to realise that he really does care about them.

Remember also that Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra after Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and stirred up trouble. I am NOT saying that this was the specific incident that caused his ‘infirmity of the body’ v13. Lystra was neither the first nor the last time that Paul suffered physical violence. Almost everyone who has written about Galatians has speculated on what Paul’s medical condition was. I am not going to join in because such speculation serves no useful purpose. But Paul was persecuted for his beliefs. He suffered much for raising his voice and preaching the gospel. How much are we prepared to suffer?

What is important is that Paul uses his bodily frailty at the time to emphasise his gratitude to, and therefore love and concern for, the Galatians as a whole. It is as though Paul is saying ‘I owe you a great debt for the way that you looked after me. Why would I want to hurt you now – I owe you too much – can’t you see that?’

You were blessed, you were joyful, you were happy. So much so that you would have broken your own bodies in order to mend mine.

What has happened to that joy?

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What Changed?

Am I your enemy?

Because I tell you the truth?

These …
Want you for themselves
Sure, enthusiasm is good – if…

It is as though Paul is asking ‘What has changed?’

In v16 he says I need to tell you (or I have told you) the truth, but the reason for doing so is because I am indebted to you not because I wish to harm you. Does that make me your enemy?

These … (dot dot dots) - actually, the Greek doesn’t put a specific word in here for them so (people, or false teachers or whatever) is read-in by examining the surrounding text. These so-and-so’s are zealous over you. They want to cut you off from us so that you are forced to follow them.

Sure, enthusiasm, zealousness, is good – provided it is for good purpose.

You cared so deeply for me when I was with you in person. Show me the depth of your affection for me now, even though I am apart from you.

This is Paul’s appeal from his heart to their hearts.

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Go Back To Basics!

My little children
I am experiencing such pain

Like child birth

Over you
Till Christ is morphed in you
To be present with you once more

Paul now uses analogies to put across the emotional side of his argument. He calls them ‘my little children’. This is deeply affectionate, placing himself as a parent caring so much for his offspring. His rhetoric become even more surprising though as he extends the analogy to depict himself as a mother going through the pain of childbirth. Paul in a sense had already parented them as the changed from being gentiles to becoming Christians. Here though, he is saying it feels as if he has to go through it all over again. The Greek word for again ‘palin’ points to the need for returning to basics, repeating almost, the Galatians conversion to Christ. Till Christ is ‘morphed’ formed, in you properly.

Paul is saying he wants to be there, to hold them, to touch them, to speak comfort to them in person rather than having to do it by proxy. Letters are great when they arrive, but they are not the same as hugging your Dad or kissing your children. It is always better to be there in person.

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Galatians 4:12-20 Overview

Transition from vv10-11
Put yourselves in my position
What changed?
Go back to basics!

Far from being an irrational emotional outburst, Galatians 4:12-20 is meant to signal a significant shift in Paul’s letter / sermon. He placed a carefully worded, personal section right back at the start of Chapter 1, setting the scene for his concerns and using it to lay the foundations for his theological position. He develops the themes through chapter 2, hammering them home in chapter 3 and the start of Chapter 4.

Now he needs to switch gear. Having launched his attack and placed them on the defensive, he now needs to bring them back into the fold, and in the process ensure that the Galatians understand the importance of being ‘free in Christ’.

This section is the key transition point designed to start to pull them back into his arms.

Have you strayed from the truth of the gospel? Is God today tugging at your heart saying ‘now is the time to come back’? Now is the time to answer that call and return to the arms of your Father in heaven.

Are you in a position where you do not know whether you will go to heaven when you die? Would you like to be ‘Free in Christ’? – even if you are not quite sure what it means.

Come and talk to me after the service.

For now, back to the Worship Leader.