12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.14 Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.15 What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.
16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them.18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,
20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
My thoughts -
Some of these words just break my heart. Paul is dealing with another broken relationship. We think that, because we are Christians and we share the love of God in Jesus that this wouldn't happen to us, and yet Christians still divorce, churches split, families are broken, and love is lost. Our relationships are just as fragile as anyone else's because, though we have God's grace through Jesus we are still, in spite of that, tainted by sin.
Paul is imploring the Galatian church to not live as ritualistic slaves to the law. This is obviously not the same as imploring them to live in sin, which has been previously established. It seems as though, on this point, the relationship has broken down. And this is causing Paul great anguish. Read these words again:
(Y)ou welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Sometimes our pride won't let us be vulnerable. Sometimes our pride won't allow us to admit that we're wrong. Sometimes our pride will make something a "matter of principle" and will allow us to put some point of contention ahead of a relationship and allow us to throw everything away due to some stupid dispute.
Now, theology is important. And what the Galatian church was doing, per my understanding at least, was very wrong. They were forcing Gentiles to be circumcised and holding them to the entirety of the law, which they themselves couldn't live up to. It was a ethnocentric, hypocritical, bigoted thing to do. Paul called them on it, and in doing so he has apparently made himself their enemy. And here he is, writing to them, lamenting this, reminding them how strong their bond was previously, while standing firm on this matter.
Paul is not wrong to do this, that's not what I'm saying. The Galatians are wrong here and are apparently stubbornly persisting in this wrong. I'm just sad for both parties that it came to this. And I think this is a good reminder for all of us. Our relationships are fragile, precious commodities. Our sinful pride can destroy them, even if we are Christians. We need to steadfastly follow after Jesus and check against our own will, our own sin, our own pride, or we will destroy them.
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