My friends, if anyone is detected in a
transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a
spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2 Bear
one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3
For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive
themselves. 4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather
than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5 For all
must carry their own loads.
6 Those who are taught the word must share in all
good things with their teacher.
7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap
whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap
corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal
life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is
right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10 So
then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and
especially for those of the family of faith.
11 See what large letters I make when I am
writing in my own hand! 12 It is those who want to make a good
showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they
may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Even the
circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised
so that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May I never boast of
anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16 As
for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the
Israel of God.
Year C
July 3-9
July 3, 2016
Cross~Wind
Title: Disciples and Doing Good
Introduction
I am thinking today about how we
use the word “good.”
Here we are on the July 4 weekend. We
are in an election season. An election from the past might help us.
I came across a reference to “Good
Government Clubs.” The term goes back to the 1880s and 90s. They opposed the
political machines of the day, such as Tammany Hall in New York City. Their
idea was not to support either Democrat or Republican all the time. They wanted
to vote for the best and least corrupt person. Their critics called them
“Mugwumps.” A famous cartoon showed a rooster straddling a fence, with his
“mug” on one side of the fence and his “wump” on the other. The election of
1884 pitted a man who fought Tammany Hall, Grover Cleveland, against a man who
was never able to unite the Republican Party, James G. Blaine. The result was a
victory for the Democrat, Grover Cleveland, largely due to Mugwumps supporting
Grover Cleveland. Regardless of their critics, they thought good government
should be the priority. They tried to be somewhat independent in a time when
partisanship demanded that you be one side of the political divide or the
other. Although I have not yet studied
them, one historian says that their eloquent writings speak for themselves, and
are testament to a high-minded civic morality.
Another name for them was "goo-goos."
They led a series of reform movements driven by idealism and a desire for
change. They were annoying with a good reason. Being a "goo-goo" can
be a very good thing because it turns the focus from what is expedient and
self-serving to what is right and what benefits everyone.
Has anyone ever called you a
"goody two-shoes?" It is usually not a compliment, given that the
reason someone receives the title is that someone is so good so as to be
annoying to regular, imperfect people. I often wonder from where we get such
expressions. It turns out it comes from a 1765 children's book. It was about a
poor, orphan girl named Margery Meanwell (she means well, get it?) who walks
around forlornly with only one shoe until a wealthy benefactor gives her a new
pair of shoes, after which she runs around town knocking on doors and telling
everyone she can find that she now has "two shoes." See? Annoying.
Of course, there are other
variations on being a goody two-shoes. You can be a "do-gooder,"
which makes me think of the old cartoon Canadian Mountie Dudley Do-Right, or
you can be a "goody-goody," which sounds like something that fell
from an ice cream truck.
If you want to be annoying, one of
the richest principles of Jewish ethics is a concept called tikkun olam, a
portion of a prayer that loosely translates to "repairing the world."
Therefore we put
our hope in You, Adonai our God,
to soon see the glory of
Your strength, to remove all idols from the Earth,
and to completely cut off
all false gods; to repair the world, Your holy
empire.
to soon see the glory of
Your strength, to remove all idols from the Earth,
and to completely cut off
all false gods; to repair the world, Your holy
empire.
(http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/aleinu.html
for the full, beautiful prayer.)
Application
The instructions of Paul as he
concludes his letter to the churches of Galatia offer us a handbook for
Christian do-gooding that can change the world. I invite you to look closer.
First, a do-gooder recognizes what is wrong.
Christian goo-goos wired into the
Holy Spirit know something is wrong in the life of another person or a
community, detecting "transgression"
as well as pain (v. 1). Such detection can lead to judgmental, self-righteous
indignation.
Yet, Paul makes it clear that
someone who wants to do good begins with recognizing the wrong they have within
them. For that reason, Christians are be do-gooders with a spirit of gentleness. Given the violent early history of Paul as a
persecutor of the church, we can surmise that he was not naturally a gentle
person. Yet, Christ transformed his life. The sin of another should help us see
our sinfulness rather than superiority. Our temptation is to think of others as
worse sinners than they are. All of us require restoration in our relationship
with God and with other people.
John Wesley makes the same point,
commenting on Galatians 6:1: “Temptation easily and swiftly passes from one to
another; especially if a man endeavors to cure another without preserving his
own meekness.”
Richard Adams shares a comment made
by Henri Nouwen at a conference for clergy at Southern Methodist University:
“If, in order to defeat the beast, we become the beast, the beast has won.”
Second, a do-gooder bears the burdens of another.[1]
How does a
do-gooder "bear the burdens"
of others without becoming weighted down and crushed?[2]
Paul recognizes the difficulty of compassion fatigue when he reminds Christian
do-gooders to "not become weary in
doing good" (v. 9 NIV). How are they, and we, going to pull that off?
Well, Paul offers a prescription.
Therefore, third, Christian
do-gooders live life generously in the Spirit.
If we live our lives selfishly, our
lives will not amount to much in the eyes of God. Paul refers to this as a life
centered in the flesh.[3]
Paul describes the "fruit" of
life in the Spirit in 5:22-23 -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness and self-control. A do-gooder needs such resources to
restore hope, forgive people, bear burdens, and do good. These resources emerge
from nurturing a relationship with God on a daily basis, remembering that we
cannot change the world unless we allow the Spirit to change us through prayer,
studying the Word with the help of good teachers (6:6), and other internal work
through which the Spirit plants and brings forth fruit.
In addition, once that fruit is in
us, it will begin to create seeds of its own that will spread. If we are
broadcasting these resources, like a sower broadcasts seed, then we will reap a
bountiful harvest of good that characterizes the eternal life and purposes of God
(6:8). We do good because God is willing and doing good for the world: a good
that, in the end, will reap a harvest of redemption for the whole creation
(6:9).
The sage does not accumulate for
himself.
The more he uses for others, the
more he has himself.
The more he gives to others, the
more he possesses of his own.
The Way of Heaven is to benefit
others and not to injure.
The Way of the sage is to act but
not to compete.
— Tao Te Ching 81.
Conclusion
The world
of politics may look at goo-goos as idealistic but uneducated people from the
country, but in the politics of the kingdom of God, the goo-goos win in the
end. Sometimes it seems like the task is overwhelming, but we are not called to
fix everything at once. In fact, we recognize that only God can fix anything at
all. We begin by being goo-goos with our neighbors, not by knocking on their
doors and showing them our goody two-shoes, but by offering a hand of help to
those who need it. We offer a word of grace in a world that seems to offer only
condemnation and ridicule. We bring a wealth of good spiritual fruit rather
than throwing rotten fruit at others. In short, being a goo-goo is all about
representing the law of Christ one day at a time.
Who in your neighborhood needs you
to be a goo-goo? Put on your two shoes, get out there, and do good!
Going deeper
Galatians 6:1-16 (NRSV)
Paul has explained the gospel he preaches by a series of personal examples and explanation of scripture. He does so because the gospel he preached has come under attack. He reaches his goal in Chapters 5 & 6. Christ will transform human lives. Christ will grow the fruit of the Spirit in the lives of those who walk in the Spirit. He ended Chapter 5 by warning the churches in Galatia of the destructive power of conceit, competing against each other, and envy. In Chapter 6, Paul is going to offer his view of what it means to live a spiritual life. He will write of kindness and gentleness in the first five verses. He offers the case of what happens when some who is part of the community of faith fails. We are to walk in the Spirit or keep in step with the Spirit. What happens if someone missteps or stumbles? Paul is clear that others are to respond with gentleness and restore them in their relationship with God and with the community. We are not to respond elevating ourselves above them or separating ourselves from them. We all need gentleness, for we all misstep. In fact, we are to bear the burden of the misstep, rather than add to the burden by a spirit of judgment. Paul will discuss the law much in this letter, but here is the only time in his letters that he refers to the “law of Christ,” which seems to refer to fulfilling the Jewish Law by practicing love. In verses 6-10, Paul discusses the importance of generosity. They are to support those who teach them. What you sow you will reap. We have the opportunity to have life in the full sense of that term, life eternal, when we allow the Spirit to permeate our lives. Rather than conceit, we are to do what is right and good, even if we grow weary and tired. We are to work for the good of all, including those who are not part of Christian communities. In verses 11-16, Paul will summarize what he has taught them. Paul will take the pen in hand, because he has been dictating the letter, and conclude the letter himself. Circumcision was the primary rite of the Jewish Law, but no one can follow the entire Law. Some in the church thought they demonstrated their superiority to others through circumcision, but Paul will “boast” only in the cross. He has gone through the painful process of crucifixion in such a way that his relationship to the world has changed. The only thing that really matters is a new creation that God is already bringing into being through Christ. In fact, even his notion of “Israel” has changed because of Christ.
Some scholars, when dividing Galatians up into units for discussion in
their commentaries, link Chapter 6 with 5:25-26, which reads: "If we live by the Spirit, let us also be
guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one
another, envying one another." It becomes a good introduction to
Chapter 6 because it addresses the two most important issues in the chapter -
what it means to live a "spiritual" life, and the destructive effects
of our natural tendency to compare ourselves to others.
The theme of
Galatians 6:1-5 is kindness.
My friends, [Frank Matera suggests “even if”]
if anyone is detected [Frank Materia says the Greek verb here
means, "a believer is unexpectedly
caught in the midst of unbecoming conduct."]
in a transgression, [according to Matera, paraptoma, also means "misstep," which would fit well
with the image used in Galatians 5:16 and 5:18, of the spiritual life being a
process of learning to "walk with" and be "led by" the Holy
Spirit]
you who have received the Spirit [(pneumatikos)
carries the same meaning here that it carries in Romans and Corinthians (Romans
7:14; 1 Corinthians 2:13, 15; 12:1; 15:44, 45, 46 47). It refers to things or people that are "spiritual" have
been "transformed by the power of the Spirit." This transformation
implies a change in what would normally be the human reaction to things.]
should restore [a
"spiritual" person should "restore" an offending member of
the community, even if that person were caught in the act.]
such a one in a spirit of
gentleness. [The spiritual person should engage in this
restoration in the spirit of
"gentleness," which is, in and of itself, one of the spiritual gifts
mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5:23. Galatians 6:1a, then, presents the case
scenario of sin occurring within the community and suggests how the community
should handle it. He counsels that those overtaken by a fault should receive
gentle correction.[4]
This verse is an example that quite early, the church had to deal with sins
within the Christian community. As Matera points out, even where there is no
doubt of a person having sinned, then, Paul would argue, the offending person should be corrected in a spirit of gentleness by
others who, like him or her, presumably, are seeking to be
"spiritual" persons. Chrysostom calls it a spiritual gift to correct
another part of the body of Christ with gentleness. F. F. Bruce reminds us that
it is easy for certain types of religious persons to sit in judgment of fellow
Christians.]
The counsel Paul offers here
shares similarity with II Corinthians 2:6-8.
II
Corinthians 2:6-8
6 This punishment by the majority
is enough for such a person; 7 so now instead you should forgive and
console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8
So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
In fact, some scholars suggest that the incident in Corinth
may still be in Paul's mind. They had
overzealously disciplined a member of their community. Their readiness to forgive would be a test of
their spirituality. Some suggest that
Paul may be appealing to those who would take his side in the controversy, but
there is no evidence of such a party in the Galatian churches.
Take care that you yourselves are not
tempted.[In addition to gentleness, Paul does want
the same desire than led the fellow follower of Jesus to sin to consume the one
doing the correcting! It
could be a warning not to fall into the same error committed by the person who
needs correcting. However, the very acknowledgment that those who have received
the Spirit might be so tempted reveals that the greater temptation is for those
who reprove others to be tempted to think themselves better than those who
stray from the desired path. Obviously, the person led by the Spirit must
not take up the task of correction in a cavalier or condescending way. The
counsel of Paul shows wisdom. St. Augustine says, “There is no sin which one
person has committed, that another person may not commit it also.” Luther adds,
“We stand in slippery places.” All of us stand in need of watchfulness.]
2 Bear
[bastazete] one
another’s burdens [people
led by the Spirit will do this. Chrysostom
notes that every individual has failings, so Paul exhorts the Galatians not to scrutinize severely the failings of
others, but rather to bear them. Calvin is also wise on this point when he says
that many people “seize on the faults” of brothers and sisters
as an occasion of insulting them, and of using reproachful and cruel
language. Were the pleasure they take in upbraiding equaled by their desire to
produce amendment, they would act in a different manner. Reproof … must be administered
to offenders. While we must not shrink from a faithful testimony against sin,
neither must we omit to mix oil with the vinegar.
According to Luther,
to love means to bear another’s burdens.
“Christians
must have strong shoulders to bear the burdens of their fellow Christians.
Faithful pastors recognize many errors and offenses in the church, which they
oversee. In civil affairs, an official has to overlook much if he is fit to
rule. If we can overlook our own shortcomings and wrong-doings, we ought to
overlook the shortcomings of others.”
Hans Dieter Betz notes that this phrase occurs elsewhere in
Greek literature, dealing with the benefits and demands of friendship. He
writes, "Applied to 6:1, the maxim means that 'failure' by Christians should
be regarded as part of the 'burden of life' and should be shared and borne by
the Christian community." There may also be a double entendre here,
however, based on the basic Hebrew verb "to carry" (nasa'), which is
used to refer to both carrying guilt as one would carry a load and lifting that
guilt off someone else, meaning, forgiving that person. In the Hebrew sense,
helping people to carry their guilt, sharing that process with them, is part of
the process of forgiving them. Rather than each individual having to account
for and deal with his own sin, now in Christ the community has a role to play
in actively helping one of its members to avoid sin.]
and in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ.[Paul does not use this term anywhere else. It may be that this concept is meant to
contrast with Old Testament law with regard to guilt and forgiveness. It may
refer to the example of Christ. It refers to a pattern or principle exemplified
by the gracious self-giving of Christ. We cannot think of this law as being
anything other than to love one another. The use of “law” is a way Paul has
of expressing the fact that in Christ something else confronts the Mosaic law
so that its validity is at an end.[5]
C. H. Dodd says it refers to the quality and direction of an act.[6]
For F. F. Bruce, the phrase refers to
the entire direction of the ethical teaching of Jesus. Thus, while
attacking the Law, as Gunther Bornkamm puts it, Galatians is also a summons to
obey the law of Christ.[7]
His life becomes the hermeneutical key that unlocks the abiding significance of
the Law. Luther notes that Christ gave us no other law than this law of mutual
love, that we love one another.
3
For if those who are nothing think they are something, [exalting oneself is an attractive and
harmful attitude that arises from a false view of oneself] they deceive themselves [jrenapataeauton].
4
All must test [dokmazetw examine or scrutinize] their own
work [not the work of their neighbor];
then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for
pride.
5 For all must carry [bastasei]their own loads [jortion]. [The reference may refer to the Christian warfare, the soldier
with his or her own backpack. They have
their own obligation and responsibilities. In a seeming reversal of this exact
thought, however, Paul next turns to warning against the fallacy of confusing
the sin of the neighbor with one's own. We
may bear one another's burdens, but we must still carry our own. According to
Betz, Paul here is warning against "taking on more than one can
handle." He goes on to argue that, in fact, "there is no
contradiction between this statement and that in 6:2 because 'sharing the
burdens of life' does not eliminate the fact that everybody must learn how to
live with himself." Paul also reaffirms the theme of avoiding the
temptation to judge others negatively in relation to one's self. Because
everyone has his or her own spiritual path to be concerned with, no one should
take the responsibility to help others in the community overcome by sin as a
sign of one's own ethical superiority. For Paul this is a temptation to sin and
a form of self-deception.]
[The advice Paul offers in these
few verses seems consistent with elements of the ancient philosophical
tradition concerning friendship. If so, it would suggest that at least part of
the concern Paul has is to strengthen the bonds of friendship within the
community.
For example, Xenophon says that
Socrates tried to cure any of the distress of his friends that arose from
ignorance. He would tell them how to help each other according to their power.
One day, Socrates notes that Aristarchus looks down, so he says, “Aristarchus,
you seem to have a burden on your mind. You should let your friends share it;
possibly we may do something to ease you.” His problem is that since the
revolution, family members and their slaves have come to live with him, he is
financially stressed, and he cannot get a loan. He says it is hard to let
people die, but in a time like this, he may have to do so. Socrates responds by
wondering how another person has had similar circumstances, and yet is doing
well. The reason, apparently, is that the other has slaves who have learned a
trade, and Aristarchus has people with only a liberal education. Socrates asks
him why, just because he is related to them, that he thinks he should allow
them to lay around, sleeping and eating, but doing nothing to support
themselves. He asks, with irony, of course, “Or is it your experience that
idleness and carelessness help men to learn what they ought to know and
remember what they learn, to make themselves healthy and strong, and to get and
keep things that are of practical use, but industry and carefulness are useless
things?” Socrates then offers some advice:
You don't love these ladies and they
don't love you: you think they are a tax on you, and they see that you feel
them to be a burden. And the danger in this state of things is that dislike may
grow and their former gratitude fade away; but if you exert your authority and
make them work, you will love them, when you find that they are profitable to
you, and they will be fond of you, when they feel that you are pleased with
them. Both you and they will like to recall past kindnesses and will strengthen
the feeling of gratitude that these engender; thus you will be better friends
and feel more at home.
Aristarchus considers the advice wise, implements it, and
people in the household are now happy: “They loved him as a guardian and he
liked them because they were useful.”[8]
Another example is in Aristotle. He ponders whether we need
friends in good fortune or in bad. His conclusion is both. Of course, one needs
friends when one experiences bad fortune, but one is nobler when one has
friends in good times. One has need for companionship for a happy life,
regardless of circumstances. Our grief is lighter when we share it with others.
They share our burden. Their presence by its pleasantness, and they thought of
their grieving with us, make our pain less. We also give pleasure to our friends
when we go through good times.[9]
The theme of
Galatians 6:6-10 is generosity.
6 Those who are taught the word must share in all
good things with their teacher. [This
counsel re-affirms what it means to bear burdens. The hearers of the word have the
obligation to support the ministers of word, though he seldom asserted his own
claims. Paul is thinking of imparting
material goods. Further, if you are to test your work, you will do so with the
one teaching you. One who lets the word teach them are humble rather than
conceited, competitive, envious, or deceived.]
7 Do not be deceived; God is not
mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. [Paul is expressing something
like karma in its interaction of deed and consequence.[10]
Barth discusses this verse in the context of considering the people of God
within world occurrence. His point is that God will not be unfaithful either to
the divine self or to humanity. He thinks this a glorious and terrifying
feature of history. God does not remove the good creation in spite of what
humanity does to it. God does not let it fall. God will not overthrow humanity.
God will not withdraw what God has given. Yet, God will not allow mocking. When
humanity is unfaithful to God and therefore to fellow human beings and to
oneself, it becomes inevitable that what God has given humanity for salvation
becomes a means of punishment. For him, this is a terrifying element in the
course of world history. Rather than mock God — which the proud are prone to do
— these believers know that “you reap whatever you sow” (v. 7). [11]
For Barth this sowing and reaping have an intimate connection to the notion of
God not being mocked. The people of God
are not immune from divine judgment. For Christians, there is an essential
connection between the one passion of the Son of God and the many sufferings
that we see afflicting Israel, the Church, the world, and us as individual
Christians. We experience the suffering that Jesus experienced for us. Not in
the same way, of course, but we receive justification apart from receiving what
was our due. In contrast, for some, the verse refers to sowing temporal
goods. I Corinthians 16:1 says the
Galatians were asked to contribute to the collection for Jerusalem. Could they be stingy? He passes from the support of clergy to a
general principle of liberality.
8
If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh;
but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. [In particular, “if you sow to your
own flesh (or, as in 5:16 — ‘gratify the desires of the flesh’), you will reap
corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit (or, as in 5:16, 25 —
‘live by the Spirit’), you will reap eternal life from the Spirit” (v. 8). Paul
has just spoken of the kind of seed sown.
Now he speaks of the nature of the ground. The flesh yields blighted corn.[12]
In contrast, “eternal life” is the new
eschatological life in the full sense, in comparison with which earthly life is
life only with reservations. Life in the full sense is life related to its
divine origin, permeated by the Spirit.[13]The way of the Spirit is to do what is right,
work for good, and offer gentle reproof with humility. According to
Richard B. Hays, verse 8, contrasts sowing to the flesh and sowing to the
Spirit. Therefore, it
… encapsulates the message of the
letter as a whole. It is not a moralistic warning against sensual
self-indulgence; instead, it is a
warning against placing confidence in anything that belongs to the realm of the
merely human - particularly circumcision. Paul insists that only the Spirit of
God has the power to confer life."]
9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, [To summarize, they are not to be full of conceit, possess a
competitive spirit, or envy others. Instead, they are to restore transgressors
with gentleness, bear each other’s burdens, test one’s own work in order to
eradicate self-destructive pride, and graciously share with their teacher(s).
Why] for we will
reap at harvest time [kairw idiw], if we do
not give up. [Paul expands the vision to the
more general concept of beneficent actions. Although not explicitly restated in verse 9, the
alternative for anyone who gives up, succumbs to, and gratifies the desires of
the flesh is “corruption [jqoran]].”10 So then,
whenever we have an opportunity[kairon], let us work for the good of all, and especially
for those of the family of faith[touVoikeiouV thV pistewV]. [Appropriately,
then, Paul offers one final instruction for those who “live by the Spirit.”
They are not to limit the expressions of their Spirit-led lives to certain
people or communities. Christian love is first exercised within the community,
but it is shown to all, even one's enemies. For Barth the one who loves God cannot be solitary,
a religious individual with individual concerns, joys, wishes, and
achievements. Fellow believers, and more than that, brothers and sisters,
accompany the one who loves God from the beginning. These are the people of God
and partners in the covenant, part of the “household of faith.” To love God is
to be together with other people whom God also calls to serve. To love God is
to stand in one of the many human relationships that exist here, uniting with
others who love God.[14]]
[Aristotle begins his discussion of
our relationship to money by pointing to the deficiency of meanness, the excess
of prodigality, and the mean of liberality. The prodigal wastes wealth, which
is a sort of wasting oneself. Liberality relates to character, rather than the
amount. The poor person can be of liberal character. Liberality involves
spending according to one's wealth and on the right objects. The liberal person
will spend with pleasure in this way. The liberal person is one easy to deal
with in matters of money. The prodigal is self-indulgent and does not live with
the noble in view. In IV.2, he discusses the person of magnificence, for this
person is able to spend large sums for the sake of honor and with
public-spirited ambition.[15]]
[The theme of Galatians 6:11-16 is that of offering a postscript or
summary, adapting the closing to a refutation of his opponents. Tolmie says
the Paul now adapts the conclusion to his rhetorical purpose in this letter,
that of persuading the Galatians to his gospel. Paul closes his letter by
reasserting that circumcision is not necessary for conversion to Christian
faith (Galatians 5:2-12), and making the obvious metaphorical connection
between "works of the flesh" and the literal physical mutilation of
flesh of which circumcision consists.]
11 See
what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! [The passage has long fascinated
commentators and casual readers alike. At this point in the original
letter, Paul stopped dictating to his secretary and wrote the last section in
his own hand. No extant manuscript exists that reveals itself to be the
original based on this statement. Most scholars believe that this parenthetical
aside means that somewhere there may well be the original letter on which the
apostle himself wrote. Why would Paul do this? Letters were earlier forged, as
II Thess. 2:2, 3:17, so he had this precaution against such forgeries. F. F. Bruce says Paul did this because of the
emphasis he wanted to place upon what he was now writing. He summarizes the
main lessons of the letter. The point is
the size of the characters he uses to write. This exclamation is not some veiled
allusion to poor eyesight, but an expression of his deep angst for them. In
short, Paul returns to the same matter that he addressed in the letter’s
opening — viz., they are in danger of “turning to another gospel” (cf. 1:6-10).
]
12 It
is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to
be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. [Here
is the danger he sees theologically. His opponents have a primary interest in making a mark on the flesh,
while Paul has an interest in the inward work of the Spirit and that Christ
formed in them. They are — to use Paul’s previous descriptors — people who
rather than bearing “one another’s burden,” add to it, “deceive themselves,”
fail to “test their own work,” and do not “carry their own loads.” Paul's opponents were selfish and
worldly. Not willing to suffer, they
held on to circumcision and zeal for the law while having Jesus as their
Messiah. The cross of Christ and the
flesh are opposed, as faith and works. One should note the thesis of R. Jewett
that Jewish-Christians were threatened by the message of Paul, because certain
zealots in Israel at this time were insisting on distancing Jews from Gentiles
on this basis in the 40s and 50s, at the possible cost of persecution and
death.[16]]
13 Even
the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be
circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. [The allusion here is not to the
impossibility of observing the Law, but to the insincerity of the people
themselves, who were not enough in earnest to observe it rigorously. They are religious hybrids who proclaim
debris. Are these people converted Jews or converted proselytes? The former is most probable. They want to gain credit with the Jews for
proselytizing.] 14 May I never boast of anything except the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the
world. [Note that Paul does not say “should be,” but “has been.” Paul has
been painfully separated from the old cosmos by the cross. He expresses the
pain of the death of Christ, the death of the old cosmos, and his death. Yes,
the dawn of the new creation, which he refers to in the next verse, begins with
painful death. Since the cross is simultaneously a human failure and a
divine triumph, Paul challenges us to "boast" in it - remembering
that our hope for new life is found only in God's grace. Paul will let others
boast in external things, but he will boast in something nobler. F. F. Bruce says it is difficult for us to
imagine the loathing that people had of speaking of the cross in the time of
Paul. Not even Romans spoke of it in polite society. Paul, however, embraces
the cross. This is a transvaluation of values. Paul has reassessed everything
in light of the cross. Barth says this means that with the crucifixion of
Christ a humanity that is directed to self-justification has become
non-existent for him. He has given up much. This world is the material universe
and external ordinances. "World"
is the present sinful world. In other
words, Paul tests his own work by placing it under the scrutiny of the cross of
Christ, which by necessity entails persecution that cannot and should not be
avoided.[17] As Luther sees it, Paul
condemns the world, and the world condemns him.]
15 For
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is [not should be] anything [second
time he says this. Paul surprises his readers by negating not merely Law
observance, but also its opposite, non-Law observance. That to which Paul
denies real existence is, in the technical sense of the expression, a pair of
opposites, what Aristotle might have called an instance of fanantia, and what
J. Louis Martyn will refer to as an antinomy. Paul denies real existence to an
antinomy in order to show what it means to say that the old cosmos has suffered
its death. ]; but a new creation is everything! [Spiritual enlightenment
is a creating anew. J. Louis Martyn says that Paul has been taking the
“invasive” route of God entering the cosmos to make right things that have gone
wrong. Paul is pondering again what things look like when God enters the
present evil age and begun to set things right. Paul does not refer to an
improvement in the human situation. Rather, Paul speaks of the dawn of a new
creation. Paul writes of what does and does not exist, not about what should
exist. He is writing of two different worlds, that of the old cosmos and the
new creation.[18]]
16 As for those who will follow
this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. ["Israel of God" is an implied contrast to "Israel after the
flesh." We find the phrase only
here in the New Testament. It stands for spiritual Israel according to Justin
Martyr.[19] Marius Victorinus says it refers to all those
who follow the Lord. Paul adds a few words in his own words. He offers a
special blessing. Large letters used for emphasis. With this blessing, Paul demonstrates one way
believers “work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of
faith.” Barth notes that for Paul, the cross changes everything, including who
“Israel” is, in that Jesus Christ is the common Lord, walking on a new ground
and in a new creation. Alternatively, if the enigmatic expression — viz., “the
Israel of God” (found only here) — refers more narrowly to Paul’s estranged
Jewish brothers, he seeks peace and mercy not only for those who hold fast to
his instructions, but also for those who apparently do not.[20]
Betz says the expression "Israel of God" was used by Paul's opponents
in Galatia to identify themselves as true Judaism in contrast with official
Judaism. One should then assume that the opponents tried to persuade the
Galatians to be circumcised in order to become part of the "Israel of
God," and that Paul was aware of this. If this were the case, he would in
fact be employing a very effective rhetorical strategy in this instance, since
he uses one of the key expressions of his opponents in order to undermine their
position: it is not they and the people who accept "their" gospel who
are the "Israel of God", but those who accept "his" gospel.
One should then assume that he relied upon the fact that the Galatians knew the
expression and that he assumed that it would be easy for them to understand
that he was in fact redefining it so that it refers to all who live according
to the rule he has just highlighted. Thus, he would have expected them to
understand that he is not referring to a separate group in the last part of his
blessing, but to the same group.]
[1] Paul refers them to the law of Christ (verse 2). He has already said in 5:13-15, that they
are to "become slaves to one another"
through love (v. 13). Paul can sum up the Jewish law in one of its
commandments: "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself."[1] The law of Christ is the law of love. Christian do-gooders help to
alleviate the struggles of others by "bearing
one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2).
[2] Some of the people we know in the church and in the
community have a lot of burdens -- economic, emotional, spiritual burdens, just
to name a few -- and taking them on can be exhausting.
The
phrase that people often used these days to capture that problem is
"compassion fatigue." According to the Compassion Fatigue Awareness
Project, caregivers can become so overwhelmed that the stress of caring for
someone can lead to the caregiver having his or her own health and emotional
problems, engaging in substance abuse to mask feelings, and failing to perform
basic self-care. Compassion fatigue is especially prevalent in helping
professionals like medical personnel, law enforcement and clergy, but anyone
who is carrying the burden of another can suffer from it. Maybe that's why, as
Billy Joel famously sang, "Only the good die young."
On the surface, then, it
seems like Paul is replacing one obligation with another that can affect the
body as much as, if not more than, circumcision or any of the other
requirements of the Jewish law.
[3] -- a life that leads to "corruption" of not
only the soul but the body as well (v. 8). In 5:20-21, Paul lists a bunch of
symptoms of trying to live life in the flesh, many of which can be the result
of compassion fatigue as much as outright sinfulness.
Paul's
solution to the life of the flesh is not simply a prescription to do more, or
be more religious, or fire up the willpower to do better. Rather, Paul proposes
a completely different kind of life that is lived in the Spirit: a life that is
not dependent on the meager reserves of our own resources and abilities, but a
life that is animated, dominated and motivated by the Holy Spirit. The life of
the Spirit gives the Christian goo-goo a wealth of reserves from which he or
she can begin to do good all day every day.
[4]
Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume
III, 246.
[5]
Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume
III, 62.
[6]
(Gospel and Law, 1951, 77-8).
[7]
(Paul, 83).
[8]
Memorabilia 2.7.1-14.
[9]
Nicomachean Ethics 9.11.1-6.
[10]
Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume
III, 566, basing his thought on John Hick.
[11]
(Church Dogmatics IV.3 [72.1] 700).
[12]
(Church Dogmatics, II.1 [30.2] 405).
[13]
Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Vol
II, 347.
[14]
(Church Dogmatics IV.2 [68.3] 806).
[15]
Nichomachean Ethics, IV.1.
[16]
(“The Agitators and the Galatian Christians,” NTS, 17 1970-71, 205).
[17]
(Church Dogmatics, IV.1 [61.4] 638).
[18]
J. Louis Martyn, ‘The Apocalyptic Gospel in Galatians’ (Interpretation 54, no.
3 (2000): 246–66)
[19]
(Dialogue 11.5).
[20]
(Church Dogmatics III.1 [40] 33).
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