SAY IT LIKE IT IS!

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ‘A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.’ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.

“Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!” Galatians 5:7-12

In a few terse sentences, Paul uses words like a slashing sword.

“Who cut in on you?” First slash: have you considered the credentials of the people who are telling you this nonsense? Who are they and what authority do they have? What relationship do they have with the truth? 

The first responsibility these believers had was to check the credibility of the ones who were teaching them and what they were being taught, against the truth. At that stage they had only the Old Testament and the apostles’ teaching; no written record of the life and teachings of Jesus and the interpretation of His yoke from the apostles whom He had authorised to go and teach all nations.

Were these Juadiazers part of the Twelve? No! Were they disciples of the apostles? No! Were they authorised to go in Jesus’ name? No! In whose name were they going? In the name of the same religious leaders and their successors who crucified Jesus and persecuted the believers!  Were they proclaiming the truth? No! What was the truth? Jesus!

These men had no authority from Jesus and they did not preach Jesus. They were imposters.

Second slash: these false teachers were in danger of God’s judgment. A disciple of Jesus had no right to add to, subtract from or change the rabbi’s yoke. What was Jesus’ yoke? Himself. He was the model and the teacher of the truth about God, about Himself, about people and about God’s kingdom, all of which formed His yoke. Whatever was in line with Him was the truth because He declared that He and He alone is the way to the Father, the truth about the Father and the life outside of which everyone and everything is dead. He died and rose again to prove it.

These false teachers met none of these criteria. They were dead!

Third slash: it was the preaching of the cross that was offensive to the Jews and brought the wrath of the Jewish leaders down on the believers’ heads. They rejected the message of a crucified Messiah. They said He was a blasphemer and an imposter, so they crucified Him and persecuted those who followed Him. If Paul was preaching circumcision as the truth, why did the Jews hate him? Persecution was another of the evidences that he was on the right track because he identified himself with his Master who was hounded to the cross.

The false teachers were part of the persecutors. They were on the wrong side.

Fourth slash: this time Paul really hit below the belt! I wish the knife would slip and mutilate their bodies completely. If they want to draw blood, let it be their own and not that of their victims. Paul’s anger spilled over into words of deep frustration. For what purpose was the shedding of Gentiles’ blood? Jesus has already shed His blood for the sins of the whole world. What more do we need?

Implied in Paul’s outburst was the wish that these men would so disfigure themselves that they would no longer be able to reproduce the pernicious teaching that was sucking in ignorant and innocent victims just to get a following and boost their own egos.

Four mortal blows against the false teachers. Would the Galatians listen and heed Paul’s warning?

What about us? What have we added to the death of Jesus to “help” Him to make us acceptable to God just in case He is not satisfied with what Jesus did by His life and death?

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.