20) Galatians 4:12-20
Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. (Galatians 4:12-20, ESV Bible)
Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. (Galatians 4:12, ESV Bible)
All Things to All People
In his epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul told the God-fearing Galatian believers, "Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are" (Galatians 4:12). In what way had Paul become like the God-fearing Gentiles, and in what way did he want them to become like him?
Some scholars, even the eminent Rabbi Yechiel Lichtenstein, suggest that this means that Paul chose to live as a Gentile, abandoning some matters of Torah (such as high dietary standards perhaps) in order to live, function, and reach out among the Gentiles. This may be the case. If so, Paul beseeched the Galatians to join him in his in-between status, neither at the highest Torah standard nor as a pagan participating in idolatry.
Although we can only speculate as to what he means when he says, "I also have become as you are." it certainlv relates to another key Pauline passage:
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
This passage presents several problems. It seems to imply that Paul adopted hypocritical pretenses in order to win people to the gospel. When around Jews, he acted Jewish; when around Torah-observant people he pretended to be Torah-observant; when around non-observant people he acted non-observant, and so forth. In fact, when Paul does make strong statements about his faithfulness to Torah, many New Testament teachers point to this passage to explain that Paul was only pretending to be Torah-observant, but in fact he no longer kept the law. For example, many New Testament teachers explain that when Paul paid for the sacrifices of four believing Nazirites and underwent the completion of his own Nazirite vow in Acts 21, he did so only for the sake of appearing to be Torah-observant so that he might "win those under the law." That explanation paints a troubling portrait of Paul as disin-genuous, deceitful, and hypocritical. This method of evangelism has often been attempted in Messianic Jewish circles. Jewish Christians used to pretend to be Torah-observant to hopefully win Jewish people to Messiah, but in fact they did not believe in the ongoing authority of the Torah. Their observance was only a pretense to lure Jews closer.
I do not believe that was Paul's mode of operation, nor do I believe it should be ours. The 1 Corinthians 9 passage employs terminology that we have previously learned in our study of Galatians. Having worked halfway through the Epistle to the Galatians, we stand in a position to understand 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 better.
To the Jews as a Jew
Paul says, "To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews." In fact, Paul was Jewish. He never quit being Jewish. He only means that, when among Jewish people, he employed that common ground to his advantage. He shared with them a common cultural and historical heritage. He used that common ground in order to present the gospel. For example, when in the synagogue of Pisidan Antioch, he offered a teaching steeped in Jewish terminology and prophetic expectation to argue for Yeshua as the Messiah.
To Those Under the Law
Paul says, "To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law." Why does he differentiate between "the Jews" and "those under the law"?
Previously, we have observed that Paul sometimes uses the term "under the law" to refer to the Jewish people in general (e.g., Galatians 4:4-5), but more often he uses it to refer to converts to Judaism, Gentiles who place themselves "under the law" in the same manner as the Jewish people by taking on "the works of the law" that identify a person as Jewish.
Because of that, I read this as referring to those Gentiles who have already converted. If so, the phrase should be understood, "To those who have gone through conversion and become Jewish, I became as one who had gone through conversion to become Jewish (though not myself having undergone conversion to become Jewish)." In other words, he accepted the proselytes' status as converts, reached out to them at their level, and presented the gospel as relevant to them in their new status as proselytes to Judaism, even though he was Jewish and not a proselyte to Judaism.
To Those Outside the Law
Paul says, "To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law" (1 Corinthians 9:21).
In this context, "outside the law" does not refer to lawlessness or paganism. It refers to Gentiles who have not undergone conversion and are not undergoing conversion, i.e., Gentile God-Fearers. Paul becomes as they are. For example, Paul set aside his high halachic dietary standards for the sake of table fellowship in Antioch. That is not to say he ate forbidden foods or unclean meats, but where there was room to budge, he did so. (The God-fearing Gentiles were probably, for the most part, eating according to the biblical dietary laws as well. At the very least, they did so when eating with Jews.)
Paul explains that he himself is not "outside of the law," that is to say, he himself is not a Gentile God-Fearer. Instead, he is under the "Torah of Messiah." He remains legally Jewish in Messiah, but he bends where he can bend and he flexes what can be flexed in order to win those who are not Jewish.
I Have Become as You
Perhaps this is how we should understand Galatians 4:12 as well: "Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong." Paul entreated the Galatian Gentiles to make social sacrifices just as he did for them. In order to eat with them and fellowship with them, he had to bend his halachic standards. Now he begged them to join him in that place of social tension. Just as his loyalty to the non-Jews cost him prestige and status within the Jewish community, loyalty to Yeshua cost the God-Fearers social status in the Gentile world. The Gentile Roman world shunned them because they adopted aspects of Judaism and no longer participated in the Roman cult. The Jewish community looked askance at them because they did not elect to undergo full conversion.
You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. (Galatians 4:13-15, ESV Bible)
Paul’s First Arrival in Galatia
When Paul and Barnabas first arrived in the province of Galatia, Paul was sick and in need of rest. In another place, he described his typical experience: "On frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure" (2 Corinthians 11:26-27).
Paul apparently arrived in need of convalescence and spent extended time in the community while he recovered. The God-fearing Gentiles of Galatia nursed him back to health while he shared the gospel message with them. He recalled, "It was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first" (Galatians 4:13). He said that they received him as a messenger of God and as the Messiah Yeshua himself, a direct allusion to the Master's words to the apostles: "Whoever receives you receives me" (Matthew 10:40).
Recalling that first visit with some nostalgia, Paul asked, "What then has become of the blessing you felt? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me" (Galatians 4:15).
Readers sometimes speculate that Paul suffered some sort of eye trouble, perhaps a result of his Damascus-road blinding, but that cannot be proven from this verse. This may simply be an idiom like, "You would have given your right arm for me" or "You would have given me the shirt off your back."
Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Galatians 4:16, ESV Bible)
Paul the Enemy
Paul asked, "Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16). The answer is yes, that is the case. All through the Bible, every teacher and prophet who speaks the truth of the word of God experiences enmity from those to whom he speaks it. Sadly, that seems to be the biblical pattern, and Paul experienced it with the Galatians. By telling the Galatians that they should not consider conversion as an option, he earned the enmity of those who were already inclined to go down that path.
They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. (Galatians 4:17, ESV Bible)
The Influencers
Paul spoke directly of his conflict with the influencers, his opponents in the theological battle for the allegiance of the God-fear-ing Gentiles in Galatia. He said, "They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them" (Galatians 4:17).
"They" are believers in Messiah, possibly proselytes who do not accept Paul's unique gospel of Gentile inclusion. We have been referring to them as "the influencers" because they were influencing the believing Gentiles to undergo conversion to become Jewish, but they did not refer to themselves by that name.
Paul said, "They make much of you, but for no good purpose." They made much of the Galatian Gentiles; they made much over them because they were trying to persuade them that their Gentile status in the synagogue and in Judaism was inappropriate. They applied all forms of persuasion: taking up the cause of the Gentile believers, showing sympathy for their plight, all in an attempt to bring them into the fold. As believing proselytes themselves, they were motivated to do so because the God-fearing Gentile believers did not share their own status. The God-Fearers had upset the established social boundaries, and that probably made it difficult for Jewish believers and proselytes who were trying to have a positive, normal relationship with the rest of the Jewish community.
Moreover, they probably truly believed that, without full conversion, the Gentile believers were shut out of the kingdom. Paul said, "They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them." The influencers wanted to shut the God-fearing Gentile believers out of the synagogue and theologically out of the kingdom unless they agreed to undergo circumcision and conversion.
It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! (Galatians 4:18-19, ESV Bible)
Paul’s Big Concern
Paul expressed his anguish for the believers. He truly believed that the conversion of the God-fearing Gentiles was a mistake. He declared that he was "again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!" (Galatians 4:19). That is to say that he felt like a woman going through labor a second time, giving birth to the same baby. Nevertheless, he was willing and able to go through it all again for a single goal: "Until Messiah is formed in you."
How does Messiah form inside of someone or inside of a body of believers? Paul mentions the concept here offhandedly, but the entire epistle looks toward that goal. He was worried about them until Messiah was formed within them.
In first-century Judaism, a disciple sought to emulate his teacher. Yeshua himself said: "A disciple is not above his teacher, but evervone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40).
What is your goal in life? Job, career, status, spouse? If you are a disciple of Yeshua, your goal is supposed to be imitation of the Messiah. Paul referred to that goal when he used the phrase "until Messiah is formed in you." It is a simple principle to grasp, but not such a simple principle to implement.
Perhaps Paul feared that the Galatian Gentiles were trading their identity in Messiah for identity in Judaism, so he was afraid that they were abandoning that high calling of discipleship. That does not mean that Judaism and discipleship to Messiah are incompatible; not at all. For Jewish believers, they are not only compat-ible; they are inseparable. For a Jewish believer to abandon Judaism is an abandonment of discipleship. Paul was speaking to Gentile believers, and in his mind if the Gentile believers were to become Jewish, they would forfeit their central identity in Messiah alone. They would become Messianic Jews so long as they retained their faith through the conversion, but they no longer needed to rely solely upon Yeshua for their sense of attachment to God, the kingdom, and the people of Israel.
The great danger was that Messiah might not be fully formed in them. Their Jewish identity might become fully formed, but Messiah might be set aside set on the shelf, so to speak, put into the "maybe-he-is, maybe-he-isn't-the-Messiah" category, or placed into the "I think he was a good man and a good teacher" category because Messiah will no longer matter. Yeshua will no longer be the Gentile believer's center of identity. This was a big concern for Paul.
Christianity
This is also a big concern for me-not because of Judaism, though, but because of Christianity. Unlike in Paul's world, where being a Christian required an all-or-nothing commitment of radical devotion and discipleship to Yeshua, being a Christian in today's world can mean a taking-for-granted, lukewarm, casual, religious affiliation in any number of institutions which requires no social discomfort whatsoever. Being a nominal Christian requires no separation from the world -nothing, really. The average believer today has no compulsion to become like the Teacher.
Do we even know his teachings? In speaking with people, I find that, on the whole, we do not. Based on our behavior, one would think that most Christians, most believers, most Messianics have never even read the Sermon on the Mount. Where is longsuffering? Where is forgiveness? Where is the man who turns the other cheek?Where is the man who repays evil with good? Where is the man who removes the log from his eye before pronouncing judgment on the speck in his neighbor's eye? Where is the man who walks the straight and narrow, who asks, seeks, and knocks?
If we were serious about the business of seeing Messiah formed within us, we would be serious about the business of heeding his words and obeying them, lest we be like the foolish man who heard his words but did not heed them, and so built his house upon the sand.
Most believers are not serious about the business of seeing Messiah formed. Most of us are not even aware that the goal of discipleship is to be like the Master.
We see ourselves and other professing believers behaving in the same worldly ways as the rest of the world, as if it is completely normal for a Christian to do that. We have the same entertainments, the same low standards and values, the same rates of promiscuity, the same types of materialism, the same rates of marriage failure, and the same types of petty quarrels, rivalries, and hatreds-as if it means nothing at all to be a disciple or to be a believer.
Why is this? Because we do not have this goal: to be like Messiah. We do not have this purpose: Messiah formed within us. Even if it is our goal, it is too easily forgotten, abandoned, set aside, and left to wither.
Consider the Apostle Paul's words; empathize with his anguish; internalize his pain. He felt like a woman in labor for the same child, as it says in the prophet Hosea 13:13: "The pangs of childbirth come for him, but he is an unwise son, for at the right time he does not present himself at the opening of the womb." It is like the opposite of being born again. Our Master says, "Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
Remember the holy apostle's philosophy of life: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). May the Holy One, blessed be he, be pleased to grant us success, that his son Yeshua may be fully formed within us, "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah" (Ephesians 4:13).
Referneces
This lesson was curated from teachings from First Fruits of Zion “Holy Epistle to the Galatians.”