Galatians 4:15 Commentary

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Galatians 4:15

Comments

The Galatians had recognised that God uses weak instruments but that the message they bring is more precious than gold, and so they had fixed their eyes not on Paul but on the message of the Lord which he brought. This initial reception was the cause of blessing not only to the apostle, but to the Galatians. Paul is anxious not to take away anything which was true of them in those early days. Far from being bitter towards them, he is the first to witness to the strength of their early love. This generosity in Paul’s spirit is further calculated to break down their suspicion towards him. So great had been their initial love for him that no cost was too great to help him. But how great is the love which the gospel stirs up in the heart of Christians for one another. That love is a consequence of our love for Christ, and the result is we are ready to love one another as though it was the Lord himself and not our brother or sister that was before us. The Galatians saw that Paul was God’s chosen instrument and a key worker in the kingdom of heaven, and they too wanted to play their part in the advance the gospel. It was this strong affection for him that was produced by the Spirit in them which he now contrasts with the suspicion and even enmity that has taken hold of them. This loss of trust in him has cost them dear and deprived them of a very real personal benefit of joy. It has also endangered their souls and made them vulnerable to deception, for the joy which we have in the Lord and in his cause and his servants acts as a protection against false teaching.

Application

How foolish we are to be grudging and stingy with our affections! It is when we are most generous with them that we experience the greatest joy. Paul had seen in their response the depth of God’s work in their hearts and he treasured this and now sorrowed that it seemed to have evaporated. The gospel is not a message which we can respond to in a cold and measured way. It is only natural that when we hear and understand news of such paramount importance that we rejoice with our whole being. Our love for God and for his grace spills over into love for those who bring it to us.

Questions

Is the reference to plucking out their eyes merely a figure of speech, or does he mean this literally? If it is simply a figure of speech then it indicates there was no limit to what they would have done for him, but if it is literal then it sheds light on the nature of his infirmity. Paul is too precise in his reasoning to introduce random thoughts which might throw his readers off track. He always argues with great force and relevance, weaving together closely knit arguments and leaving no loose thread. What he now says about their affection towards him must include a description of their response to this trial. We therefore have in this passage an indication of exactly what it was that Paul suffered from, which he refers to as his thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him, and which he asked the Lord three times that it might depart from him (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). As far as we know, he had to carry out all his apostolic work under this burden, for we do not read that it was ever taken from him. This supposition is also supported by his personal salutation in this letter written, he says, in large letters. The Galatians longed to help him in this trial, and Paul says that if it had been possible they would have gouged out their own eyes and given them to him, depriving themselves of sight in order to relieve him to whom they owed so much. It was of course impossible that this would have helped him, and this alone, he suggests, is what stopped them going ahead.

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Galatians 4:15 Commentary and Bible Study