In today’s first reading St. Paul calls the Galatians “stupid” not once but twice. “O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you…Are you so stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?” Galatians, descendants of the Celtic tribes, were a little “hardheaded” and required a more direct approach at times. The first culture Greco-Roman world was more direct and less diplomatic. So, while Paul’s words are harsh, they would not have sounded so harsh to the first century Celts.
Paul is fighting for what he calls the “truth of the gospel.” This truth is that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ and not by observing “works of the law” specifically the law of circumcision. Paul’s opponents argued that circumcision was necessary for salvation following the teaching in Genesis: “If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if the flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Genesis 17:14). Paul argues that Christ alone is sufficient:
“Moreover, not even Titus, who was with me, although he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised, but because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, that they might enslave us—to them we did not submit even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain intact for you.” (Galatians 2:3-5).
In today’s reading Paul is trying to impel the Galatians to remember this truth of the Gospel. They were pagans when they came to faith in Jesus Christ and were justified and received the gift of the holy Spirit. Why do they want to be circumcised? What else do they want? Paul puts two questions to the Galatians:
- “I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard?”
- “Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you and works mighty deeds among you do so from works of the law or from faith in what you heard?”
Paul thinks the Galatians are “stupid” because they already have the Spirit and forgiveness or justification. They are right with God. They will gain nothing by being circumcised.
Paul challenges us today to recognize the center of our faith or the truth of the Gospel and not let other traditions or customs divert us from this central truth. We are justified by faith in Jesus Christ and are called to live in freedom of the Gospel.
Image: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)” by mike_fraga3 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.