Galatians 6:11–18
Up to this point Paul has been dictating his letter to a secretary. For the final lines of his letter he picks up the reed pen himself to authenticate what has been written. Not content to merely write a closing greeting, he adds a few lines of final argument against the †Judaizers and in defense of himself (vv. 12–14, 17). He ends as he usually does, wishing his readers “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” but adds the word “brothers,” an affectionate final touch that is unique to Galatians.
Paul’s Postscript (6:11–18)
11See with what large letters I am writing to you in my own hand! 12It is those who want to make a good appearance in the flesh who are trying to compel you to have yourselves circumcised, only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13Not even those having themselves circumcised observe the law themselves; they only want you to be circumcised so that they may boast of your flesh. 14But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation. 16Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God.
17From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.
18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
OT: Pss 125:5; 128:6
NT: Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 5:17; 10:12; 11:22–31; Gal 5:6, 11; Phil 3:3–8
Lectionary: 6:14–18: St. Francis of Assisi; Common of Saints
Instead of writing, “This greeting is in my own hand,” as he says in other letters,1 Paul draws attention to the difference between his handwriting and his secretary’s. His writing is in large letters, matching Paul’s self-affirming character (unless, as some think, it was due to eye problems; see 4:15).
In a final effort to counter the propaganda of the †Judaizers, who promoted circumcision, the Apostle takes aim at their motives, which deserve criticism. He points out their desire to enhance their own reputations and to avoid persecution. Ambrosiaster, a fourth-century commentator on Paul, remarks on his boldness: “Paul was never intimidated by his opponents. He consistently refused to keep silent about the truth.”2 Paul asserts that the Judaizers want to make a good appearance in the flesh. What does this odd-sounding phrase mean? It is obvious that the word “†flesh” here does not have the same meaning it had earlier when it referred to human sinful tendencies (5:16–24; 6:8). Here it refers to the physical body and, in particular, to circumcision, an operation on “the flesh” (Eph 2:11). The fact that Paul goes from one meaning to another without drawing attention to the difference is deliberate. In Paul’s eyes there is a real connection between seeking glory through what is external and physical (“flesh” in one sense) and the self-centered tendencies of a sinner (“flesh” in the other sense).
Of course, the Jewish nation of Paul’s day did not see it that way. Whoever was circumcised was regarded positively, because circumcision was the sign of belonging to the chosen people, the descendants of Abraham (see Gen 17:9–14). For Jews, retaining the foreskin evoked repugnance and disdain because it was a sign of belonging to the pagan world. In Philippians, Paul explains that if he had wanted to, he could have been “confident in flesh” like the Judaizers, above all because he was “circumcised on the eighth day” (Phil 3:4–5).
In addition to their desire to make a good impression, Paul discerns a lack of Christian courage in the motives of the Judaizers. They want to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. †Faith in the crucified Christ did arouse persecution from Jews who could not bring themselves to believe in a †Messiah who, by crucifixion, had become “a curse” (Gal 3:13). Before his conversion Paul had actively persecuted the followers of Jesus.3 After his conversion he became a victim of persecution himself (see 5:11; 2 Cor 11:24). The Judaizers could reduce the hostility of their fellow Jews by preaching circumcision to converts from paganism, thereby showing that faith in Christ was contributing to the expansion of ethnic Israel.
Paul elaborates on his point, telling the Galatians that the †Judaizers want to have reason to boast of your flesh—again, †flesh in the physical sense, through the circumcision of the Galatians. Persuading converts from paganism to accept circumcision was a feather in the cap of the Judaizers since it demonstrated to other Jews that they had won a victory for Judaism over paganism, using the Christian faith as the means of that victory. Paul denounces this quest for human boasting as a lack of uprightness in their intentions and as a kind of hypocrisy. The Judaizers claimed to seek the good of the Galatians; in reality they were seeking their own advantage and did not deserve to be listened to.
A third reason for mistrusting the Judaizers was their inconsistency. They were urging †Gentile Christians to be circumcised and observe the †law of Moses but did not observe the law themselves. Paul does not explain what part of the law the Judaizers were not observing. In 5:3 Paul stated emphatically that circumcision made people “bound to observe the entire law.” Being circumcised and then transgressing the law is inconsistent and contradictory behavior that deserves to be condemned. On the one hand, through circumcision they enter into the exclusiveness of Judaism; on the other hand, by not observing the law, they remain outside it. Such inconsistency demonstrated that their conduct was inspired not by any genuine conviction but by other considerations—namely, to “make a good appearance” (6:12), to “boast” (v. 13), and to avoid being “persecuted for the cross of Christ” (v. 12).
Paul instead is perfectly consistent. He excludes any boasting that is not related to the cross of Christ. He preaches “Jesus Christ . . . crucified” (3:1; 1 Cor 2:2) and has renounced boasting for any human reason. He boasts instead in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is paradoxical to speak of boasting in the cross, since crucifixion was regarded as the most shameful of all punishments. Besides inflicting incredible pain, crucifixion was intended precisely to expose the condemned person to public humiliation. The crucified Jesus was mocked and insulted.4 How is it even conceivable to boast in the cross of Jesus? Only by going beyond appearances to recognize the profound meaning of that event can a person perceive an action of God whose results are positive beyond imagining. Contemplating Jesus’ cross, Paul recognizes a sublime demonstration of love: the Son of God “has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal 2:20; see Eph 5:2, 25). Jesus surrendered himself to his enemies to be nailed to the cross and die on it. Already glorious in itself, such a feat of love became even more glorious because of its wonderful fruitfulness: “by becoming a curse for us” Christ “ransomed us from the curse of the law” (Gal 3:13), because his death on the cross procured for him—and for us—new life that is no longer subject to the †law (2:19). God truly “raised him from the dead” (1:1) and made him “†Lord” of all (1:3; Phil 2:8–11) and, more personally, “our Lord” (Gal 6:14, 18). All believers can now exclaim, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (2:20), and this leads them to boast in the cross of Christ.
Since it is the cross of the Lord, it is glorious. Nevertheless, it remains a cross and thus marks a radical break with the world for Christ and for believers. Paul is keenly aware of this and expresses it with a twofold declaration: through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. This statement is puzzling for various reasons. First, because it speaks of the world in relation to the cross of Christ, but mostly because it declares that the world was crucified by means of the cross. Why would Paul say the world is crucified? Certainly, the one who was crucified was Jesus! How is it possible for the world to be crucified? The answer is that Paul understands the event at Calvary as bringing a kind of destruction on the harmful entities that exist in the world. “World” here is intended negatively to refer to the totality of the powers of evil that wreak havoc on earth. These forces raged against and attacked Jesus’ mortal body and were, in a certain sense, destroyed along with it. Jesus’ crucifixion has deprived them of the power they previously possessed (John 12:31–33; 16:33; Col 2:15). A passage in the Letter to the Romans offers an analogous interpretation. “We know,” says the Apostle, “that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with” (Rom 6:6; see 8:3). In a certain sense, the world was nailed to Jesus’ cross to be conquered by it. Paul’s words express a mutual repudiation: Paul has broken with the world, and the world has broken with Paul because he has been “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:19).
Now Paul unexpectedly returns to the issue of circumcision. The connection to the foregoing lies in the fact that circumcision and uncircumcision are earthly realities. In contrast, the Apostle’s life—and that of every believer—is found at another level of existence that Paul calls a new creation. In Isaiah, God announced that he would create “new heavens / and a new earth” (Isa 65:17; see 66:22). This prophecy found its fulfillment in Christ’s resurrection, so that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17) and has “put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Eph 4:24). For the believer, in a profound way earthly conditions have now been surpassed. Circumcision has lost its religious importance, while uncircumcision had none. At the end of his Letter to the Romans, Paul acknowledges a difference between God’s relation to Jews and his relation to the †Gentiles because of God’s special history with Israel,5 but the Apostle does not mention this distinction in this letter. Instead, the particular crisis in Galatia led him to emphasize the complete absence of distinctions at the deepest level, where “there is neither Jew nor Greek” and all are “one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). This is the essential message of the letter. †Judaizers considered circumcision fundamentally important because it was a means by which people could enter into Abraham’s line of descent. But Paul denies its importance and demonstrates that †faith in Christ makes a person enter Abraham’s line of descent in a far more valid manner. Circumcision and the legal system of the Jews were in the process of being reduced to expressions of Jewish national identity, legitimate as such, but which absolutely must not be imposed on Gentile converts from paganism.
Paul considers his declaration in verse 15 as a rule that the Galatian Christians need to follow (the same verb used in 5:25). The Apostle pronounces peace (see 1:3) and mercy from God (see Rom 15:9) to those who keep in step with this rule. He adds and to the Israel of God, a phrase that does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. There are two psalms that end with the wish, “Peace upon Israel!” (Pss 125:5; 128:6). By specifying that he is referring to the Israel of God, Paul is making a distinction. Some people suggest that he is distinguishing between the Church as “the Israel of God” and the Jewish people as “Israel according to the †flesh” (1 Cor 10:18). However, Paul’s wording does not favor this interpretation. After invoking peace and mercy on “all who follow this rule,” referring to Galatian Christians who reject the †Judaizers’ teaching about the necessity of circumcision, he adds, “and to the Israel of God,” apparently a distinct category of Christians. Consequently, “the Israel of God” probably designates not the Church but rather a part of it, Jews who believe in Christ and are therefore authentic children of Abraham, as opposed to those who are children only according to the †flesh (Gal 3:7; 4:22–23; Rom 9:6–9).6
Before writing his final greeting, the Apostle lets slip a moving request in which he reveals his weariness after the battle he has fought in this letter. He asks now to be spared any more trouble and gives as a reason the marks of Jesus that he bears on his body. Although the Greek term for “marks” is stigmata, Paul is not saying that he bears the five wounds that marked Christ’s body (St. Francis of Assisi was the first to experience that †grace), but rather he refers to the scars he bore from his apostolic sufferings. Paul lists some of these sufferings in 2 Cor 11:24–25, which include receiving thirty-nine lashes five times, three beatings with rods, once being stoned (Acts 14:19), besides other hardships. Paul calls them the “marks of Jesus” because his scars are the direct consequence of his service to Jesus. They constitute a participation in Jesus’ passion7 and therefore deserve deep respect. Paul invites the Galatians to consider them.
As is true in Paul’s other letters, the last sentence is a prayer-wish of †grace for his readers. Instead of saying, “Grace . . . be with you” (as in Rom 16:20 and 1 Cor 16:23), he says, “Grace . . . be with your spirit.” The spirit of a person is his or her inmost self, capable of receiving divine grace, so that he or she may be raised up to a vital union with Christ.
At the end of this letter, Paul’s prayer for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ takes on an intense significance, since all the Apostle’s effort in this very passionate letter has aimed at keeping the Galatians from a temptation that would have led them to be “fallen from grace” (Gal 5:4) and to “nullify the grace of God” (2:21) by putting conformity to the †law at the foundation of their Christian lives instead of the free gift of God.
In contrast to the reprimand that called the Galatians “stupid” (Gal 3:1), the last word, brothers, expresses the Apostle’s affection for the Christians of Galatia and gently invites them to remain united to him.
1. Col 4:18; 2 Thess 3:17; see 1 Cor 16:21.
2. Ambrosiaster, Epistle to the Galatians 6:12, in ACCS VIII:101.
3. Gal 1:13; Acts 8:3; 1 Cor 15:9; Phil 3:6.
4. Matt 27:39–44; Mark 15:29–32; Luke 23:35–39.
5. “I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy” (Rom 15:8–9 RSV; see Luke 2:32).
6. Some scholars, nevertheless, interpret Paul as referring to only one group, the Church, and base their argument on the context of Galatians as a whole, since Paul has argued that those who have faith are “children of Abraham” (3:7) and has forcefully stated that there is “neither Jew nor Greek” in Christ (3:28).
7. 2 Cor 4:10–11; Phil 3:10; Col 1:24.