O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke 3 recorded John the Baptizer’s greeting to the people who were coming out to be baptized by him: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7). Jesus says to his disciples(!), “If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children…” (Matthew 7:11). Here Paul calls the Galatians foolish. What’s up with this?
John the Baptizer was a wild prophet. He dressed funny. He ate locusts and wild honey. He did not pull punches – even when it meant confronting the king who would take his life. So in a sense it’s not too surprising that he would be so harsh in his greeting to the people who came to be baptized by him. Jesus is the embodiment of grace and truth. He claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. Although his assessment of the disciples was harsh – calling them evil – it was true. We’re all sinful by nature, we fallen creatures.
So I suppose Paul is in good company as he expresses dismay at the Galatians’ abandonment of the truth of the gospel. But I wonder, is he being too harsh? After all, they’re new believers. The Christian faith was very new to them. Perhaps they thought it was only a more full expression of the faith that they were embracing. By going along with the Old Testament Laws about food and drink, not to mention circumcision, maybe they thought they were rounding out their faith.
But the whole point of the gospel is that we’re put right with God through faith in Jesus, and by God’s grace. No ritual, religious observance, sacrifice, or need to go up to the Temple avails before God. But not only are these unnecessary, they undercut the gospel message. They cloud our view of God’s grace and truth. There is much at stake here.
A gentleman in a church I served once claimed that the only truly acceptable form of worship what that which came from the Lutheran hymnal, and that any other form of worship was sinful. Wrong. Evil. Try as I might, I could not convince him otherwise. I could not help him to see that we have freedom in our religion for many different expressions of worship to God. Oh, foolish man! Who has bewitched you? Sadly he was convinced that he was defending true Lutheran teaching – Formula of Concord Article X notwithstanding.
I’m not sure I like being called evil – by Jesus or anyone else for that matter. But I’d rather be corrected and taught humility than be allowed to abandon God’s grace in an ill-advised attempt to impress the king of the universe any day. Truly, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6).
David Bahn - Reflections 
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