Galatians 1:11-24
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I want
you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that
was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not
receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but
I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
You have
heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently
persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy
it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of
the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions
of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before
I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased
to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among
the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor
did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles
before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards
I returned to Damascus.
Then
after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas
and stayed with him fifteen days; but I did not see any
other apostle except James the Lord's brother. In what I
am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went
into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown
by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they
only heard it said, "The one who formerly was persecuting
us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy."
And they glorified God because of me.
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Reflection on
Galatians 1:11-24
by Bert Whitcombe
In The Letter to the Galatians, Paul is relating the
power that he has received through a revelation from The Christ,
a truth that exceeds the vision of us humans. The source of this
understanding is neither from us nor is it created in our minds
but through the Creator.
In his introduction he describes his journey both in spirit and
in his travels as he shared his vision revealed through Jesus, with
the communities he encountered. He traveled throughout the lands,
to Arabia, and to Damascus, to Syria and Cilicia. He visited friends
and their communities and in doing so he walked upon the Earth,
this most wonderful blessing from The Creator, and saw the multitude
of expressions of the peoples of the places he visited, their cultures
and how their livelihoods were expressed in the patterns daily lives.
And in this he saw the truth of the Revelation, that we are all
the children of God, that the words of Jesus, Love One Another,
live together, share your gifts with each other, these truths are
universal and unbending, though the place, the language, the customs,
the foods that are eaten, which are all driven by the natural manifestations
of Earth, our home, be different, we are All children of God.
As we travel, in our 'modern' times, on this very same Earth, with
the very same Revelation offered to us, we also can look out on
the places and people we encounter, and see the beautiful array
of lifestyle, and topology and know that we are All called to respect,
commitment and Love with one another.
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