11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I made a protest against him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.
Say sharp words to sinners when all are present, so that the rest may be in fear.
Now certain men came down from Judaea, teaching the brothers and saying that without circumcision, after the rule of Moses, there is no salvation.
My loved ones, while my thoughts were full of a letter which I was going to send you about our common salvation, it was necessary for me to send you one requesting you with all my heart to go on fighting strongly for the faith which has been given to the saints once and for ever.
If we say that we have no sin, we are false to ourselves and there is nothing true in us. If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil. If we say that we have no sin, we make him false and his word is not in us.
But when I saw that they were not living uprightly in agreement with the true words of the good news, I said to Cephas before them all, If you, being a Jew, are living like the Gentiles, and not like the Jews, how will you make the Gentiles do the same as the Jews?
When they saw the grace which was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who had the name of being pillars, gave to me and Barnabas their right hands as friends so that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision;
To whom we gave way not even for an hour; so that the true words of the good news might still be with you.
I have been forced by you to become foolish, though it was right for my praise to have come from you: for in no way was I less than the chief of the Apostles, though I am nothing.
I say this by way of shaming ourselves, as if we had been feeble. But if anyone puts himself forward (I am talking like a foolish person), I will do the same. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they of Israel? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking foolishly) I am more so; I have had more experience of hard work, of prisons, of blows more than measure, of death. Five times the Jews gave me forty blows but one. Three times I was whipped with rods, once I was stoned, three times the ship I was in came to destruction at sea, a night and a day I have been in the water; In frequent travels, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from outlaws, in dangers from my countrymen, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the town, in dangers in the waste land, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers; In hard work and weariness, in frequent watchings, going without food and drink, cold and in need of clothing. In addition to all the other things, there is that which comes on me every day, the care of all the churches.
For in my opinion, I am in no way less than the most important of the Apostles.
And Moses said to Aaron, What did the people do to you that you let this great sin come on them? And Aaron said, Let not my lord be angry; you have seen how the purposes of this people are evil.
And Paul, looking fixedly at the Sanhedrin, said, My brothers, my life has been upright before God till this day. And the high priest, Ananias, gave orders to those who were near him to give him a blow on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, God will give blows to you, you whitewashed wall: are you here to be my judge by law, and by your orders am I given blows against the law? And those who were near said, Do you say such words against God's high priest? And Paul said, Brother, I had no idea that he was the high priest: for it has been said, You may not say evil about the ruler of your people.
And Barnabas had a desire to take with them John, named Mark. But Paul was of the opinion that it was not right to take with them one who had gone away from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone on with the work. And there was a sharp argument between them, so that they were parted from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and went by ship to Cyprus;
So they, being sent away, came down to Antioch, and having got the people together, they gave them the letter. And after reading it, they were glad of its comfort. And Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, gave teaching to the brothers and made them strong in the faith. And when they had been there for some time, they were sent back in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. [] But Paul and Barnabas kept on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of God, with a number of others.
But he, turning to Peter, said, Get out of my way, Satan: you are a danger to me because your mind is not on the things of God, but on the things of men.
And Jesus made answer and said to him, A blessing on you, Simon Bar-jonah: because this knowledge has not come to you from flesh and blood, but from my Father in heaven. And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock will my church be based, and the doors of hell will not overcome it.
So now, O Lord, give ear to my prayer and take my life from me; for death is better for me than life. And the Lord said, Have you any right to be angry?
And Jonah got up to go in flight to Tarshish, away from the Lord; and he went down to Joppa, and saw there a ship going to Tarshish: so he gave them the price of the journey and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the Lord.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Galatians 2
Commentary on Galatians 2 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 2
The apostle, in this chapter, continues the relation of his past life and conduct, which he had begun in the former; and, by some further instances of what had passed between him and the other apostles, makes it appear that he was not beholden to them either for his knowledge of the gospel or his authority as an apostle, as his adversaries would insinuate; but, on the contrary, that he was owned and approved even by them, as having an equal commission with them to this office.
Gal 2:1-10
It should seem, by the account Paul gives of himself in this chapter, that, from the very first preaching and planting of Christianity, there was a difference of apprehension between those Christians who had first been Jews and those who had first been Gentiles. Many of those who had first been Jews retained a regard to the ceremonial law, and strove to keep up the reputation of that; but those who had first been Gentiles had no regard to the law of Moses, but took pure Christianity as perfective of natural religion, and resolved to adhere to that. Peter was the apostle to them; and the ceremonial law, though dead with Christ, yet not being as yet buried, he connived at the respect kept up for it. But Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles; and, though he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, yet he adhered to pure Christianity. Now in this chapter he tells us what passed between him and the other apostles, and particularly between him and Peter hereupon.
In these verses he informs us of another journey which he took to Jerusalem, and of what passed between him and the other apostles there, v. 1-10. Here he acquaints us,
Gal 2:11-21