Galatians 3:1-5

A famous story tells of the tight-rope walker Charles Blondin, who set up a rope across Niagara Falls and walked across several times. So confident did he become that he made the journey backwards as well as forwards, and performed various tricks on the way, like sitting on a small stool and eating a meal. But the most famous trick was when he asked for a volunteer to be carried over on his back. In what must be one of the most supreme acts of physical trust ever placed by one human being in another, a brave, or perhaps foolish, man stepped forward, and was carried over on the great man's back.

Now suppose, let’s say about halfway across, the man being piggybacked had said to Blondin, “Hey, this has been fun, but I think I could do this on my own.  I really don’t need you to do this.  Why don’t you put me down and I’ll walk the rest of the way on my own.”  What do you suppose Blondin would say to the guy?  What would the people, on the edge of the river, say to him?  What would the guy’s family say to him? It would be something like, “Have you lost your mind? Are you an idiot? It wasn’t real bright for you to get on the guy’s back in the first place and now you are going to get off?  What’s wrong with you?” 

That is exactly the reaction Paul had when he found out the Galatians were thinking about going back to the Law for their perfection.  Listen to the first verse of Galatians chapter 3. 

Galatians 3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?

The literal Greek here for foolish is avnoetoi. “A” meaning not and noew meaning understand, perceive or think; something you do with your brains. Paul says the Galatians had “no brains!”  You can’t go half way across Niagra Falls on a tight rope and then change your mind!  You are foolish!  Listen to this verse from the NLT.  I like the last part. 

NLT Galatians 3:1 Oh, foolish Galatians! What magician has cast an evil spell on you?

Something has happened to you.  Someone has come upon you and cast a spell on you.  Something has gone wrong. We would say, “What hypnotist has convinced you that you are a chicken.  You Galatians are out of your mind!”   

Last week we learned about all about cake.  Specifically, we learned you cannot have your cake and eat it to.  Last week we learned from the Hostess cupcake that you have to make a choice.  Either you attempt to avoid sin by living by law; some system of rules, or, you allow the sweet taste of Jesus on the inside to keep you from partying; in the worst sense of the word.  You have to make a choice.  Either Law or Jesus; they are mutually exclusive. 

Now, as we come to chapter 3, Paul is going to argue that the Galatians have made the wrong choice.  They are like the guy on Blondin’s back who changed horses in mid-stream.  Hmmm… a horse metaphor.  I don’t think I so, not a horse metaphor.  Let’s stay with the tightrope metaphor. 

Here is the point.  You have to choose between Law and Jesus to be right with God. The Galatians changed their mind and got off Jesus’ back in the middle of the tightrope and are going to attempt to walk on their own by law! Paul says you have “no brains!” 

So, Paul, in an attempt to help the Galatians get their brains back and to help us make the right choice between cake or eating, asked a question.   It is the question we should ask, ourselves, every time we are tempted:
-by arrogance to think we can do it on our own. 
-to think I am pretty good, God really is lucky to have me as his guy. 
-to get off Jesus’ back and handle this sin on my own. 
-to be justified by what we accomplish. 
-to rely upon our rule system for justification. 
-to have the cake instead of relying upon the internal sweetness of Jesus to control who we are. 
We should ask this question. 

NRS Galatians 3:1-2 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified!  The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 

The question cuts to the very heart of the matter.  How did you receive the Spirit?  Even though the question is rhetorical and obviously the Galatians did not get the Spirit because of Law. I want us to explore this question, actually a series of questions, in the first 5 verses of this chapter, to really hammer this thought into our brains.  I wouldn’t want Paul to accuse us of “no brains.”  That would be a little embarrassing   Follow the thought.  Let’s break it down. 

There is a play on words here that we may miss in English.  The bewitching was literally to cast an evil eye on them.  Instead of the evil eye, they saw a portrait of Jesus painted on the cross before them.  You shouldn’t have the evil eye.  Your eyes should see Jesus on the cross!

Anytime we are feeling that we can do it on our own, we need to go back to the art gallery of the crucifixion.  Everything gets properly sorted out as we examine Jesus on the cross.  When we are tempted to have the cake we need to remember the death of Jesus.  It is all about what Jesus did for us on the cross.  

Galatians 3:2-3  The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?

Paul calls them back to their beginnings. Paul reminds them of their conversions.  When they became Christians what was it all about?  When you were baptized, when you made your first commitment to Jesus, what was it all about?  It was all about surrender.  It was all about forgiveness.  It was all about being filled with the Spirit.  It was all about joining Jesus in his death and being raised to walk a new life!  It had nothing to do with laws, or self-reliance, or earning our own way.  It was all about the sweet taste of Jesus on the inside and being new.  How then could we ever go back to doing it on our own!  How can you start with the Spirit and then go back to your own stuff?  Why would your ever attempt to walk the rope alone?

Galatians 3:4   Did you experience so much for nothing?-- if it really was for nothing.

The NIV and some of the other translations have something about suffering here.  But the thought is experiencing the Spirit.  This is an amazing concept which Paul comes back to in chapter 5.  We experience the Spirit in our everyday life.  We are to be led by the Spirit.  We encounter, what I am going to call, Spiridences.  Do you know what I mean? 
-You car runs out of gas right in front of the house of someone you are supposed to talk to. 
-The person in the grocery store is right in your way and needs a word from you. 
-You “accidentally” call the wrong number and have a meaningful conversation. 
-You just come up with just the right metaphor to make a sermon work.

We experience the Spirit.  Here is the point.  Do Spiridences happen because of you; because of your laws; because you are so smart; smrt, I mean, smart?  No. They come because we have the sweet taste of Jesus on the inside.  They happen because we are still on Jesus’ back as he walks us through life!

Now here is the kicker.

NRS Galatians 3:5 Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

Think back on the times when God has answered our prayers in power.  When the only explanation is a miracle, why does it happen?  Because of you or because of the Spirit?  When we experience miracles is it because of the great things we have done or the great power which is a work inside us?  Miracles happen because we have the sweet taste of Jesus inside us! 

Paul says, “Get some brains! Look at what is going on in your lives!”  All the most meaningful things that have ever happened in your life are because of the Spirit on the inside, not the laws on the outside. 
-Your conversion was all about Jesus on the cross!
-Your Spiridences are all about Jesus working through you!
-Miracles are all about Jesus’ power in us.

Nothing significant is about You or what You have accomplished!  So, why in the world would you want to have your cake?  Just eat it!    When we are tempted to think we are doing it on our own, think about your conversion because of the death of Jesus.  Think about your experiences in the Spirit and think about the miracles you have witnessed.  These make it real.  And keep us staying on his back! 

Last week, I did not mention anything about our steps to freedom, which is the goal of this year.  The reason I didn’t talk about a step last week is because the “cake or eat it” concept is the overarching point of Galatians.  It is the point of freedom.  It isn’t a step.   It is the goal.  All the rest of the steps we will discover, point us to learning to live with the sweet taste of Jesus on the inside.  The rest of the letter to the Galatians is unpacking that concept!  All we have discovered so far is pointing to that concept.
Step one – We Please God. How? Relying on Jesus on the inside.
Step Two – The Faith becomes Your Faith. When? When we eat the cake.
Step Three – Be in fellowship. What causes that fellowship? Eating the same cake.
The Misstep of Hypocrisy is avoided because we have the cake on the inside.
Step Four – Know who you are. You are Jesus who is in us us.
New Step Five – Remember your experience in the Spirit; who is in us because of Jesus.

Wow!  I am really enjoying our trip into freedom.  Paul has written the amazing letter of Galatians encouraging us to stay on the Tightrope walker’s back. As long as we are there, on his back, ironically, we have freedom. 

Los Alamos Church of Christ
March 1, 2009