Galatians 6:11-13 11See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
Paul now picks up the pen and parchment and writes the closing of the letter in his own hand writing. As far as we know, Paul used secretaries called amanuenses to help him write his letters. He does not mention who his writer is with this letter. Closing a letter like this would be like adding a signature. Anything written in this section would be Paul’s last words to the Galatians and thus would be highly significant and important.
He writes this closing with large letters. There have been many theories about why, including that he had poor eyesight or poor handwriting. It does not good to speculate about what he means here. It would be awesome to look at the original manuscript to see what this may have looked like, but because of time and situations, it is next to impossible for this ever to be found.
At the top of Paul’s list of concerns remains the false teachers who had come to Galatia and preached a distorted message that the Galatians needed to be circumcised. Verse 12 shows some of their motivation, which is given in two parts. First, they want to make a good showing. They want to impress people, possibly by their own good works and self-righteousness. Their efforts are all in the flesh. This prepositional phrase has several connotations. One is that it reflects the “works of the flesh” of 5:19-21, all of which are self-serving but destructive. A second is that it connects the whole enterprise of the false teachers of circumcision with seeking to please God in selfish ways. Circumcision and legalism as well as sinful actions come from the same root problem of the flesh.
The second motivation is that they want to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Paul knew first hand about troubles from the Jews. In many places in his travels, he faced opposition from local Jewish leaders and people. If he would have conformed to Jewish expectations, he may have avoided a lot of these troubles. Likewise, these false teachers were trying to be Jewish in order to avoid persecution from the Jews. Ironically, this is what Peter did in Antioch, as Paul mentioned in 2:11-13. Those who follow the way of the cross can expect persecution, especially in the context of the early church. This persecution came to the early Christians from both Jews and Gentiles.
Circumcision itself is not the problem. It is a neutral action to the male human body. The meaning behind circumcision, however, is the determining factor. The agitators in Galatia were preaching a distorted gospel of works righteousness, which would be most evident in circumcision. However, these false teachers were not keeping God’s law. They were living in the flesh and were showing many of the same outcomes as listed in 5:19-21. They had missed the most important part of the law, the very heart of the issue, which is love. The only way to live by love is through submission to Christ and the filling of the Holy Spirit. These people wanted to win the Galatians over to their opinions so that they could boast in the flesh of the Galatians. They wanted to feel good because they had made converts to their opinions. There is a certain self-satisfaction that comes when we get people to go along with us. We just need to make sure that what we promote is the truth of the gospel and not empty speculation or fleshly self-promotion.
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