Hi James and Ellen,
Galatians is a circular letter that Paul penned that he wanted passed between the Christ-follower communities of guys and gals that were in the towns of Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. Paul had been pivotal in instigating these Christ-follower communities that were in the southern part of the region of Galatia. At the time when Paul penned the six chapters in his Galatians letter, Paul was in the city of Antioch in the country of Syria. Paul – along with Barnabas, had the city of Antioch Christ-follower community elders – in 46 A.D., lay hands on them to send them out as sent out ones – or as missionaries. An immature, wannabe reporter – whose name was John Mark, who purportedly was a friend of Peter – who was one of Jesus Christ’s disciples and an outspoken apostle, was given the okay to travel on Paul’s first missionary journey as a helper to Barnabas and Paul. When John Mark arrived in the town of Pamphylia with Barnabas and Paul, John Mark decided for whatever reason no one knows to head back to his home that was in the city of Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas in 48 A.D. returned to their sending Christ-follower community in the city of Antioch where they were debriefed on their first missionary journey. After Barnabas and Paul finished giving a ministry report to the elders in the Christ-follower community in the city of Antioch, they left on the around 400 mile ‘road’ to the city of Jerusalem – taking Titus – who was a fellow Christ-follower, with them. While Paul was in the city of Jerusalem, Paul had some non-Christ-followers or strict Mosaic Law fanatics lean on him to have Titus – who was a Greek Gentile, proactively comply to the Mosaic Law purification mandates. Even though Paul had been released by the right hand of fellowship by early Christ-follower leaders – who were James, Peter and John, to honor the call that God gave him to carry the Good News message to the Gentiles, your grandpaa thinks that Paul may not have gotten the red carpet treatment that he may have been thinking that he might get from the Christ-follower leaders who were using the city of Jerusalem as their base for doing outreach. Because Paul wrote in his Galatians circular letter that his time in the city of Jerusalem was spent with some guys who did not seem to be leaders, there is a sense that Paul while he was in the city of Jerusalem got the cold shoulder from James, Peter and John. Your grandpaa wonders if John Mark – after he aborted his trip with Barnabas and Paul and when he got back to his home in the city of Jerusalem, may have said something to his friend Peter about Paul’s teaching on believing only in Jesus Christ versus keeping the Mosaic Law regulations – which would have caused angst among the Christ-follower leaders who were basing their ministry out of the city of Jerusalem. Your grandpaa also thinks that it is plausible that Peter may not have been in the city of Jerusalem when Paul arrived with Barnabas and Titus as your grandpaa senses that Paul wanted to spend some time with Peter when he was in the city of Jerusalem at this time – as he had gotten to know Peter after his dramatic conversion fourteen years earlier when he spent fifteen days hanging out with Peter. Your grandpaa would not be surprised if the paths of Paul and Peter crossed often during the ten or so years after Paul was struck by a God sent bright light that blinded him that led him to become an authentic Christ-follower. Your grandpaa thinks that God had Paul use these ten years to get a good handle on His new belief paradigm that was centered on the life and death of His Son Jesus Christ as well as to have him establish a testimony that would allow his Christ-follower peers to unconditionally accept him as a fellow Christ-follower.
Because Paul knew that he was being snubbed by the early Christ-follower community leaders, Paul headed back to the city of Antioch. Your grandpaa knows that he is taking liberties here in what he has written but . . . Paul probably had barely gotten back to the city of Antioch when Peter showed up in the city of Antioch to confront Paul on his teachings on being justified by faith in Jesus Christ versus being justified through keeping the traditions of the Mosaic Law. Because Paul had seen Peter refuse to eat with Gentiles – as Peter still had the mindset that Gentiles and being unclean were on the same page, Paul confronted Peter in front of others about Peter’s hypocrisy towards the Gentiles. Your grandpaa wonders at the possibility that Paul had gotten word shortly before he lambasted Peter that the Christ-follower communities which he had three or so years before initiated in the southern region of Galatia in the towns of Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch – which had Christ-follower Gentile adherents, had another guy who had not given up on Jewish traditional beliefs tell them that Gentile believers were to apply the Mosaic Law to being Christ-followers. If this was the case, Paul was not in the mood to be berated by someone like Peter – who still seemed to be trying to sort out in his mind how the death of his coach and mentor – who was Jesus Christ, replaced the Mosaic Law. Paul had come to the understanding that a guy, gal or kid would be free from Mosaic Law curses as he or she is being prompted by God – as God the Spirit, to understand that freedom will be had through his or her abdication to the leading of God – as God the Spirit. to personally accept Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior.
If the Galatians letter was sent around 48 A.D., the Galatians circular would be the first known document that was penned by Paul. The Galatians letter epitomizes to your grandpaa Paul’s passionate abiding faith in Jesus Christ.
Galatians