Gal. 4:14. but you did not despise my trial in my flesh, nor were you disgusted by it,
You know, he says, that in bodily weakness, that is, amid persecutions and dangers, I preached the gospel to you, and you, however, did not turn away from me; these trials of mine, that is, persecutions, wounds, and the like, did not lead you into temptation and did not cause you to despise and abhor me. And at the same time, in a subtle way, he also shames them, showing how much he endured for their sake from his opponents.
Gal. 4:14. You received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
You so honored me, he says, as if I were more than a man. Is it not strange that at the time when I was being persecuted and driven out, you received me as an angel and as Christ, and were not offended, but now, when I counsel what is proper, you consider me an enemy and do not accept me?
Gal. 4:15. How blessed you were!
In bewilderment and amazement he says: what has become of your former blessedness? That is, where has all that gone for which everyone called you blessed, as those devoted to your teacher? What is it now? What has your former blessedness turned into? Now I do not see it, since you are hostile toward me.
Gal. 4:15. I testify about you that, if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.
Previously, on account of my preaching, you considered me dearer even than your own eyes; so what has happened now that you suspect me as an enemy? For it would be strange if the one whom you so honored were to say these things to you with hostile intent.
Gal. 4:16. So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
I know of no other reason for the enmity, he says, except that I told you the truth and exposed those who were in error regarding the dogmas. But for this you ought rather to love me even more, as one who has fulfilled the duty of a guardian.
Gal. 4:17. They are zealous for you, but not in a good way; rather, they want to shut you out, so that you may be zealous for them.
Zeal is a praiseworthy thing when someone imitates the virtue of another, but it becomes bad when someone strives to remove the virtuous person from perfection. And these people are trying to exclude you, that is, to deprive you of the more perfect state and knowledge in Christ and to cast you into the less perfect, which consists in the law, so that you would regard them as teachers, be zealous for and imitate them as disciples. But I wished that you would be guides to perfection both for them and for all. And so it was when I was with you. He points to this very same thing below as well.
Gal. 4:18. It is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only in my presence with you.
Do you not see, he hints at the fact that they rivaled everyone in perfection when Paul was among them? And he also gives to understand that his absence gave rise to this evil. It would be excellent, he therefore says, if not only in the presence of the teacher, but also in his absence, the disciples thought what was proper.
Gal. 4:19. My children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth, until Christ is formed in you!
He imitates a mother trembling for her children. You, he says, have distorted the image of Christ which you had within you from baptism, and you require a new rebirth and re-creation, so that the image of Christ may again appear in you and His character be imprinted upon you. Again I am in the pangs of birth, again I am regenerating you through teaching. But I do not despair. Therefore I also call you children, so that you too would not lose hope. And this is against the Novatians: Paul regenerates and renews the Galatians, but they (the Novatians) do not accept correction through repentance.
Gal. 4:20. I would desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice, for I am perplexed about you.
I am not satisfied with letters, but would wish to be with you and to change my voice, that is, to turn it into lamentation and weeping. I am at a loss what to say about you, how you who had risen so high that you even underwent dangers for the faith and performed signs through it, are now retreating to the weakness of the law. Therefore I would wish to lament over you in your presence. For when he found himself in difficult circumstances, he would usually give himself over to tears.
Gal. 4:21. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law: do you not listen to the law?
After he had already sufficiently softened them and drawn them to himself, he again enters into dispute, pointing out that the law itself does not wish to be observed: answer me, he says. He also said beautifully: "those who desire," because such a situation depended not on the demand of things, but on their inappropriate passion for disputes. And by the law he means the book of Genesis, since it is his custom to call the entire Old Testament the law.
Gal. 4:22. For it is written: Abraham had two sons, one from a slave woman, and the other from a free woman.
Above he said that you are children of Abraham. But since the sons of the patriarch were not of equal dignity, but one was from the slave woman and the other from the free woman, he now shows that you are not only children, but are such as the free and noble one was. Thus has faith ennobled you.
Gal. 4:23. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh; while he who was of the free woman was born through the promise.
Since his words that they are sons of Abraham seemed incredible — whether those who were not born from him according to the flesh are truly children of Abraham — Paul says that even Isaac, Abraham's own son, was not born from him according to the flesh — for how could this be, when nature had become dead? — but the word of God and the promise formed him. Ishmael, on the other hand, was born according to the natural order. This is precisely what the expression "according to the flesh" means. But despite this, the one born according to the flesh is a slave and excluded from the inheritance, while the one born not according to the flesh is the master and heir. What then prevents you, even though you were not born from Abraham according to the flesh, from being his sons? For you too received a new form of existence through the pronouncement of words at the baptismal font.
Gal. 4:24. In this there is an allegory.