Galatians 4:1-31
1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. 19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
Hagar and Sarah
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:
“Be glad, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
"But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Galatians 4:4)...This single verse powerfully answers the question of Jesus's timing, declaring that His arrival was no accident but a moment of Divine Perfection...It was a time when the world was uniquely prepared for His message, with common languages and a unified empire that allowed for the gospel to spread quickly and efficiently...God chose the perfect moment for His Son to arrive...Galatians 4:5 then explains the purpose of Jesus's perfect timing: that we, who were once like those children in bondage under the law, "might receive adoption to sonship."...The next verses, 6 and 7, complete this thought by saying that because we are now sons, God has sent the Spirit into our hearts so we can call out "Abba, Father!"...This means that the "Perfect Time" of Jesus wasn't just about reaching a lot of people; it was about transforming us from servants into adopted children of God...
So we learn through St. Paul that Jesus's approach and timing of His three year ministry was not only effective but divinely purposeful for that specific time and audience...
Let us examine why Jesus came when He did...Let us say Jesus was wrong and should have used different times and different methods to teach us he is the Son of God...A most compelling counter-argument to His coming at a different a later time is that a modern-day Jesus would be equipped with 21st-century knowledge and tools, could have reached a far greater number of people with irrefutable proof of His Divinity...He could have went on the internet and facebook and shown us many things and His miracles and His Great Wisdom...He could sharie scientific information and facts that in the 1st century would have been meaningless, but would that prove to all of us that this internet person is Jesus...If Jesus came today, He would not have to rely on parables about shepherds and vineyards to explain complex spiritual truths...Instead, He could use modern analogies and, more importantly, provide scientific, verifiable evidence of His Great Power...
Imagine Jesus not just healing a man born blind, but explaining in perfect detail the genetic mutation that caused the blindness and then demonstrating how He restructured the DNA to fix it...He could heal all cancer and terminal deaths that would come to Him...He could speak in detail about the intricacies of the human genome or the specific quantum physics governing the universe...Such a display would not be "unimpressive" to a modern audience; it would be the definitive proof we so often demand...These demonstrations would be globally televised, live-streamed to billions, and meticulously documented by scientists, making Him an instant global phenomenon...But would we believe His claims of being the Son of God?...
Furthermore, a modern ministry would not need to be confined to a small, isolated region...With a smartphone, Jesus could have created and distributed His Own Unique Content, going viral in a way that eyewitness accounts in papyrus scrolls could never achieve...The message of love and salvation could have spread globally in an instant...A single sermon could be live-streamed, reaching more people in an hour than the disciples reached in a lifetime...In this scenario, the dependence on a few eyewitnesses would be replaced by billions of digital spectators...The faith He requires would still be there, but it would be a faith built on a foundation of undeniable, worldwide, digital-age miracles and proofs that we, in our skepticism, might feel we need...Or would we believe Him?...
Of course, this hypothetical ministry would face new challenges...Probably everything He would do would go viral...Instead of Pharisees, Jesus would contend with social media trolls, fake news, and a culture of instant gratification...The core of Him coming into today's world for the first time I would believe that there are modern Pharisees waiting to challenge Him...Our own biases and perspectives would still blind us...But the methods He would use to overcome those biases would be different...He could bypass the need for a slow, word-of-mouth ministry and use technology as a megaphone to shout His message from the rooftops...In this way, He could arguably be more effective in convincing a cynical, science-based, 21st-century world of His Divinity...The Truth of the Gospel would be less about a historical account and more about an ongoing, globally accessible, and scientifically verifiable phenomenon...
However, after contemplating this hypothetical scenario, it becomes clear that the initial discussion of a today's ministry remains the most profound...While this modern-day ministry would be a fascinating spectacle, it would likely dilute the very essence of faith and humility that Jesus came to teach...Would we see His mrecy, forgiving, loving, Ways...Could we see that He is, in fact, full of Grace and Truth...The fact that the most Impactful Person in history came to a small, obscure region and worked through a handful of ordinary people is a miracle in itself...His methods—parables, personal encounters, and a life of sacrifice—were not about dazzling a scientific community, but about transforming the human heart...This perspective is not only correct, but it highlights the perfect wisdom of God's original plan...
So, while we can only imagine a Jesus for our time, the reality is that the Jesus of the 1st century is Perfectly Timeless and Eternal...