Galatians 4:14
14And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
Truth to Learn
Do not judge a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ by his appearance or his credentials. Judge him by his message.
Behind the Words
There is a variation in the manuscripts as to whether Paul says “my trial” or “your trial.” Most likely, “your trial” is the proper reading. The word “trial” is a form of the Greek word “peiradzō,” which refers to a trial, a temptation, or a putting to the test. This Greek word is used only in reference to people.
The word translated “reject” is a form of “ekptuō,” which is a compound word made up of “ek” which means out of and “ptuō” meaning to spit (most likely where we get our English slang “ptuey”). So, literally this word means to spit out, but it is often interpreted as reject. Perhaps in this verse, this word should be taken literally, however, since there was a custom in Paul’s day of spitting out at the sight of invalids, especially epileptics.
“Angelos” is the Greek word that is translated here as “angel.” The root meaning of the word, however, is a messenger and should likely be translated as such in this verse.
Meaning Explained
This is another verse that is difficult to interpret and is explained in different ways by even the most eminent of scholars. On the surface it appears that Paul is saying that the Galatian Christians did not despise or reject their trial which was in Paul’s flesh, but that doesn’t make much sense. How does one reject a trial? The interpretation that makes the most sense is that which is explained by Marvin R. Vincent, D.D. in his book Vincent’s Word Studies. He renders the previous verse and this one together in the following manner:
“Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel to you the first time, and [ye know] your temptation which was in my flesh: ye did not despise nor reject me, but received me.”
In other words, it was a real temptation for the Galatians to treat Paul with contempt and “spit out” at his appearance because of the physical infirmity that he was dealing with at the time. Instead of yielding to the temptation, however, they warmly received Paul even as they would naturally have received an angel of God. Paul reminds them that they received him and his message with eagerness, respect, and reverence because they recognized that his message truly was from God.
Application
Have you ever noticed that television and print commercials always use attractive, healthy individuals to portray their message? Even commercials for drugs don’t show someone who is sick or wracked with a diseased condition. Instead, they show someone who looks perfectly healthy, as if it is evidence that the drug has worked a miracle.
Paul could not help the way he appeared to the Galatians when he first preached the gospel message to them, and their natural reaction to him would have been one of rejection. But instead of rejecting him, they accepted him graciously, much to their benefit and to the glory of God.
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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