The Holy Epistle to the Galatians; Sermons on a Messianic Jewish Approach by D. Thomas Lancaster
The Holy Epistle to the Galatians is a collection of sermons originally delivered by D. Thomas Lancaster in 2008 to the Messianic community he leads in Hudson, Wisconsin. Edited for readability and compiled into book form by First Fruits of Zion, this volume contains 26 sermons covering the entire epistle verse by verse. Like other Messianic expositors, Lancaster rejects traditional Christian views of Galatians as Paul’s thesis against Judaism and the Torah. Instead he presents the epistle as Paul’s rebuke of the “Judaizers”, those who attempted to convince Gentile believers to legally convert to Judaism, and whom he labels the “influencers”
Nearly all of the 26 sermons contain specific and specialized definitions of crucial players, participants, and particulars addressed by Paul in Galatians. Drawing on James Dunn’s New Perspectives on Paul, Lancaster understands Paul to have narrowly defined the terms “works”, “works of the law”, “the law”, “under the law”, and “circumcision” to mean “legal Jewish status” when addressing his Gentile audience. Legal Jewish status is further defined as “the Torah’s marks of Jewish identity” including; circumcision of sons, Torah observance, the Sabbath, the biblical calendar, Levitical functions, the dietary laws, tzizit, tefillin, mezuzah, and the practice of Judaism. This specific and narrow definition of terms is the hinge upon which Lancaster’s entire exposition of the Galatians turns.
Lancaster understands that the earliest apostolic communities encouraged Gentile believers toward conversion to Judaism as the most natural and logical outworking of their faith and discipleship. Not until Peter’s vision of the sheet (Acts 10) and Paul’s Damascus road experience was Gentile inclusion apart from legal conversion divinely revealed and taught. Therefore, the problem of the “influencers” is presented as the continued embracing and teaching of the early apostolic practice of Gentile conversion. Because the issue of Gentile participation had not been fully resolved at the time Galatians was written (prior to Acts 15), the influencers message of conversion was persuasive and widespread. Lancaster posits that the “influencers” were Gentile proselytes who converted to Judaism either before or after coming to faith in Yeshua. Being motivated by a desire to avoid stigmatization from the greater Jewish community (who rejected Paul’s gospel of Gentile inclusion), the influencers presented a “cheap grace” approach which encouraged conversion in order to gain a place in G-d’s Kingdom while disregarding serious observance of the mitzvot in general.
In Lancaster’s view, the Gentile, “G-d Fearing” believers worshipped in the synagogue with the believing Jewish brethren. They kept the Sabbath and Festivals and other matters of Torah along with the rest of the community although they were not expected or obligated to. Galatians 5:3 is presented as conclusive proof of differing Torah obligations between Jew and Gentile. Since those who accept circumcision are obligated to the whole Torah, the opposite must also be true; that those who do not accept circumcision, and remain Gentile, are “not liable for the whole Torah in the same way as the Jewish believers”. Lancaster plainly takes this to its most logical conclusion, that G-d does have two different standards for His people, one for the Jew and one for the Gentile.
The Torah standard required of Gentile believers was to “love your neighbor” which effectively obligated them to all the “do unto others” mitzvot. Gentile believers were also admonished to “walk by the spirit” which placed them “under moral obligation to the general principles and prohibition of the Torah’s universal morality”. Lancaster vividly describes the difficult social situation of the Gentile believer from a first century context. Being stigmatized by the greater Jewish community the Gentile did not enjoy the religious protection afforded to the Jews, and was required to participate in idolatrous worship expected of any citizen of the Roman empire as his civic duty. This difficult place of social awkwardness was a great temptation to convert to Judaism which would effectively relieve such suffering.
Although each sermon contained specific definitions and unique insights, I was especially intrigued with Lancaster’s treatment of Galatians 4:21-31, Paul’s allegory of the bond woman and the free woman (Hagar and Sarah). The two women, and the sons that they bore, are understood to illustrate two ways that Gentiles attain the status of “sons of Abraham”. One is by means of earthly, physical circumcision and conversion to Judaism, represented by Hagar and her “son of Abraham” born of the flesh, Ishmael. Hagar is described as “bearing children for slavery” as Gentile believers who converted place themselves under “a type of slavery” coming under submission to the Sanhedrin and Jewish authorities. Lancaster expands this thought further when commenting on Galatians 5:1 where the “yoke of bondage” Paul describes is presented as the “slavery” of working for a status that Yeshua has already provided for the Gentile through faith in him, that of a “son of Abraham”.
The free woman (Sarah) and her son, Isaac, illustrate the second means by which Gentiles attain the status of “sons of Abraham”; through faith in the promises of G-d. Sarah represents the covenant made with Abraham prior to Sinai in which G-d promised that all nations would be blessed in his seed. This covenant corresponds to the heavenly Jerusalem, (i.e. the Messianic Age and World to Come) which is “free” from the slavery of working to attain status in G-d’s Kingdom by natural means. Like Isaac, Gentile believers are children of promise, born of faith (as are all believers in Yeshua).
Paul admonishes to; “cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman”. The inheritance here, in Lancaster’s view, is the promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. When a Gentile believer converts to Judaism he no longer inherits this promise. Forfeiting his unique identity as a “son of Abraham” of the nations through faith in G-d’s promised seed alone, he instead takes on legal, fleshly status as a “son of Abraham” via conversion.
In general I found The Holy Epistle of the Galatians to be very enjoyable reading. The narrowly and specially defined understanding of “works of the law”, “circumcision” and like terms served as a Rosetta Stone of sorts in opening up new meanings and thoughts in every sermon presented. Yet, the exposition isn’t without its rough spots of assumptions and inconsistencies, especially in presenting exactly what the “influencers” understood and taught regarding Gentile conversion. Were they encouraging conversion as a next step of discipleship, as the only means of authentic Jewish status, or as the only way of gaining a place in theKingdom of G-d? Various sermons presented various interpretations of this which at times was confusing. I also found the idea that for a Gentile “to walk by the spirit” means observance of moral and ethical universal commands that are self-evident to all humanity, to be difficult and lacking. Despite a Divine Invitation spin on the epistle, Lancaster’s exposition leads to the same conclusion as the historic church — that of obligation toward the “moral” and “ethical” commands of Torah (only for the Gentile, not the Jew).
At one point in the book Lancaster asks the pervasive question, “why should Gentiles adopt commandments specifically incumbent upon the Jewish people”? To this he replies that such practice is about “restoring that which was lost”. Coming away from this exposition I can’t help but wonder if this is truly sustainable. After so many centuries of Church and Jewish history, is it really possible to restore that which was lost?
In a nutshell: An engaging exposition of Galatians contained in 26 individual sermons based on a Divine Invitation theology which draws heavily upon the new perspective of Paul.
