The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 76

hie human nature and his human life to be manifested to Israel, It found James , touched theirs in a thouee.nd we.ye; but and his brothers altogether unprepared to none the lees must they he.ve been oonsoious attach themselves to him as disciples; the.t that, in mors,l and spiritual temperament, he they would be muoh more ready to sto.nd was not one of themselves. Must not this aloof from him as at least an enthueiast- oonsoiouenees he.ve been a source of inward ne.y, by-and-by to openly pronounce, as in annoyance ?-of an annoyance e.11 the more fact they did, that he must have gone oleau frettiug because they would, of course, be 80 out of his mind? This commends itself to wholly unable to underst.a.nd how it was our e.ooeptance e.e o. perfectly self-coherent that such 11, difference obtained? Would hypothesis. Let 11B next turn our e.tteution ' not they too be not seldom "moved with to the other interpretation of the relation, envy" against this new Joseph? In intel- namely, that the brethren of the Lord were • lectual gifts, and especially in the faculty of his own uterine brothers. A moment's moral judgment and spiritual intuition, the reffectiou shows how different the conditions youthful Jesus was, in the judgment of ell would have been. On the supposition tb11t a.round, and doubtless to his brethren's own they were his younger brothers, sons of bis consciousness, incomparably their superior. mother, then we way consider that, from Could such superiority have been acquiesced their earliest years, they bad been trained, in by them easily and patiently in the case and would naturally be disposed, to regard of one so much their junior, who in fact was him with the profound deference which at the best only half their brother ? His in o. Jewish household we.a instinctively views and conceptions of religious truth accorded to the firetborn. This natural when he was twelve years old were such as sentiment of deference we must in all reason e.etonished tlrn doctors of the Law at J eru- believe to have been intensified by their salem ; we therefore cannot but feel sure consciousness of his extraordinary mental the.t, even in those earlier years of his life, gifts, both intellectual and moral, as well hi.s thoughts and reasonings were wont to e.s by the estiruation conceded to him by all· move amongst the intensely loved revela- around; while this sentiment would be tions of God's Word with a freedom wholly sweetened in its tone by their sense of the alien to their be.bits of mind ; neither fairness and the affectionatenees with which shackled by J udaical legalism, nor regardful he had always treated them, even when, o.s of rabbinical hair-splitting, nor disposed to elder brother, e.nd especially after their. respect the traditions and dicta of the elders. father's death, he may have Lad occasion to To the James and the Jude, whose natural control or reprove them. The high estima- mental physiognomy, though in its now tion with which their neighbours e.s well e.s renewed Christianized e.epect, is conspicuous their common mother regarded him would, to us in their Epistles, the strain of reli- in this case, have been no occasion of offence gious thinking and utterance which we may or jealousy; be being in blood-relationship reverently believe to have been familiar one of their very eel vee, their representative, with the youthful Redeemer must in the respect shown to him would bo.ve been days of their as yet carnal and unripened rather a cause for pride: who (they would religiousness have seemed alike repugnant feel) should be so loved and honoured e.s and unintelligible. Granted, however, that their dear J eehua? With such ho.bits of they could neither appreciate nor compre- willing affectionate deference, might it not hend, yet, as being so much older in years, be reasonably expected that, when he issued they may well have deemed themselves forth as the religious Teacher of hi.s country- authorized, by virtue of their domestic men, his brethren would be found among relation, to censure and rebuke. And sup- his most cordial adherents? In that lower posing that they did undertake by argu- sense in which we are wont to employ the ment to gainsay words of his which more expression with reference to one another, especially offended them, how could it have they had always believed in him; they been possible for them to stand their ground knew and therefore loved him too well not in encounter with One who iu after years to do so: would it not have seemed strange was seen in the supreme arena of the nation, if this constant attitude of their minds confuting and putting to silence, and sternly towards him had not now at least helped rebuking, the moat powerful reasoners in them forwards towards that higher faith Jerusalem itself? Had he no occasion in which the evangelist denotes by the term? those youthful days to <:;ruploy against them But they, one and e.11, did not believe in eiwilu.r implements of both intellectual and him I The moral probability, that is, the moral correction? And since they would probability founded upon the consideration not submit to be taught by him, would they of the nature.I effect of environing circum- not perforce resent their dc,feat? Under con- Bte.nccs upon human character and action, ditions such e.s these, is it not quite easy to affords an argument in favour of the former imagine that, when the hour came for Jesus hypothesis which, to tho present writer, OH, L 1-24,] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 11