Excerpt from: “Christmas Expectations and Preparations: An Advent Devotional” by Diane Hunter, pg. 87-89, 2020.
Scripture Reading: Galatians 3:23-29
23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring,heirs according to the promise.
Meditation
In the book, “Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten,” Robert Fulghum offers little quips most of us learned in kindergarten. For example: wait your turn, share everything, play fair, don’t hit people, put things back where you found them, say “you’re sorry” when you hurt people, and don’t take things that aren’t yours, etc. We all remember learning these simple lessons because we learned them by repetition.
The law that Paul describes in Galatians 3 as the disciplinarian is similar to kindergarten. Everything you need to know about pleasing God, is found in the Law. Everything you need to know about treating your neighbor fairly, is found in the law. “Before faith came” some people had split the law into minute details of obedience that were near impossible to attain—in essence imprisoning themselves to tithing, long prayers, and religious cleanliness. These tedious practices of the Law also became the religious expectation for the people in guarding against impiety.
So, Paul is telling the Galatians (and us) that Jesus came to “set the prisoner free” (see Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:16-21) and faith in Christ is our graduation from kindergarten where we are grown-up children of God.
Prayer Prompt: Dear Lord, teach me your law of love. Amen.