BEARING THE MARK OF CHRIST

In my nearly two decades of Pentecostal Christianity, I had misunderstood Galatians chapter 6, especially verse 17. I had misinterpreted what Paul meant when he said: “From henceforth, let no man trouble me: for I bear on my body the marks of my Lord Jesus”. I had thought this scripture was Paul’s retort to naysayers and his invocation of God’s protection against his enemies. I had used that scripture to pray for God’s protection; I had assumed that by bearing the mark of Christ on my body, the enemy would not be able to attack me. I had misunderstood Paul because the mark, for him, was proof of the attack of the enemy and the world upon him. The Greek word for “mark” in the context of Galatians 6:17 is “stigmata” which simply denotes the infliction of wounds on the body. This word shares the same epistemological root with the word “stigma”. Basically, in the Greco-Roman-Jewish tradition of that time, stigmata were usually sutured on the skin of slaves and cattle in a way that suggested that they were forever at their owner’s/master’s beck and call. This new understanding of Galatians 6:17 challenged me. It made me ask myself: what bodily wound or societal shame have I borne for the sake of Christ, my master?

To provide a little more context to Galatians 6:17, Paul, in the earlier parts of Galatians 6, was addressing Judaizers in Galatia who were fixated on observing certain Jewish laws (while ignoring others) as a means to holiness. Paul felt a bit disappointed in the way these Judaizers challenged his teachings and the way they chose religiosity over sincere commitment to Jesus Christ. Hence, Paul told them: “let no man trouble me” –– that is, “do not inundate me with your religious queries”. Before making this statement, Paul had mentioned in the same chapter that he would glory in nothing but the cross of Christ. And now in verse 17 of Galatians 6, he is saying that he bears the mark of Christ on his body. These statements, again, point to Paul’s absolute commitment to Christ; it means that he is completely sold out to Christ, the same way a slave is sold out to his master. He is a prisoner – not held by chain but by commitment – to Christ. The marks on his body, of course, are the wounds and scars he got from proclaiming Christ as the son of God; they are the corporal punishments inflicted on him for being a disciple of Christ. They are his stripes of persecution which point to Jesus’ stripes at the crucifixion. The marks confirm Christ’s ownership of Paul; they confirm the fact that Paul did not own his life because he has been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). Put differently, the immeasurable amount of suffering that Paul went through because of his association with Christ constituted the mark of Christ indelibly inscribed on him; they formed the stigmata that underlined his devotion to Christ (I Corinthians 11:24-27)

As I earlier mentioned, this new understanding of Galatians 6:17 challenged me–– and I hope it challenges you too. While many of us are not might not experience bodily mutilation because we choose to follow Christ, I wonder if the mark of Christ is inscribed on our minds? I wonder if the stamp of Christ reflects in our worldview and in the way we navigate our daily lives? Do people see the evidence of Christ’s ownership of you? Would people look at your life and conclude that you are sold out to Jesus. Has your affiliation with Christ ever been seen as a stigma by the world? Whether we like it or not, we are all marked by something. If the marks we bear are not Christ’s, then we must ask ourselves: whose/what marks do we bear?