Galatians 2:13
13 And [kai] the other [loipoy] Jews [Ioudaios] dissembled [sunupokrinomai] likewise [kai] with him; [autos] insomuch [hoste] that
Barnabas [Barnabas] also [kai] was carried away [sunapago]
with their [autos] dissimulation. [hupokrisis] KJV-Interlinear
13 And the rest of the Jews
joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by
their hypocrisy. NASB
Dissembled, ‘sunupokrinomai,’ means hypocrisy.
In his most stern words, Paul reprimands both Peter
and James, and also Barnabas, for their hypocrisy in maintaining a double standard
with regard to circumcision as it relates to salvation in the view of the
Jewish believers of that time.
Peer pressure overtook these men as they associated
with gentiles and maintained salvation through faith, but when the Jewish
believers were present, they cowered to the pressure of the current traditional
thought, by which salvation was being tied to certain Jewish works. Circumcision was one of the more prominent
works in view.
Barnabas was a believer, a Levite from the island
of Cyprus and cousin of Mark. He met Paul, then known as Saul, and became his
sponsor when Paul was introduced to the early disciples in Jerusalem, wherein
they accepted Paul very early on in Pauls ministry.
Barnabas was high up in respect and reputation
within the Christian community.
It is noted here in these verses that it took Pauls
efforts and intervention to straighten out those early leaders so far as their
beliefs and inconsistent interactions with Jews and gentiles.
They had been compromising doctrine for the
furtherance of their cultural relationships.
And when doctrine is in view, compromise cannot be allowed to interfere
with its consistent application, either because of peer pressure, or even
personal conveniences.
Today, as most likely in all generations, there are
people who have pre-existing ideas as to what the spiritual life really is. Most often it is viewed as ones personal works
or attitude which are more easily pursued, than to sit down and listen to, or
read, doctrine being taught.
To sit and concentrate seems to be an effort for
most. And while it is far easier to just
believe things that you want to believe, to do things that you want to do, to
have things that are more convenient and less confining than a daily study, than
to subject oneself to a daily study, to subordinate oneself to someone else's teaching,
places a bit of a strain on ones personal views.
Do-gooders and personal opinions and works are the
popular approaches to the spiritual life.
But they are all wrong, and in a form they are hypocritical.
Back then circumcision was the barrier of
failure. Today it is the approbation of
presenting ones opinions, that is the barrier to spiritual failure.
And today it is the social network apparatus that
seems to promote superficial spirituality, despite its phenomenal opportunity
to promote doctrine in the correct manner.
But just as in Pauls day, so too in our current
day, it is far easier to go with convenient beliefs, and ignore Gods mandate to
‘study to show yourself mature’ and learn doctrine correctly.
