Thomas Aquinas Commentary Galatians 6:16-18

"And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace [be] upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Henceforth, let no man trouble me; for I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen." — Galatians 6:16-18 (ASV)

Having revealed the intention of the seducers and indicated his own, the Apostle counsels them. This involves three points:

1. To imitate him.
2. To stop being troublesome to him (verse 17).
3. He prays for grace for them to carry out what was said before (verse 18).

First, therefore, he says: My intention is to glory only in the cross of Christ. And you, too, should do this, because whoever follows this rule that I follow—namely, this proper way of glorying, “But we will not glory beyond our measure and according to the measure of the rule which God has measured to us” (2 Corinthians 10:13)—peace be on them. This peace is for those who glory in Christ alone; it is a peace, I say, by which they are set at rest and made perfect in goodness.

For peace is tranquility of mind: “Since I have become in his presence as one finding peace” (Song of Solomon 8:10); and in Colossians 3:15: “And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, in which you are also called in one body.” And upon them is mercy, by which we are set free from our sins: “The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed” (Lamentations 3:22); “The grace of God and his mercy is with his saints, and he has respect for his chosen” , namely, who are His Israel.

For “he is not a Jew who is one outwardly” (Romans 2:28). He, therefore, is the Israel of God who is spiritually an Israel before God: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile” (John 1:47). For “all are not Israelites that are of Israel: neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children; but in Isaac shall your seed be called; that is to say, not they that are the children of the flesh are the children of God but they that are the children of the promise, are accounted for the seed” (Romans 9:6). Hence, even the Gentiles have become the Israel of God by uprightness of mind, for Israel means “most upright”: “Israel will be your name” (Genesis 32:28).

Then, when he says, From henceforth let no one be troublesome to me, he admonishes them to bother him no more.

1. He gives the admonition.
2. He gives a reason for it (verse 17).

He says, therefore: From henceforth let no one be troublesome to me. This can be explained in two ways. In one way, “from henceforth” can be taken as a single concept [Latin: amodo], so that the sense is: from now on. In another way, it might be taken as two separate ideas [Latin: de cetero], so that the sense is: Let no one be troublesome to me about anything else. This is as if to say: I glory in the cross alone; with respect to anything else, let no one bother me, because I care about nothing else. But the first interpretation is better.

His saying, let no one be troublesome to me, can be referred to the false brothers, who were troubling the Apostle by raising difficulties and murmuring about the legal observances: “But as for me, when they were troublesome, I was clothed with haircloth” (Psalms 34:13). Or it can be referred to hearers who do not grasp his meaning. As if to say: Let no one be troublesome to me, meaning, let no one who hears me show himself to be such that it becomes necessary for me to labor with him again, by understanding in a way other than what I have taught.

He gives the reason for this admonition when he says, for I bear the marks [stigmata] of the Lord Jesus in my body. For stigmata are, strictly speaking, certain marks branded on a person with a hot iron. This is like when a slave is marked on the face by his master, so that no one else will claim him, but will quietly let him remain with the master whose marks he bears. In this way, the Apostle says he bears the marks of the Lord, branded, as it were, as a slave of Christ.

He does this because he bore the marks of Christ’s passion, suffering many tribulations in his body for Him, according to the saying of 1 Peter 2:21: “Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps.” He is also “always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:10).

According to this, there are two ways of connecting this with what was said before. In one way, as has been stated: let no one be troublesome to me, for I bear the marks of our Lord Jesus Christ in my body; consequently, no one has any right over me except Christ. In another way: let no one be troublesome to me, because I have many other conflicts and marks that trouble me in the persecutions I suffer, and it is cruel to add affliction to one already afflicted. Hence the complaint of Job 16:15: “He hath torn me with wound upon wound.” Nevertheless, the first interpretation is better.

Finally, he implores the help of God’s grace, saying: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. By this grace, you may carry out what was said before. This is to be with your spirit, that is, with your understanding, so that you may understand the truth. Or, it is to be with your spirit, with which you should observe the Law, rather than in a carnal manner: “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons” (Romans 8:15).