Galatians 4:29Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"But what kind of freedom is this," someone will say, "if the Jews everywhere rule and punish believers with scourges, while those who consider themselves free suffer persecution?" Indeed, this was so at that time, when the faithful were everywhere persecuted. "But this circumstance must not trouble you," the Apostle says, "for it too was prefigured in the same image. Isaac, though free, was persecuted by the slave Ishmael." What then? Is this the whole consolation, that the free should know they will endure persecution from slaves? "No," he says, "I do not stop here. Listen also to what follows, and then you will receive sufficient consolation not to lose heart in persecutions."

The Church, he says, being barren like Sarah, not only became the mother of many children, as Sarah did, but also gave birth in the same manner as she did. Nature did not make Sarah a mother, but the promise did. For He Who said, "I will return to you at this time" (Gen 18:10), entered the womb and formed the fruit. So also with us, as was said above, the divine words spoken at baptism accomplish a new creation. Then, lest someone say, "What kind of freedom is this, when the Jews scourge the believers, and those who think themselves free suffer persecution?" he says that it was the same then. Ishmael persecuted Isaac. Yet this in no way prevented the one persecuted from being the lawful son of Abraham and lord over the persecutor. Therefore, from this very persecution of us by the Jews, our likeness to Isaac and our kinship with Abraham are revealed.

What does this mean, brethren? What harm did Ishmael do to the boy Isaac by playing with him? Yet this play, lusio, was deception, illusio. This play symbolized error. Consider, beloved, a great mystery. The Apostle calls it persecution. The very play, the very amusement, he calls persecution, for he says: But as then he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now (Gal 4:29). That is, those born according to the flesh persecute those born according to the Spirit. Who are those born according to the flesh? They are those who love the world and love what passes away. Who are those born according to the Spirit? They are those who love the Kingdom of Heaven, love Christ, thirst for eternal life, and worship God with undivided devotion.

As Ishmael offended and persecuted Isaac (Gen 21:9), so now we also suffer persecutions from them.

Indeed, the spiritual man never persecutes the fleshly man, but forgives him as a simple brother. He knows that in time the other may become perfect.

Let it not grieve you that believers are persecuted by unbelievers. For we find the same thing in the type.

“He who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit.” Here the mockery of which Scripture speaks is called persecution (Gen 21:9). Probably Ishmael, at the prompting of his mother, who feared the loss of the inheritance, sought occasions to offend his rival and persecuted him by his mockery. “So it is now.” Already in the time of the Apostles, the Jewish Church, fearing that it would lose the special favor of God which it had enjoyed until then, began its persecution of Christians with mockery, reproaches, and bloody persecutions. It even invaded the Church in the form of the Judaizers and censured Christians for not fulfilling the Law. Thus the history of Ishmael’s relation to Isaac was repeated: the son of the bondwoman against the son of the free woman.

“We, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.” Thus the holy Apostle concludes his exhortations concerning the glorious freedom from the law: “We are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Stand therefore in the freedom with which Christ has made us free, and do not again be subject to a yoke of bondage.” That is, if you wish to be children of the Jerusalem above, free and heirs of God, cast away the law.

Continuing the comparison, the Apostle cites the testimony of the prophet Isaiah. The children of the Church are born not carnally, but spiritually, by power from above, as Sarah gave birth according to the promise. This prophecy was fulfilled in Christians converted from paganism. They are children of Abraham according to the promise fulfilled in Christ, through Isaac. We are like Isaac in an unusual birth. The likeness also appears in this: Isaac, born wondrously according to promise, was wronged by Ishmael, who was born naturally. So also now those who descend from Abraham according to the flesh persecute those spiritually born from him in Christ. But then God commanded that the offender and his mother be cast out. The same, clearly, must be so now.

The second mark of the glory of faith and of believers is the certain right to the inheritance, of which he speaks in the next verse. This verse, by clarifying the parallel between believers and Sarah's child, serves as a transition to it. The Apostle speaks as though saying: Hagar with Ishmael depicts those under the Law, and Sarah with Isaac depicts believers. What was said before should assure you of this. But you can also see it tangibly even now. Then the fleshly Ishmael wronged the spiritual Isaac. The same occurs now. Those under the Law, prefigured by Ishmael, who worship God according to the elements, persecute us, prefigured by Isaac, who serve God spiritually. They persecute us because, having been spiritually born from God, we serve God spiritually and not elementally.