Galatians 4:21-31
Human beings are tribal. We create tight communities, but there are also outsiders. Our loyalty is to the people who are “in” and not to the people who are “out.” You can see this everywhere. Cubs fans and Sox fans have a friendly, sometimes not-so-friendly, rivalry. But it’s not like they know each other. They are loyal to their teams, their tribes. We can see the same thing in political parties or families.
St. Paul writes to the Galatians to talk about tribal loyalty, whether Jews and Gentiles could be part of God’s kingdom. He uses Abraham’s family as a metaphor. Sarah and Isaac represent God’s chosen people, the people of God’s promise. Hagar and Ishmael represent the outsiders.
St. Paul uses this metaphor to show us that God’s grace doesn’t follow human rules. God creates a tribe by his choice, not by our own actions. Isaac wasn’t naturally the heir. He wasn’t more faithful. He wasn’t more legitimate. God chose Isaac, because he chose Isaac. That’s it.
God chooses us for his tribe, too. It doesn’t follow our rules. Listen to hear more.