We have heard Saint Paul say in the second reading, “From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body”. What did he mean? He had in mind a common custom of those days, namely, that of branding certain people with a hot searing iron. For example, slaves were branded as a mark of ownership; they were also branded as a mark of shame, for if a man ran away and was recaptured his master would brand him as a mark of shame and ignominy; soldiers were branded as a mark of allegiance to their generals, and religious devotees would frequently be branded by the priests in some heathen temple as a mark of devotion and fidelity. What was the mark St. Paul had on his body? Did he have the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ on his body? No, we don’t have any written documents or tradition to support that.
The apostle Paul wore a badge that marked him out as being a true servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. He bore in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Is there anything about us that marks us out as belonging to Christ and identifies us with Him? The word “I” is emphatic in the Greek. Paul said, “I bear in my body the marks of Jesus.” Was he boasting? No, but in this letter Paul was vindicating his ministry. Many of the Jewish teachers had subverted these Galatian Christians into believing that he was not truly an apostle because he had not known the Lord Jesus in the days of His flesh. So Paul compared himself with these teachers and he asked, “Have they the marks of the Lord Jesus upon them? No - but I have!” What is the proof of our attachment to Christ? Is it the words we speak? No, not primarily. There should be some distinctive marks about our lives that identify us as Christians. Saint Paul had marks on his body from being a true disciple of Jesus. He himself gives us a description of the fearful physical suffering he endured. There are five kinds of suffering mentioned “in prison more frequently…” (Acts 16:23 and Ephesians 3:1). “exposed to death again and again…” Paul was frequently exposed to death, and it seems certain that on one occasion he was actually killed, though God mercifully raised him up (Acts 14:19-20, 2 Corinthians 12:1-4). “Five times I received…the forty lashes minus one…” These were inflicted with a long leather strap divided into thongs, on each of which was attached stones and pieces of metal. Thus, the back would soon be lacerated and torn. “Three times…beaten with rods…” This method of punishment was inflicted on Paul and Silas at Philippi (Acts 16:22). “Once I was stoned…” Large boulders, as heavy as a man could lift, would be hurled at the victim until his body was reduced to a pulp. This descriptive passage of scripture explains the marks on Paul’s body - the brand-marks of the Lord Jesus. Do they not put us to shame? Most of us want to be popular Christians, and we know little of suffering for Christ’s sake. Let us remember those in many lands today who are suffering much at the hands of men and who are, for their Lord’s sake, bearing in their body the marks of the Lord Jesus. And let us pray that should we ever be called upon to suffer shame for His name we may be given grace to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).
And we have heard Jesus say in the Gospel, “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven." I think what Jesus and St. Paul say goes along with each other. We all hope and pray that our names will be found in the Book of God. I tell you, your name will be written in God’s book if you have the marks of Christ on your body. Let us ask the Lord that He will honor us by placing upon us the marks of the Lord Jesus, so that others may more readily see whose we are and whom we serve.