Understanding Paul’s Use of Allegory
In Christian culture, a popular allegory can be found in the Chronicles of Narnia movies. Here, the lion Aslan is typically thought of as representing Jesus Christ, even though this is never directly said in the movies themselves.
Allegorical interpretation is an interpretive method (exegesis) which assumes that the Bible has various levels of meaning and tends to focus on the spiritual sense (which includes the allegorical sense, the moral (or tropological) sense, and the anagogical sense) as opposed to the literal sense.’ Source: Wikipedia, Allegorical interpretation of the Bible
The most common allegories found in New Testament scriptures are Jesus’s parables. Parables tell a story to bring home a main theological point. Once you recall some of the main themes of Galatians, Galatians 4:21-31 become much clearer.
Verse 24 says…’these things may be taken figuratively’ to highlight a deeper theological message is at hand. Here, we see a clear example of why understanding Scriptural context is SO important!
v.22-23- Hagar is the slave woman whose son Ishmael was born into slavery, Sarah is the free woman whose son was born through the promise of God. Just like Issac, Jesus was born through the promise of God.
v.25- Why is Hagar compared to Mount Sinai in Arabia and the present city of Jerusalem? The persecutors of the true gospel of grace (the Judaziers) are centered in Jerusalem!
Galatians 4:21-31 can be very challenging to observe. Allegories always rely on the rest of Scripture to present a hidden, but true message. Consider rereading Galatians 4:1-20. Or, read Galatians 5:1-15. Also, refer to Genesis 21:1-10, 16:1-2, and 17:15-22 for clearer understanding of Gal 4:21-31.
Jason Marshall