“Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand” (Gal. 6:11).
This is, literally, “with what large letters;” relating to the size of the letters which he was obliged to make because of his defective eyesight.
This itself was an appeal which would tenderly touch the Galatians, and revive in them the memory of the blessedness of their first days in Christianity; for, in the fifteenth verse of the fourth chapter, he says: “Where is then the blessedness ye spoke of? For I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” This was their love to him when they enjoyed the blessedness of the true gospel, which they had received, and Paul gladly witnessed to it. But there never would have been any need, nor any ground for thought, of plucking out their eyes and giving them to him if there had not been in him a manifest need of eyes.
This defect in his eyes was the result of the consuming glory of Christ that day when the Lord appeared to him as he was on his way to Damascus; for, when the vision was past, he was unable to see; and “they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.” And there “he was three days without sight,” until Ananias was sent by the Lord to put his hand on him “that he might receive his sight.” And when Ananias had so done, “immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales” (Acts 9:1-18). But forever there was thus in his flesh that mark which he calls “my temptation which was in my flesh” (Gal. 4:14).
And now, in his last words to the Galatians, when he says, “Ye see with what large letters I have written unto you with mine own hand,” it is a delicate and touching way in which he would call their attention to this affliction which they, in their love at the first, would have remedied by plucking out their own eyes and giving them to him. This expression shows to them that he had written this whole letter with his own hand in spite of this affliction, which obliged him to write in exceptionally large letters, in order that he himself might be able to see his writing. This of itself would be a powerful testimony to them of his tender love still for them, and that, whatever he had said, in none of it was there any ill-feeling toward them, but a great fear lest they should be caused to lose the great salvation that had been so freely given to them.
This writing of a whole letter in Paul’s own hand was unusual. He usually wrote the body of a letter by an amanuensis. But always, Paul would sign the letter with his own name, with his own hand, as, for instance, 1 Cor. 16:21: “The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand;” Col. 4:18: “The salutation by the hand of Paul;” and 2 Thess. 3:17: “The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.” This, indeed, became essential, because 2 Thess. 2:2 shows that there were those who were circulating letters as from Paul, which were fraudulent.