Unlikely Allies (No Other Gospel #6)

In order to undercut the gospel of Paul, his opponents in Galatia tried to undercut his authority. They tried to say that Paul was not a true apostle and therefore did not have an accurate knowledge of the gospel. His gospel was just hearsay that he had gotten from the other apostles. And so to counter this attack, early in Galatians Paul endeavors to show that he had gotten the gospel directly from God and that he was a true apostle. That is why this historical section is important because the authority of Paul's gospel lies in who Paul was and where he got his gospel.

Paul was converted at Damascus and for three years ministered there and in Arabia. At the end of that period, Paul was threatened with arrest and so snuck out of Damascus. This passage tells what he did next.

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; and was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: but they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me. (Galatians 1:18-24)

Paul left Damascus and traveled to Jerusalem specifically with the purpose of meeting the apostle. This first visit lasted only fifteen days and while there he only saw two of the apostles--Peter and James. But to find out why, you have to go to Acts which recounts this story. Acts 9:26-30 tells us about this visit and we also have a retrospective on it from Acts 22:17-21. From these, we learn that Paul came to Jerusalem and tried “to join himself to the disciples.” But the Christians in Jerusalem refused to meet with him. Three years had passed, but they still remembered what Paul had done to the church. They had probably heard rumors and reports of his conversion and his preaching in Damascus, but they were naturally suspicious. This could all be part of a plot to gain information on the church. They were afraid.

All except Barnabas. “Barnabas saw the situation and took Saul to himself and listened to his story and believed it. It is to the credit of Barnabas that he had the insight and the courage to stand by Saul at the crucial moment in his life when the evidence seemed to be against him... [H]e was convinced that Jesus had changed the heart of Saul and he used his great influence... to win the favour of the apostles.” (Robertson's Word Pictures, Acts 9:27)

Because of Barnabas, the Jerusalem church accepted Paul. He was introduced to the apostles--specifically, Peter and James. From this point, Paul would remain in Jerusalem for fifteen days, staying with Peter.  It is interesting to note that James is here considered an apostle. Paul refers to him as “James the Lord's brother.” This means this is not one of Jesus' disciples named James, but rather his half-brother. During the course of Jesus' ministry, his brothers did not believe Him and even mocked him and attempted to bring an end to his ministry. But Jesus appeared to James after his resurrection and now we find him playing an important role in the church and would seemingly become the leader of the Jerusalem Church. And though he hadn't believed Jesus, he had been personally acquainted with Him and His teaching, and was a witness to his resurrection, making him an apostle. This reminds us that the apostles weren't just the twelve-- they included James and Paul at least and there may have been others.

Paul says that he went to Jerusalem specifically to “see” Peter. But the word “see” doesn't mean literally to “see” or even “visit.” Strong defines it as “to visit for information (interview).” Paul wanted to get to know Peter personally, but there seems to be more than that.  Paul had gotten the gospel from Christ. He had been commissioned by God. But that didn't mean that he knew everything about the gospel. “The gospel” that Paul received was the basic message of salvation, not every detail of the life of Christ. For that information, he had to go to those who had lived with Jesus. There are some interesting things here which may be coincidence. In 1 Corinthians, Paul mentions two of the resurrection appearances which are not mentioned in the gospel--one to Peter and one to James. And it was those two apostles which Paul talked to in Jerusalem. Did they tell of those appearances then? In 1 Corinthians 15 he makes a point of saying that he was passing on what he had received, so it makes sense. Also, when speaking to the elders of Ephesus, Paul quotes a saying of Jesus not recorded in the gospels: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Was that something God directly revealed to him? Or did Peter or James tell him about it?

We don't know much about this time, but we do know that during this short visit, Paul preached in Jerusalem and specifically entered into debates with the “Grecians”--Jews from outside Israel who spoke Greek. Because of this controversy, they began to conspire to kill Paul. Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision in the temple, warning him to leave, and reaffirming His commission to go and preach to the Gentiles. And then Paul, with the help of some in the Jerusalem church, snuck out of Jerusalem and returned to his home in Tarsus.

This was a fairly eventful visit, but it was only fifteen days long. Paul wasn't in Jerusalem for very long and he spent no time in Israel outside of Jerusalem. The other churches in Judaea knew him only by reputation, the reputation that the persecutor had become a preacher, for which cause they glorified God.

So this section helps us put together some of the historical details of the life of Paul. But the main point to notice is that Paul in Jerusalem saw only Peter and James of the apostles and was only in their company for fifteen days. He wasn't someone who had studied under them. He hadn't received the gospel from them, for he had already been preaching it for three years. Paul didn't receive his gospel from Peter or James (though he may have learned some specific details from them) but from God.

But conversely, Paul wasn't at odds with them either. Even if it took them a while to warm up to him, the apostles accepted Paul. He stayed with Peter for over two weeks, implying they were on amicable terms. The churches in Judaea glorified God on Paul's account, realizing that he was a true Christian and God was doing work through him.

Paul was not a student of the apostles nor was he a rebel against them; instead he was a true apostle in his own right, preaching the same gospel as the other apostles, even though he received it in a different way. He hadn't learned the gospel from men nor had he made it up himself; for the gospel was of God, not of man.