Today’s reading gives another example of Jesus teaching some things to all and privately explaining things to the Apostles…
…What Jesus said was not written down at this point. We can only know it by the Teachings of the Apostles - ORAL TRADITION - some of which is found in the Epistles.
Remember, Paul was not a disciple of Christ. My understanding is he never met Jesus. How did Paul come to know Jesus’ Teachings? The Gospels were not written yet.
Good post.
I will try to explain, using Scripture, how Paul came to be an Apostle.
Jesus builds His Church upon Peter first
Matthew 16:18-19 and also the other Apostles and Prophets:
Ephesians 2:19-20
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the
household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
About
Apostles:
Luke 6:13
And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose
twelve whom He also named apostles:
Jesus personally instructs these twelve apostles:
Acts 1:1-3
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up,
after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
An Apostle must meet certain criteria. Peter, as chief Apostle (only he holds the keys to the kingdom of heaven
Matthew 16:18-19) instructs the Church leadership to choose another
apostle to take the place of Judas in order to fulfill prophecy:
Acts 1:15-26
And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 “Men and brethren,
this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David
concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
…
20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
‘ Let his dwelling place be desolate,
And let no one live in it’;
and, **‘ Let another take his office.’
21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection**.”
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” 26
And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Paul was given Divine revelation directly from Jesus Christ so that he could be the
Apostle to the Gentiles:
Galatians 1:11-18
But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15 **But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, **17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.
Paul was personally given a “vision” of Paradise since he never knew Jesus in person while Jesus was on earth:
2 Corinthians 12:1-5
It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 how
he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5 Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.
Peter’s commission is mainly to convert the Jews and Paul’s commission is mainly to convert the Gentiles:
Galatians 2:7-8
But on the contrary, when
they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in
Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),
to be continued…
