Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, 14 and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions. 15 But when [God], who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days. 19 But I did not see any other of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord. 20 (As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; 23 they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 So they glorified God because of me.
Paul asserts that the Gospel he preaches is not of human origin but of divine origin which he received directly from Jesus Christ through revelation. Therefore the authority of his message and its authenticity cannot be questioned. Paul, a Pharisee, recounts his former life when he, as a devout Jew, fervently persecuted the early Christian Church because of his strict adherence to Jewish law and traditions. God set him apart from his mother's womb and called him through His grace to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles.
Paul states that after his conversion he did not go to Jerusalem to consult with the other apostles but went to Arabia and then returned to Damascus. This supports Paul’s declaration that he did not receive revelation of Christ and the Gospel from human sources but directly through divine revelation. He eventually went to Jerusalem and spent 15 days with Peter and also met James the brother of Jesus. When he left Jerusalem, Paul continued his missionary journey to the Gentile regions of Syria and Cilicia. In the early days of his ministry, the churches in Judea knew Paul by his reputation as a persecutor of Christians who now proclaimed the faith, but they did not know him personally. The Churches in Judea glorified God because of Paul’s miraculous transformation.
Almighty God, may we be transformed by the power of your grace so that we may boldly proclaim the Gospel to those we meet. Help us to recognize your divine calling in our lives and to faithfully follow the path you have determined for us. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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