Paul Did Not Learn From Apostles

In John 17, a prayer is recorded in which Jesus seems to pray a priestly style blessing upon his twelve apostles. This is the last act of Jesus prior to his arrest according to this gospel account. It seems as if Jesus is praying a special anointing upon them.

The prayer includes several interesting things:

• John 17:6-10
  • They were given to him by God, apparently meaning God selected them.
  • Jesus manifested the name of God (Yehovah) to them.
  • They faithfully kept God’s word.
  • This prayer of anointing is for them exclusively.
  • It’s not for anyone else.
  • Jesus belongs to God, they belong to God, unity between all.
• John 17:11-13
  • Jesus is about to depart from the world, passing the torch to them.
  • He prays for unity among them just like the unity Jesus has with God.
  • Jesus has guarded them, and hasn’t lost any except Judas.
  • He prays joy upon them.
• John 17:14-19
  • He sends them into a world that will hate them, and prays for God’s protection.
  • He prays sanctification upon them acknowledging God’s word is truth.
• John 17:20-26
  • He extends the prayer to include those who believe in me through the word of the twelve.
  • He wishes for those the *same unity, same love.
  • He reassures God he has made God’s name (Yehovah) known to them, that they may have access to the same love with which God loved Jesus.

Fast-forward several years to Paul. Paul never met Jesus. He spent his early career trying to kill the followers of Jesus before having a change of heart.

What would you expect Paul to be like after such a change in heart? Something like this maybe?

Guys, I’m really sorry I tried to kill you. I was on a really bad track then. Please forgive me.

If you could be so kind….could you tell me about Jesus feeding the five thousand? What was that like? What was the sermon on the mount like? What did Jesus say about the afterlife? What was it like seeing Jesus with Moses and Elijah in the transfiguration? What was it like seeing those people being healed?

You might also expect that…

• Paul is careful not to do anything spiteful, given he used to be the guy that wanted them dead.
• Paul is respectful toward them, realizing these are those that ate with Jesus, traveled with Jesus and understood him best.
• Paul is respectful of their leadership, given they were the ones Jesus sanctified before God to commit the teachings of Jesus.
• Paul commits some time to being their understudy, to absorbing not only the information, but the spirit of this new faith that Jesus started.
• Paul spends time with them, building unity.

Sadly, we get none of that. Instead, we contempt unleashed from a very arrogant and combative Paul:

• Paul declares himself an apostle making it clear their approval was not necessary. Galatians 1:1
• Paul quickly seizes upon something he calls “my gospel”, cursing anyone who disputed it. Galatians 1:6-7
• Paul makes it clear he would not even respect angels if they disputed him. Galatians 1:8
• Paul pronounces a curse upon anyone who disputes him.
• Paul informs everyone he wasn’t subject to the apostle’s approval. Galatians 1:10
• Paul considers anyone else’s version of the gospel to be “man’s gospel”. Galatians 1:11
• Paul informs us he did not come to believe through those apostles that Jesus so fervently prayed over. He claims he bypassed them and went straight to Jesus in the spirit world. Galatians 1:12
• Paul informs us he was “set apart before he was born”, despite the fact that he was trying to kill those that God also selected and “gave to Jesus” as apostles. Galatians 1:13-15
• He is very proud of the fact that he didn’t learn anything from anybody. He most certainly didn’t learn anything from those who were apostles, but instead he did his own thing. Galatians 1:16-17
• He assures us us he did not spend any significant time with the apostles that God sanctified until three year later. Galatians 1:16-18
• But even when he did, he only stayed a couple of weeks, and only met two of them. Galatians 1:18-19
• For some reason, he feels compelled to tell us he’s not lying, suggesting his story doesn’t hold water with someone. Galatians 1:20
• He then proudly tells us it was 14 years until he felt compelled to seek out the apostles. Galatians 2:1
• He makes a snarky remark about the leaders of the church seeming influential. Galatians 2:2
• He said he presented his gospel to them. By now, he has been teaching this gospel for seventeen years, and they are just hearing it for the first time. Galatians 2:2
• His first description of his presentation to them identifies disputes:
  • Someone apparently wanted Titus to be circumcised Galations 2:3
  • Someone is accused by Paul of “trying to spy out our freedom” to “bring us into slavery”. Galatians 2:4
  • Paul is boastful that he did not submit to them, stiffly maintaining the “truth” was with him, not them. Galatians 2:5
  • Paul again is offended by “those who seemed influential” and expresses his contempt for them. He makes it clear they have nothing to offer him. He clearly doesn’t respect any sanctification from Jesus upon these people. Galatians 2:6
  • Unity? Not a chance. More a line of demarcation. Paul claims they agreed the “circumcised” were theirs, and the entirety of the rest of the world belong to Paul. Galatians 2:7-8
  • He specifically mentions James and Peter and John, pointing out once again they SEEMED to be pillars. He alleges they also agreed to Paul’s proposed division. Galatians 2:9. (Peter’s statement in Acts 15:7 makes it very clear he did not agree with Paul on this matter)
• Paul then recounts a story in which he catches Peter in hypocrisy and publicly shames him. Galatians 2:11-14
• Paul points out his adversaries were “sent from James”. James by the way is the brother of Jesus. Galatians 2:12
• Paul mocks his adversaries calling them the “circumcision party”. Galatians 2:12
• Paul suggests that everyone was hypocritical except, of course, him. Galatians 2:13

Paul mocks the true apostles in several of his letters. For example, in 2 Corinthians 2, he calls them “super-apostles”. Interactions between the Jerusalem church and Paul were almost always contentious, with little mutual respect and almost zero unity.

• Apostles
• Paul