“Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.” – Galatians 1:18-19

In this passage, the apostle Paul is building his case for acceptance by the Galatian churches. Once he persecuted the church, but now he is one of them, and before he can relay the real message that God has revealed to him he must win their confidence. What better way to do it than to say that he spent two weeks with the “Rock” himself, Peter (a.k.a. Cephas, see John 1:42)?

What is intriguing about this piece of Scripture is to ponder the conversation these two icons of Christianity must have had. On the one hand, you have an uneducated Jewish fisherman who once denied Christ (actually three times!) but had now been restored to favor; so much so that he was the very foundation upon which Christ chose to build His church (Mathew 16:18)! And on the other hand, you have the complete opposite; a scholarly once-Pharisee educated man who persecuted Christians but now has dedicated his life to furthering the Gospel. Two peas from different pods I’d say!

So how did the conversation develop and where did it lead? Here are some questions I’ve come up with that I’d love to know the answers to.

• Did Paul ask Peter about Stephen and what kind of man he was? (Read Acts 7:54 – 8:3. The “Saul” in those verses is the same person as Paul, see Acts 13:9)
• Did Peter ask Paul about his conversion experience on the road to Damascus? (Acts 9:1-19)
• Did he ask Paul to describe Jesus to him for confirmation?
• I wonder if Paul, being well-versed in Old Testament prophecy, revealed messianic prophecy to Peter … or did Peter, whose theology was based on real-life experience, reveal it to Paul?

I’m certain the subject of Gentile conversion came up for they argued about it later in their lives (Galatians 2:11-21). I’m also sure James’ childhood experience and later conversion boosted Paul’s confidence in the risen Savior. These are just a few of the many questions I’ve thought about.

If I was allowed three chances to go back in time and be a fly on the wall at any point in history, I would choose this event as one of them for it fascinates me that two people from totally different backgrounds can unite with one common cause. There is a powerful lesson to be learned here. It is sure testimony to the power of the Gospel that whatever we as Christians bring to the table, whatever past experiences we harbor, whatever personality types we have, one thing is for certain – unity is found in Christ. How can there be conflict when Christ is present? Hmmm…

In Christ alone,

Dave

Questions to Ponder:

1. Are you struggling with personality differences at your workplace or small groups? Learn to look past them and focus on the common unity you have in Christ (if they are believers). What are some ways to do this?
2. How does dying to self relate to the concept of unity?
3. How can you practice the concept of seeing people as Jesus sees them? Loving people the way Jesus loves them? Forgiving people the way Jesus forgives them?
4. What’s the difference between an organization and an organism? Paul likened the church more to an organism than an organization (1 Corinthians 12). What’s the common goal of both and how is it attained?
5. It took Paul almost 14 years to establish a reputation for being a solid Christian. People who knew of his past were reluctant to accept his new life. People are funny that way. Do people accept you as a Christian? Does your lifestyle reflect the life of Christ? Is it taking you 14 years to get where Paul was?