Jesus had clearly told his disciples that he was not sent to change the law of Moses:

“Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxed one of the least of the commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called greater in the kingdom of heaven” (Mathew 5: 17-19)

  We also have the testimony from Luke:   

“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, but my words will not pass” (Luke 16:17)

  This statement is again corroborated by Mark in 13:31. But in spite of this positive and awe-inspiring command of his master, Paul without the least hesitation, announced that the law was superfluous and redundant and assuming the role of law giver, he declared:

“ I do not nullify the Grace of God; for if justification were through the law then Christ dead to no purpose” (Galatians 2:21)

and again he reiterates: 

“ Therefore by works of law no flesh will be declared righteous before him, for by law is the accurate knowledge of sin “ (Romans 3:20)

Now the question arises: How did Paul manage to gain ascendancy over the Church and succeed n implanting innovations completely at variance with a original teachings of Jesus Christ?  The question is not difficult to answer. Paul came from an affluent and respectable family. His father had acquired Roman nationality. This fact alone guarantees that his family wielded  considerable influence in the upper Roman society and the official circle. He performed self-appointed tasks. He was a native of Sarsus and belonged to the Pharisees- a sect knows to hold  bigoted views.  Having learnt about Jesus and is claim, he came down to Jerusalem to lend aid to the High priest and the elders in persecuting the followers of the new prophet.

“ But Saul laid waste the Church, and entering house after house, he charged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3)

During the entire period of the ministry of Jesus, Saul remained in the forefront of the persecutors. He had never or even seen Jesus. The only time he saw him, was as claimed by him, only in a vision he had when he was going to Damascus on his mission of persecuting the followers of Jesus. He claimed, he saw a dazzling light and heard a voice saying, “ Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?”

  Paul’s claim to apostleship is based on this vision. According to him, Jesus choose him as his instrument for carrying his teaching to the gentiles as well as the Jews. This is the only evidence Saul could produce for his bid for the leadership of the new Church. No wonder the Jews were highly sceptical about the whole claim and would not listen to him.

  It is an undisputed fact of history that Paul simply refused to derive any benefit from the easily available opportunity of guidance from those who had been very near and dear to Jesus. Because he could not suffer himself  to play the second fiddle, he assumed leadership of the Church through sheer force of his personality.

  It is indeed very strange that during his ministry while Jesus was living among his disciple in Palestine, he taught them that the Law of Moses was in no case to be abolished. He thoroughly engraved upon their minds that they were not to take his teaching to the Gentiles.

“ Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mathew 10:5-7)

  And Jesus reiterates:

“ I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mathew 15:24)

  Yet within a very short time after the crucifixion he appears, in a vision to abrogate his previous teachings. It is strange indeed that he does not appear to his won trained and tried disciples but chooses a person who was one of his bitterest enemies and completely neglects his devoted friends and followers.

  AS instrumented in this famous vision, Saul went to Damascus where Ananias, a devoted disciple, opened his eyes fully to the truth. Having accepted Jesus, Saul lost no time in assuming the role of the leader. The Jews in Damascus were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the party, led by Saul, for arresting the renegades for persecution. They were flabbergasted to see their young leader not only advocating the cause of Christians but actually exhorting them to accept Jesus, who they believed died an accursed death on the cross. They were extremely disappointed and very much annoyed at this strange behaviour of their champion. In vengeance they dubbed him a turncoat and conspired to kill him. But Saul’s companions got wind of their evil intentions and at night let him down in a basket through an opening in the wall.

  After this narrow escape, he was forced to go into hiding, “ I did not go at once”.

  Said Paul,

“ Into conference with flesh and blood. Neither did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles previous to me but I went off into Arabia, and I came back again to Damascus” (Galatians 1: 16-17)

In the solitude of the Arabian desert he sized up his position and racked his brains for the line of action to use in the future. He fully realised that very few Jews would, after having witnessed the crucifixion, accept Christ as a godly person. It would therefore, be necessary to think of something else.” If the Jews” , thought Saul, “were inaccessible”, the Gentiles would be easy to handle. But to attract the Gentiles, some sort of modification would be absolutely necessary”. Bearing these considerations in mind, he returned to Damascus where he worked for sometime and then went to Jerusalem. He stayed with Cephas for a fortnight.

“ But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s bother” (Galatians 1:19)

 (ICRA) 

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