One of the most important figures in the New Testament is the apostle Paul. Once a zealous persecutor of Christians, Jesus came to him in a vision and commissioned him to take the gospel to the Gentiles. The author of nearly half of the New Testament, his influence on the shape of early Christianity in undeniable.
Paul was his Roman name. He was born in Tarsus, a city in Asia Minor, as Saul, the son of a strict Pharisee. At some point in his childhood, the family must have moved to Jerusalem because it was there that Paul was given admittance into the school of one of the most respected teachers in Jerusalem, Gamaliel.
Under Gamaliel, Saul was trained in all the finer points of Jewish law and practice, advancing “beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:14, NIV). One would assume that it was under Gamaliel that Saul learned the swift and harsh brand of justice he became known for as he persecuted the church. But that is very unlikely.
Gamaliel the elder, Saul’s teacher, is traditionally understood to be the grandson of one of the greatest Jewish rabbis, Hillel. Hillel became famous for his generous and compassionate interpretation of Torah. His school of thought emphasized humility and grace over the strict legalism of another leading contemporary, Shammai. Gamaliel continued this tradition, leading the more liberal wing of the Pharisees at the time Saul’s upbringing.
“Hillel became famous for his generous and compassionate interpretation of Torah.”
Saul would have listened to many of Gamaliel’s teachings which have survived to this day, recorded in the Talmud. Gamaliel took a special interest in the marginalized of society, granting several protections to widows and women having been divorced by their husbands. He personally wrote letters to Jews in distant lands informing them of the correct dates of festivals and feasts to help encourage their attendance. Typically, Gamaliel would begin his teaching with the phrase “for the benefit of humanity,” centering his students on the role Israel played as a light to the nations.
But perhaps the greatest mercy recorded by Gamaliel is recorded in the book of Acts. When the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin for preaching in the name of the recently crucified Jesus (Acts 5), the leaders of the Jews were furious with them and cried for their death. But the highly-respected Gamaliel stood up and talked some sense into the roaring mob.
“Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you’ll only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38b-39, NIV)
Gamaliel’s speech was not only wise and gracious, but it was consistent with his lifelong teachings on justice. He taught that everyone should have the opportunity to testify, no voice should be suppressed. He taught that fair execution of justice was critical for God’s people.
“Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin it will fail.”
So right about now you are probably wondering.…How on earth did Saul sit at Gamaliel’s feet learning about humility and grace and end up as the fire-breathing sword of the Pharisee’s wrath, pursuing Christians from town to town in order to arrest or stone them to death? That is a fair question, and one which no one has a great answer for.
However, there is one more interesting historical tidbit about Gamaliel. The Talmud records that Gamaliel was a great teacher, but even he had one student who was obstinate, difficult, and often challenged his teachings. Some scholars have suggested that his may have been the young, zealous Saul of Tarsus.
If you use your imagination, it is not hard to picture a young, brash, ambitious Saul trying to climb the ladder of religio-political success in Jerusalem. Pushing back at his teacher for being too “soft.” Demonstrating his zeal by volunteering to chase down these heretical followers of the Galilean blasphemer. We can only speculate that the Talmud is referencing Saul. It does not mention a name, but it is not hard to imagine.
Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. Saul will become Paul. He will be physically blinded to symbolize the spiritual blindness he has been living in. Then he will receive back his physical sight and as a result will never see the world the same way again. The old man is dead. The arrogant, violent, and prideful man is gone.
And who is left? Who will this new Paul be? This is a critical question. Because in just a few years the church will be overwhelmed with Gentile converts, and many believers, from Peter all the way down, will struggle with a legalism that demands these Gentiles submit to circumcision, Temple worship, and dietary restrictions just like the Jews.
Who will be the voice that calls for humility, reason, and grace for these new non-Jewish converts? You know the answer. It will be Paul.
“Who will be the voice that calls for humility, reason, and grace for these new non-Jewish converts? You know the answer.”
You see, all those years that Paul sat under Gamaliel and learned Hillel’s principles of compassion, patience, and humility, God was giving Saul the building blocks for his new identity as Paul. That’s right, God was working way out ahead the whole time. So, when Jesus remakes Saul, God has already put into place all the raw material needed to make the new man.
That gives me hope. Most days, I am pretty sure I am not who I would like to be. Even on my best days, I barely measure up to what Jesus Christ calls me to. Sometimes I even wonder if I will ever be able to get myself together and grow into the person I would like to become. But guess what? God is already out ahead of me. He is giving me everything I need for life and godliness according to his purpose. He is already at work making me into someone new. Just like he did with Paul.
