Galatians 1:18

After three years. Paul gives the Galatians a detailed account of events in his postconversion experience, that his opponents may have no occasion for saying that he secretly visited the apostles in Jerusalem at some time during this period and received his instruction from them. His apparent objective is to make clear how long it was after his conversion before Paul had an extended contact with the Twelve. “Three years” passed before he even saw Peter, and during part of that time he was already preaching.

To see. Or, “to visit.” When Paul did go to Jerusalem it was specifically to see Peter, but not to receive instruction from him or to secure his permission to preach. Apparently Paul’s purpose was to get acquainted with Peter and to secure his friendship. At Jerusalem Barnabas met Paul and introduced him to certain of the apostles, informing them of his conversion and of his boldness in publicly declaring Jesus to be the Son of God (see Acts 9:27).

Peter. Important textual evidence may be cited (cf. p. 10) for reading “Cephas” (see on Matt. 16:18).

Fifteen days. During this brief stay in the city Paul was busy preaching and disputing with Greek-speaking Jews, and but a small part of this time could have been spent with the apostles (Acts 9:28, 29). Hatred soon developed, and a movement was set on foot to destroy him. One day while in the Temple he was warned in vision to leave Jerusalem quickly (Acts 22:17-21). Paul would no doubt have prolonged this visit to Jerusalem except for the bitter opposition, the threat of death, and the divine warning to leave. His purpose in mentioning this visit was to prove that the leading apostles had at that early time become acquainted with him, accepted his conversion as genuine, and, it is inferred, approved of his interpretation of the gospel (Gal. 1:24). As responsible leaders, Peter and James (vs. 18, 19) would not have failed to acquaint themselves with Paul’s teachings or to silence him if they had disapproved of what he was teaching. Specific mention of “fifteen days” lends a factual tone to the account and suggests the impossibility that he received extensive instruction while there.