Gal. 1:15. was pleased
Gal. 1:16. to reveal His Son in me,
He did not say: to reveal to me, but – "in me," showing by this that he received instruction not merely verbal, but his heart was also filled with much of the Spirit, since this knowledge was sealed in the inner man and Christ speaks in him.
Gal. 1:16. so that I might preach Him to the Gentiles, –
God revealed His Son to me not only so that I might know Him, but also so that I might preach Him to others. Because not only his coming to faith, but also his being chosen for preaching, was from God. How then can you say that people taught me? And not simply "that I should preach Him," but "to the Gentiles." So how could I preach circumcision to the Gentiles?
Gal. 1:16. I did not then confer with flesh and blood,
That is, he did not go to consult with the apostles, for he calls them flesh and blood, naming them thus by nature; or he says this generally about all people, because in the matter of faith no man was his teacher.
Gal. 1:17. and I did not go to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me,
In what way could the apostle have said this? Had he become so proud that he considered himself self-sufficient and having no need of advisors? And had he not heard the saying: "Be not wise in your own eyes" (Prov. 3:7); and: "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes" (Isa. 5:21)? Not at all. But since his detractors were saying that one should listen to the apostles and not to him, and that they were apostles before him, he was compelled to say this in order to silence the deceivers. And indeed it would have been unreasonable for one taught by God to then heed men. Thus, he says this not out of arrogance, but to show the dignity of his preaching. True, he did come to Jerusalem as well, but not in order to learn, rather in order to convince others that those living in Jerusalem thought the same way. Then he did not come immediately, that is, at the beginning, but later; and even then for the sake of convincing others.
Gal. 1:17. but went to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus.
He went through uncultivated and wild places, for if he had remained among the apostles, his preaching would have met with obstacles and would not have spread so quickly. Therefore he went to the wildest nations. But pay attention to his humility: in listing the cities, he nowhere said how many he converted, although in Damascus he threw the Jews into such confusion that he was subjected to persecution by the ethnarch. So if it seems that he speaks much about himself, he does so not for the sake of vainglory, but so that his preaching would not suffer harm if people did not believe him, regarding him as a simple man and a disciple of disciples.
Gal. 1:18. Then, after three years, I went to Jerusalem to see Peter:
And this is proof of humility: having accomplished so much, he went to Peter not for any benefit, but for the sake of a simple meeting, honoring him as a superior. Therefore he did not say "to see Peter" (ἰδεῖν), but "to visit" (ἱστορῆσαι), as those who study great and beautiful cities would express it; just as we too go to holy men, but we do so more for benefit, while he did so solely out of honor.
Gal. 1:18. And stayed with him fifteen days.
A visit is an expression of honor, while a stay is an expression of friendship and ardent love. And he did not say that he studied, but "remained with him," instead of "with him."
Gal. 1:19. But other of the Apostles I saw none, save James the Lord's brother.
Although he came for the sake of Peter – so much did he honor and love him – he also saw James, and he mentions him too with respect, calling him "the brother of the Lord" – so far was he from envy! And indeed, if he had wanted to distinguish him, he would have called him the son of Cleopas. For he was not a brother of the Lord according to the flesh, but was only considered so. How then was he the son of Cleopas, listen: Cleopas and Joseph were brothers; when Cleopas died childless, Joseph raised up seed for him and begot him and his other brothers, and Mary, whom, although she was the daughter of Cleopas, the Gospel calls the sister of the Mother of the Lord, since Joseph maintained toward the Most Holy Virgin the care of a father rather than the affection of a husband.
Gal. 1:20. Now in what I write to you, before God, I do not lie.
As if intending to give testimony before a court, he resorts to these words in order to appear most worthy of trust.
Gal. 1:21. After that I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
Gal. 1:22. I was personally unknown to the churches of Christ in Judea,
Gal. 1:23. but they only heard that he who formerly persecuted them now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy, –
Only for the sake of meeting with Peter having appeared in Judea, he again leaves it for the reason that he was sent to preach to the Gentiles and in order not to undertake building on another's foundation. Therefore, he says, the Christians in Judea did not even know me by face. So how could I have preached circumcision to them, when they did not even know me by face? For they slandered him, saying that in Judea he preached circumcision. But they had only heard about me that I had turned to Christ and was preaching the Gospel about Him.
Gal. 1:24. And they glorified God in me.
And this is a sign of modesty. For he did not say: they marveled at me, they admired me, but ascribed everything that happened to the action of grace. For "they glorified God because of me," who truly does all things.