Galatians 1:17

Paul wanted to emphasise again that nobody had taught him about Jesus (verse 12). ‘*Apostles’ probably refers to Jesus’ 12 *disciples. Paul considered that he was equal with the other *apostles. Paul did not meet with them. He did not need them to teach him about Jesus. Instead, Paul went away to Arabia. This region was a desert on the east side of Israel.

Paul knew the *Old Testament. The *Old Testament describes many things about Jesus (Luke 24:27). But Paul had not yet understood it properly. However, Jesus had showed Paul the truth. Paul may have gone to Arabia to be alone. He may have needed time to think and pray. But perhaps he also taught the *good news to people who lived in that region. Paul does not say how long he stayed in Arabia. Paul was going to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him. Later, in Damascus, Paul taught the *Jews about Jesus. Many people believed what Paul had taught. But some people opposed him. In fact, they nearly killed him (Acts 9:1-6; Acts 9:19-22).