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Early Ministry of Paul
217
death those who believed in Jesus as the Son of God, they would also
become convicted of their error and join the ranks of the believers.
He attempted to join himself to his brethren, the disciples; but
great was his grief and disappointment when he found that they
would not receive him as one of their number. They remembered his
former persecutions, and suspected him of acting a part to deceive
and destroy them. True, they had heard of his wonderful conversion,
but as he had immediately retired into Arabia, and they had heard
nothing definite of him further, they had not credited the rumor of
his great change.
Meeting With Peter and James
Barnabas, who had liberally contributed his money to sustain the
cause of Christ and to relieve the necessities of the poor, had been
acquainted with Paul when he opposed the believers. He now came
forward and renewed that acquaintance, heard the testimony of Paul
in regard to his miraculous conversion and his experience from that
time. He fully believed and received Paul, took him by the hand and
led him into the presence of the apostles. He related his experience
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which he had just heard—that Jesus had personally appeared to Paul
while on his way to Damascus; that He had talked with him; that
Paul had recovered his sight in answer to the prayers of Ananias,
and had afterward maintained that Jesus was the Son of God in the
synagogues of that city.
The apostles no longer hesitated; they could not withstand
God. Peter and James, who at that time were the only apostles
in Jerusalem, gave the right hand of fellowship to the once fierce
persecutor of their faith; and he was now as much beloved and re-
spected as he had formerly been feared and avoided. Here the two
grand characters of the new faith met—Peter, one of the chosen com-
panions of Christ while He was upon earth, and Paul, the Pharisee,
who, since the ascension of Jesus, had met Him face to face and had
talked with Him, and had also seen Him in vision, and the nature of
His work in heaven.
This first interview was of great consequence to both these apos-
tles, but it was of short duration, for Paul was eager to get about his
Master’s business. Soon the voice which had so earnestly disputed