Paul’s Galatian readers are mainly Gentiles, and so, in Galatians 1:16, he emphasizes that aspect of his mission directed toward non-Jews. But throughout Acts, we see Paul preaching also to Jews. Reading Acts 9 alongside Paul’s own letters enables us to see how Paul was both unlikely and likely to be called by God to bring the good news to all in the Roman Empire. His zealous persecution of the followers of Jesus made him an unlikely choice. But, his deep understanding of Jewish tradition and law coupled with his Greco-Roman education made him doubly qualified.
From the October 2014 Bible study, “We are Called: Transforming Life and Faith,” by Carol Schersten LaHurd in Gather magazine.