Part three
The answer to the question posed by the topic for this writing may very well lie in the difference between the purposes and the functions of two separate and distinct job descriptions. The duties to which Paul was called to as an Apostle are different in scope, purpose and function from the duties of one who is a Rabbi.The word Rabbi, is a title of respect given to a doctor, a teacher, or master. It is a respectful term applied by the Jews to their spiritual instructors. These Rabbi’s would be ones who have spent much time in study and learning of the Scriptures that they may interpret the Law. Their duty as they saw it was to give application of the Law to daily living. Since they understood their function as interpreting the Law and to make judgments regarding its application in matters regarding the Law, such would only be applicable to other Jews who were under the law. Most Jews would be segregated into Jewish communities, therefore travel for a Rabbi would be unnecessary.
It is with these same Jewish leaders that Jesus had the most contempt. In their desire to become righteous by the Law, instead of admitting that it was impossible to obtain righteousness before God by keeping the Law; because it is impossible to perfectly keep the Law as required by the Law; the Rabbis boasted in their own ability to do so, though they could not. The worst of it was that it was not just themselves being deceived by their boast, but they, being leaders, would lead others astray. Jesus called them "blind leaders of the blind." (Luke 6:39) He also called them hypocrites (Matt 23:18-29). The word hypocrite means actor and refers to one who would wear a mask and pretend to be someone else. They wore the "mask" of a righteous person, but in reality they were not entering in themselves, and by the standards they imposed, were hindering any others from entering in. (Luke 11:52).
Now Paul, in his beginnings could be counted amoung this same group. He trained in the schooling of a teacher named Gamaliel, (Acts 22:3) thus he showed himself to be a man with much zeal for righteousness. Later, Paul would write that he acted out of ignorance, nevertheless; had God not interfered with his plans, there was no stopping Paul from pursuing his misguided reign of terror.
Indeed we know that God did bring to a halt Paul’s determined plans of persecution for those who were followers of this Jesus whom they claimed was crucified and raised from the dead. Of course this rapid change in the direction of Paul’s passionate pursual did not happen until God had completed in Paul that stage in the purpose for which He had prepared in him from before the foundation of the world. By that I simply mean that God is in sovereign control of every detail of His creation, and He will do all that He purposes, and none shall alter His plans. Neither any so called determined will of Paul, nor any will that has been attributed to man is able to thwart the course God has laid out in Himself for His creation. To believe otherwise is to grant more sovereignty to man over his own destiny, than to God, and to prove it would be to stray more from the purpose of this writing than is needful.
I do bring it up however to establish an understanding that it was not by accident Paul had the experiences he did, nor was it without purpose even his persecution of the believers at first. Thus when God had accomplished all that He wanted from Paul’s life in one direction, He turns it another way with as much ease as He controls the course of mighty rivers, or the boundaries of the oceans.
It is at this point that Paul is now no longer following the path he once did. Paul has now been assigned the calling of an Apostle. Had his life not been changed on that Damascus Road, he may very well have "set up shop" in Jerusalem and waited for disciples to come to him as a Rabbi, but now having been called to be an Apostle his job function so to speak, has changed by virtue of his calling. The word Apostle means one who is sent forth, a messenger, an ambassador, and so by definition alone he cannot remain in one place. However, Paul was not called just to be an Apostle, but that he was to be an Apostle to the Gentiles. This of course also would determine that he had to travel. Not only because he was called to be sent forth, but that his sending was to the Gentiles and to do so he must go to where they live.
It almost seems too obvious to mention, but if we are to answer why Paul would go on missionary journeys when Rabbis normally waited for disciples to come to them, it must be understood the difference in the function between one who is a Rabbi, and one called to be an Apostle. Once we see that a Rabbi’s function was to teach the Jews and thereby it was unnecessary for him to travel much, and that the Apostle Paul’s purpose was to go forth and proclaim as an ambassador, the One who has sent him, the answer becomes clear.
AMEN.
