Although Saul’s education in the home of a Pharisee was probably typical, his response was not. Saul was an exceptional student, so exceptional he was accepted to one of the most prestigious boarding schools around, and it was set in Jerusalem – the fountain of Jewish learning.
Like any 13-year-old boy (or “man”) moving so far from home, he was probably scared to death and at the same time excited. All his life Saul heard about Jerusalem. His father had probably been there often, making the annual pilgrimage for the three feasts. A proper Pharisee traveled to Jerusalem to attend the Passover feast. Saul most likely stayed home to tend to the family affairs. I can only imagine the anticipation he must have felt just before his life-changing journey.
Then once there he was able to actually see with his own eyes the walls, palaces, busy streets, and magnificent buildings including the temple. Saul later wore in Ephesians 2:14 of a “middle wall of separation”. Here Paul was not simply referring to a figurative wall of partition. He was referring to the imposing wall on the temple grounds, a literal wall of partition, which forbade access of the defining heathen from entering the inner sanctuaries of the house of God. Consider the contrasting picture of Saul now and Paul later.
Within days, Saul took a seat in one of the most impressive classrooms in the entire Jewish world. His esteemed teacher was the rabbi Gamaliel, grandson of the great Hillel. Gamaliel continues to be so highly respected in Judaism that he is referred to as “the beauty of the law.” At the feet of this fragile, gentle teacher Paul learned to dissect a text until scores of possible meanings were disclosed according to the considered opinion of generations of rabbis. Paul learned to debate in question-and-answer style known in the ancient world as the "diatribe," and to expound. A rabbi was not only part preacher but part lawyer, who prosecuted or defended those who broke the sacred Law. About 1,000 students populated the rabbinical school, also called the House of Interpretation, during Saul’s studies in Jerusalem.
Gamaliel was almost liberal in comparison to many of his contemporaries. Large-hearted, wise and open-minded, he had been raised on the teachings of his grandfather, Hillel, whose words often had remarkable similarities to The Rabbi, Jesus. An excerpt from Hillel’s teachings: “Judge not thy neighbour until thou are in his place; … my abasement is my exaltation; he who wishes to make a name for himself loses his name; … what is unpleasant to thyself that do not to thy neighbour; this is the whole Law, all else is but its exposition.”
Saul spent five of the most critical years of his life in Jerusalem. He experienced the Holy City during some of its most prosperous and thriving years. Here his childhood dreams came true. He became a rabbi. The son of a Pharisee became a Pharisee. Decades later, when he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, he may have looked back over all those years of learning, the hundreds of debates, the trivial arguments and reflected on the unimportance of it all (1 Corinthians 8:1-3).
Notice, that nothing in Saul’s life would be a waste unless he refused to let God use it. All Saul’s religious training, his countless hours spent in Scripture and study, his brilliance in spiritual matters would all be a part of God’s plan.
References: To Live Is Christ and The Apostle: A Life of Paul
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