the rabbi who taught paul

A pastor, a priest, and a rabbit walk into a clinic. The doctor says, “What brings you in today?” The rabbit says, “I think I’m a typo.”

rabbit>rabbi A rabbi is a Jewish spiritual leader, teacher, and religious authority who is trained to interpret and lead within Jewish law and tradition

jokes aside.

Do you know who taught Paul before he started telling everyone about Jesus?

No, who? His name was Gamaliel. He was like the smartest teacher in Jerusalem back then. Everyone respected him because he was wise and fair. He didn’t shout or fight to prove he was right. He just thought deeply and spoke kindly.

So Paul learned from him? Yes! Before Paul met Jesus, he went to Gamaliel’s school to learn all about God’s laws. Gamaliel didn’t just teach rules, he taught people how to think. He showed them that real wisdom means knowing when to be firm and when to be kind.

What kind of man was Gamaliel?

He was peaceful and calm, even when everyone else was angry. One time, people wanted to punish Jesus’ friends for talking about Him. But Gamaliel stood up and said, “If what they’re doing is not from God, it will fail. But if it is from God, you can’t stop it.” Then everyone stop and think.

So he wasn’t mean to them? Exactly. He believed that truth doesn’t need to be forced. It just stands strong on its own.

And what happened to him later? When Gamaliel died, people said, “The glory of the Law is gone.” That means they felt the world had lost a really good and wise man.

Did Paul remember him? yes. Even after Paul met Jesus, you could still see Gamaliel’s way of thinking in him. Paul used clear logic, smart arguments, and deep knowledge of Scripture — all things Gamaliel had taught him. But Paul now added something Gamaliel couldn’t give him — grace.

So Gamaliel taught him to think, and Jesus taught him to love?

That’s exactly it. Gamaliel was like Paul’s mind, and Jesus became his heart. Together, they made Paul one of the greatest teachers the world has ever known.