"Then, I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ" (Gal. 1:21-22).
Judea was the center of Christianity and Jerusalem the mother church during these formative years for the Christian faith (A.D. 37-48). Paul wrote that he was "unknown by face to the churches of Judea" (Gal. 1:22). "Unknown" (ἀγνοούμενος) is a present participle implying that the churches of Judea were continuously ignorant about Paul throughout this era (R&R, Linguistic Key, 503). "By face" (προσώπῳ) implies that they may have heard about his notoriety as a persecutor turned preacher, but they did not know him personally. The Christian faith was spreading rapidly while Paul lived on the periphery in Syria and Cilicia.
Paul goes back home to Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 9:30). He testifies later that God revealed to him while praying in the temple that he should leave Jerusalem immediately (Acts 22:17-21). God didn't tell Paul where to go, but the leaders of the Jerusalem church did! Paul was stirring up trouble for them, and the Jews were threatening to kill Paul. For his own safety and their peace, the Christians in Jerusalem took him to Caesarea and put him on a boat for Tarsus. Only then did the church throughout Judea enjoy peace (Act 9:26-31). Paul was a troublemaker everywhere he went from the perspective of the churches in Judea. They were better off with Paul in Tarsus far away from the places of influence (Witherington, The Paul Quest, 309-316). At least he couldn't get into too much trouble there!
We know very little about the decade Paul spent in Syria and Cilicia. It was at least ten years and perhaps as much as fourteen years that Paul served the Lord in relative obscurity (Gal. 2:1). We assume that Paul continued to preach the gospel and fulfill his calling to reach Gentiles for Christ. It is quite likely that it was during this time that Paul experienced some of the beatings, stonings, hunger, thirst, sleepless nights, and dangers that he explains later (2 Cor. 11:23-27). We know that he also had his visionary experience and thorn in the flesh during this period of time (2 Cor. 12:1-10). Unknown and unwanted, suffering persecution and struggling with his thorn in the flesh, Paul faithfully served the Lord far from the centers of influence in the first century church. These were hard times, discouraging and disheartening, during which Paul learned the lesson that God's power is made perfect in weakness. God's grace is sufficient for his life (2 Cor. 12:9).
Then came Barnabas, again! Barnabas goes to Tarsus to find Paul and bring him to Antioch in Syria sometime near the end of this period (Acts 11:25-26). Paul stated that he went to Syria and Cilicia (Gal. 1:21) but in reverse chronological order probably because Syria was the more influential province in the Roman government (Hendriksen, Galatians, 63). He leaves the backwaters of Cilicia to go to Syria at the request of Barnabas. The church in Antioch was rapidly becoming a center of Christian influence and missionary activity, and Paul was needed in the ministry. Paul went from unknown and unwanted to known and wanted in one of the most influential churches in early Christianity.
Jesus is the head of His church, and He dispatches each of us where He chooses. We serve at His disposal. Christ may send us to the backwaters of our culture or He may call us to a large church in the city. The choice is His. Our call is to be faithful to where Jesus sends us and to the mission which He gives us.
Lord, help me to faithfully serve you even if in obscurity for you are Lord, and I am your servant.
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