What did the Corinthian believers think about their people's view of Paul?
The Corinthian believers, apparently Jewish, thought their fellow Jews had deep-seated hang-ups about Paul and could not get over him. They believed their people's aversion to Paul was a stumbling block, while they felt comfortable with Peter and his kingdom-economy background.
Les explains that these Corinthian believers, who he feels must have been Jews, still had an affinity for Peter because Peter was the epitome of the Jew who had been under the kingdom economy. They reasoned, “Paul, you know, all our people just have hang-ups about that man. He was just something that the Jewish people couldn't get over.” So they were comfortable with Peter, and this created division in the church—some adhered to Peter, some to Apollos, some to Paul. Les notes the same argument appears today when people refuse Paul’s epistles, saying they follow Christ or what Jesus said.