Why did Jesus' ministry burn Paul up before his conversion?
Before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus was enraged by Jesus' ministry because he judged Jesus to be an imposter, a blasphemer, and a false teacher. He believed this movement was destroying the religion of the God of Abraham, so reports of Jesus' Galilean ministry intensely provoked him.
Les explains that Saul of Tarsus knew what was going on in Israel and Galilee, and he may at times have been on the outer perimeter of the crowds following Jesus. That ministry burned him up because he regarded Jesus as an imposter, a blasphemer, and a false teacher who was destroying the religion of the God of Abraham. Though Scripture does not indicate he had a visible confrontation with Christ before Damascus, he knew all about Him. Once confronted on the road to Damascus, he did a total 180-degree turn.