What had the Jewish people been taught about themselves for almost 2000 years?
For almost 2000 years, the Jewish people had been taught they were special, a covenant people set apart from the rest of the world. They were told not to intermarry with others and to stay within their tribes. This shaped how they viewed themselves in relation to Gentiles.
Les explains that for almost 2000 years the Jewish people had heard they were special, a covenant people, set apart from the rest of the world, not to intermarry with the rest of the world, and to stay within their tribes. So when the Apostle declared that Gentiles were just as good as Jews and that there was no difference, it sent the Jewish community into orbit. Les says this infuriated them; they plagued the Apostle every step, followed him from city to city, tried to defeat him, and opposed him until his death, because he was taking the salvation of Israel's God to pagan Gentiles. Les also notes that the Pharisees, righteous in their own eyes, could have put him to death when he made plain that no one is righteous, not even the most religious Jew.