How did Paul match the twelve apostles in time spent with Jesus?
Paul matched the twelve by spending three years in Arabia, receiving private tutoring from the Lord Jesus Himself. Though he was not in Palestine, his three years of private tutoring made him not one whit behind the twelve in time spent with the Lord.
Les explains that Paul’s opponents argued that Peter and the other apostles had spent three years with Jesus, going up and down the dusty roads of Palestine, implying Paul had not. Les answers that Paul may not have spent three years in Palestine, but he spent three years in Arabia, which Les suggests was Mount Sinai, under a private tutorage from the Lord Jesus Himself. That three-year period gave Paul the full authority of time spent with the Lord, so he was not one whit behind the twelve. Les connects this to 2 Corinthians 11, where Paul compares himself to the Hebrews, Israelites, and the seed of Abraham, and speaks of labors more abundant, stripes above measure, prisons more frequent, and deaths often.