Saul preached in synagogues because his ministry was still exclusively to Jews, consistent with God's ongoing Jewish program.
After his conversion, Saul immediately went to the synagogues to preach Christ, not to the Gentile marketplace. He was still under the Old Testament understanding that salvation was for the Jew first, and he had not yet been commissioned to the Gentiles. This matches the Jew-only setting of the early Acts period, when the gospel was preached to none but Jews only.
Acts 9:20 — Shows Saul's immediate action after conversion—preaching Christ in the synagogues, demonstrating his focus on Jews.
The Bible clearly states that after Saul's conversion, he "straightway preached Christ in the synagogues" (Acts 9:20). This indicates that his initial preaching was directed to Jews in their places of worship. The Bible also shows that the early believers preached to Jews only: "they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word" (Acts 8:4), and later the context emphasizes they preached to "none but unto the Jews only" (Acts 11:19). The Old Testament was the only Scripture they had, and it was used to prove that Jesus was the Christ, which was their message.
Les Feldick explains that Saul preached in the synagogues because he was still operating under the Jewish program. He had no knowledge yet of a different, Gentile-directed gospel. Les emphasizes that Saul's message was simply that Christ is the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel—not a gospel of death and resurrection. This was consistent with the continuing Jew-only setting. Les also highlights that Saul wasn't told to go to the Gentiles until later, and even then, his primary commission was to be the apostle to the Gentiles, but at this early stage he stayed with the Jewish people.
According to Les, Saul preached that Christ is the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel. He did not preach Christ crucified, buried, and risen from the dead because he had not yet heard that message. This was the same message Peter had preached—that the One Israel crucified was the Christ, as proven from the Old Testament.
The average Jew at that time felt that Gentiles had no part in their covenant relationship with God. They were steeped in the Abrahamic covenant and the Law, and they believed they were a chosen people. This attitude is seen in Acts 22, where the crowd listened until Paul mentioned the word 'Gentiles,' and then they demanded his death. This mind-set reinforced why Saul’s ministry was initially confined to Jews.
Les points out that God was not done with Israel. Even though the nation as a whole had rejected the gospel, God raised up one Jew, Saul of Tarsus, to be the apostle to the Gentiles. This shows that God's plan never stopped; He continued to work through Israel, and Saul's initial Jewish-focused preaching was part of that unfolding plan.
Jewish Attitude Toward Gentiles
Les explains the Jewish mindset that Gentiles had no part in God's covenant, which influenced why Saul preached to Jews first.
Saul Preaches in Synagogue
Les emphasizes that Saul preached Christ in the synagogue, to Jews, and that his message was not the death-and-resurrection gospel.
Why Paul's Gospel Is Different From Peter's — Acts 9 & Galatians 1
Even Saul of Tarsus was saved under the Kingdom Gospel, believing who Jesus was. And who was He? The Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, the Promised One out of the Old Testament as coming to the Jews under the covenant promises. That's all he understood. But see that was enough, because that's as much as God had revealed at this time.
Still Jew-Only
Saul went straight to the synagogue, showing he was still in the Jew-only program and had no idea God would later go to the Gentiles.
Preached Jesus as the Christ
Saul preached that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel—he did not preach crucifixion and resurrection because he hadn't heard that yet.
Paul's Call to the Gentiles
God raised up Saul of Tarsus to be the apostle to the Gentiles, but at first, he preached to Jews, showing the continuity of God's plan.
Saul's Background
Saul was persecuting believers, and even when he went to Damascus, he intended to go to the synagogues to arrest followers of the Way, which shows where he expected to find them.
Preaching to Jews Only
Les notes that in the early church, the word preached was the Old Testament, proving that Jesus was the Christ, and it was preached to none but Jews only.
Acts 9:20: And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
This verse directly answers the question by showing Saul's immediate action was to preach in synagogues to Jews.
Acts 9:15: But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
This shows that God's purpose for Saul eventually included Gentiles, but not at the beginning.
Acts 22:17: And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
This is part of Paul's testimony about how God told him to leave Jerusalem because the Jews would not receive his testimony.
Acts 22:21: And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
This shows that the commission to the Gentiles came later, not at the time of Saul's conversion.
Acts 11:19: Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
This shows that even later, the Jews-only pattern continued in the early church.
No. According to Les Feldick, Saul preached only in the synagogues to Jews. He had no knowledge of a gospel for the Gentiles at that time, and his message was that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.
Because the gospel of grace had not yet been revealed. Les explains that Saul was saved under the Kingdom Gospel, believing that Jesus was the Messiah, and it was only later that God revealed the death-and-resurrection gospel to him.
The Jews believed they were a chosen covenant people and that Gentiles had no part in that relationship. This is seen in Acts 22, where they listened until Paul mentioned Gentiles, then called for his death.
Watch the Teaching: Introducing Paul: Why God Stopped the Prophetic Clock