How did Paul's teachings become central to Christianity despite seeming contradictions with Jesus' own teachings

 

The single biggest contradiction between the teachings of the apostle Paul and the teaching of Jesus has to do with works and the law.

Jesus was all about works.

Jesus was also all about the law, if Matthew 5:17-19 is an authentic teaching of Jesus. (Some think it isn’t.)

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)

On the other hand, Paul tossed out works and the law like yesterday’s stinky garbage.

Will the greatest christian evangelist thus be the least in the kingdom heaven?

Or was the passage above written by a warring theologian of the James/Peter school of theology, as a rebuttal of Paul?

Why didn’t the much-lauded holy ghost lead early christians to the same, correct understanding of works and the law?

Jesus said a house divided is doomed to fall.

What about a house divided into 45,000 different christian denominations?

Apparently, the holy ghost is not a good communicator.

How did Paul's teachings become central to christianity despite obvious contradictions with Jesus's own teachings?

Well, very few Gentiles were going be circumcised, give up shrimp and pork, or keep 613 nit-picky rules, many of which “don’t make a lick of sense.”

Paul made the christian religion more palatable to the non-Jewish world.

The Matthew 5:17-19 law-based version of christianity would never have flown outside tiny Judea.

Jesus: “I will judge you by your works.”

Paul: “I hate the law, so works mean nothing.”