1. Galatians 2:6 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does Paul talk about external appearances?

Galatians 2:6 (ESV)

6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.

Peter, James, and John were very well respected in the early church. Paul could be cautioning against overestimating their authority and placing them on a pedestal.1