Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Galatians 2:13

"And the rest of the Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that even Barnabas was carried away with their dissimulation." — Galatians 2:13 (ASV)

Unfortunately, conduct such as Peter’s is not inconsequential, neither in his day nor now, for he was a pillar apostle. Thus one is not surprised to read that other Jews, including Barnabas, were led away by his hypocrisy. If Peter had been a lesser man or less prominent, the defection would have seemed less serious. The greater one’s position or responsibility, the more important one’s actions become.