Saul/Paul

Acts 9:1-19

¹But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

³Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.

⁴And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

⁵And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

⁶But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

⁷The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

⁸Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

⁹And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,

¹²and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.

¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

¹⁶For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

¹⁷So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;

¹⁹and taking food, he was strengthened.

One of the gifts I have been given in my life is having been raised by Christian parents who made sure I learned of Jesus from my earliest days. There is not big conversion story that is part of my past. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Jesus as my Lord and Savior. For this I am truly grateful. But I also confess that there is a small amount of jealousy for those adult converts who have life experience with “before and after” when it comes to their walk with the Lord. Today we read of one of the most famous conversion stories in the Bible; Saul going from Christ-hater to Christ-follower. This story is told three times in the book of Acts with different details added each time, as is the Hebrew way.

Saul is a part of that group who dogged the ministry of Jesus for three years. He was a Pharisee. Later in Acts we learn of his Jewish pedigree and it is impressive. As a young Pharisee he is consumed with a passion for eradicating what he believes is a dangerous sect – the followers of “The Way” or the followers of Jesus. His hatred for them is so great he is willing to make sure they are imprisoned (men and women!) and even killed. He is all for extermination. And this is the guy that the Lord chooses to become probably the greatest missionary of all time. See – there’s hope for everyone!

Saul is headed for Damascus. This is about 150 northeast of Jerusalem. There is a large community of new Christians in Damascus so this is the perfect place to go and work on his extermination goals. He travels with a small contingent of temple guards who will carry out the arrests he is hoping to make in the name of Judaism. It is on this trip that the Lord Jesus visits Saul in a most dramatic way. He is literally knocked from his horse as a brilliant light surrounds him and he is questioned by Jesus as to why he wants to persecute God’s people. Imagine the mental storm of confusion that fills Saul’s mind and heart. Here he believed he was doing the work of the God, not persecuting Him. But it all becomes moot as Saul’s sight is taken from him and he is now helpless. He does indeed make it to Damascus, but not as he intended. It is my opinion that the Holy Spirit continues to work on him during his three sightless days. He fasts and waits.

God sends his servant Ananias. Understandably, Ananias questions an encounter with a man who clearly came to Damascus to do damage to the Christian community. But he is obedient and goes to Saul, laying hands on him in prayer. Saul’s sight is restored and he joins the group of people that were originally intended to be his victims. This 180 degree turnaround is exactly what defines the Christian conversion.

While I may be jealous of this dramatic encounter with the Living God I am also aware of the fact that I had my own encounter in my baptism. While I don’t remember my baptism because I was only weeks old that doesn’t steal the power of my conversion from one who was headed away from God to one who is claimed by Him. God chose each of us just as He chose Saul and we are all enabled by Him to serve His Kingdom well.