Acts 9:1-31

A quick note: You may have noticed the several month hiatus I have taken in writing the rest of the Bible Studies on the book of Acts. Life sometime tends to get in the way of progress and a sudden and significant event can derail all good intentions. This is what happened in my life recently when my mother took ill and passed away. I was suddenly faced with intense grief while also trying to move my father 2000 miles away from the home he has known for over 40 years. I am not really trying to make excuses, only explaining my reality at this time. And so, it is with this explanation that I continue to explore the amazing and deep book that is Acts.

The Conversion of Saul

We are currently looking at probably one of the most familiar conversion stories in the New Testament – that is the conversion of Saul. It is often called the “Road to Damascus” experience and it is certainly dramatic. Here is a man who is steeped in Scripture, who has a passion for God and who is willing to do whatever it takes to follow God’s perfect and Holy Law. You may disagree with me, but it is true. Saul was a devout man of God. He had a zeal and passion that was intense. I believe this is the very reason God came to Saul like He did. Jeremiah 29:11-13 reminds us, “For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Saul was certainly seeking after God with his whole heart, and, as you will see, he found Him.

Vs 1-2 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 

The last time we saw Saul was right after the stoning of Stephen. Acts 8:3 says “Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.” Here we see his anger has not abated. He has set his face against those who followed Jesus Christ and it was his desire to extinguish them. He was also willing to travel far and wide to accomplish what he felt God was calling him to do. He wanted to protect the faith. He wanted to do away with, what he felt was, false doctrine. He describes this zeal in Philippians 3:5-6: “circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless,” and in Galatians 1:13-14: “For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I persecuted God’s church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.” It could not be said that Saul wasn’t zealous for his religion. He firmly believed he was doing God’s will and was seeking after Him – and I believe this is the very reason he encountered God on the way to Damascus. He wanted to seek after God and so, God showed Saul Christ.

Vs 3-9 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” “Who are You, Lord?” he said. “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting,” He replied. “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one. Then Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.

His encounter with God was sudden and intense. God said, you want to know me? Here I Am. You want to really follow me? Follow my Son. I want us to notice a few things about this encounter. First, the light that flashed was so extreme, it caused Saul to fall to the ground. His fall was not out of reverence, it was as if he was struck by the light and fell to the ground. Now that God had Saul’s attention, He speaks. The next thing I want us to notice is that God said Saul’s name twice – “Saul, Saul…” Why do we need to notice this? Two other times in Scripture we find Jesus repeating a name twice – Martha, Martha in Luke 10:41 and Jerusalem, Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37. Both times, the repeated name displayed a deep emotion. For Martha, it was Jesus lovingly correcting her – “you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary, Mary has made the right choice and it will not be taken away from her.” In Matthew 23:37, Jesus once again displays a deep emotion of love and longing – “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you are were not willing!” Here, once again, Jesus is calling out to one of his loved children – Saul, Saul. This shows us God’s amazing grace and love in the life of Saul. The third thing I want us to notice is the question God asks Saul – why are you persecuting Me? Saul, in his mind, was doing God’s will. He was following God’s Law and trying to rid the world of false doctrine. Now he is confronted with what he was really doing – that is persecuting the very One he thought he was following. He had been walking in the darkness and has suddenly been confronted in the light. Next, I want us to notice Saul’s response – “Who are You, Lord?” Do not mistake this as Saul not understanding who he had encountered. He knew it was God speaking as he addresses Him as Lord – Kyrie in the Greek. The word Kyrie means Lord, master and one who has supremacy or authority. Saul has been confronted with his guilt. The light has been turned on and he wants to know who he should be following. Let’s finally notice the answer to Saul’s question – I Am Jesus. This is Saul’s undoing. Everything he had been focused on is suddenly unraveled in that one statement. All of his passion and zeal, all of the work he had been doing, the very meaning of his life is transformed in that one statement – “I am Jesus.” I don’t want us to gloss over this. For the first time in his life, Saul has encountered God and he realizes that his whole life, he’s been traveling in the wrong direction. Think about that for a moment. If one day, you suddenly realize that everything you have poured your energy and life into is absolutely wrong, how are you going to feel? It would be quite the gut punch. You would be left with the ashes of all your labor laying around you. This is where Saul is at that very moment. A great light has dawned and he has fallen in the ashes of his labor. Not only that, he is left blind and helpless without a clue what his new purpose is. He can only be led to Damascus by his fellow travelers who have witnessed his absolute loss.

Vs 10-19a There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord!” he said. “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he can regain his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!” So Ananias left and entered the house. Then he placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you can regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. And after taking some food, he regained his strength.

To me, these verses are the most some of the most comforting verses in all of Scripture. Why? Because it shows me God is not One who just leaves us in laying on the heap of our ashes. Instead, he supplies our needs and makes a way for restoration. Saul has been led to a house in Damascus where he has spent three days praying and fasting. Saul’s whole life has been about seeking God, and now, he has been confronted by Him. And so God sends him a minister – one who will care for him and attend to him as well as someone who can help direct him in his new path. Enter Ananias. The name comes from the Hebrew Hananiah, which means God is gracious. What a wonderful message to Saul – God sends him grace by one who’s name means God is gracious. I want us to notice a couple of things about Ananias. First, he is a disciple – a follower of Jesus. He is not an apostle or a deacon, but someone like you and I. Second, when God called his name, his first response was, “Here I am Lord!” This is the same response as Isaiah and Samuel. It is the response we should have when called by God. It is a ready response. I’m here, what do you want me to do? Third, God’s direction was very specific. He was to go to a specific street and house, to see a specific man who was doing something very specific – that is praying. Not only that, Saul has had a vision of Ananias who will be coming to lay his hands on him so he can regain his sight. This is very exciting to me. While Ananias is having a vision, so is Saul. God is bringing them together in a very specific way.

Before we think this is an isolated experience, or beyond reality, I would like to share with you a testimony of a missionary friend of mine from London. One day, he heard a knock at his door. When he answered it, there stood a man who said, ”Good afternoon. I am here to find out about Jesus.” My missionary friend was a bit taken aback, but invited the man in. This man shared with him an extraordinary story of how God reaches out to those who truly seek after him. This man had saved up his whole life to go on a Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca. As he was traveling in a caravan, one evening he had a dream. He dreamed that he was picked up by a large hand and then a voice spoke to him telling him that what he really sought was Jesus and if he wanted to know more, he was to leave the caravan that next morning, travel to London to a particular house in London and the man who answered the door would show him who Jesus was. He left the caravan that next morning amidst several protests. His friends warned him that he was in the middle of the desert and it was very dangerous to travel alone. The man was sure that the God who had spoken to him in his dream would take care of him. And that’s exactly what God did. Within just a few minutes, God provided him with transportation out of the desert, to an airport where he traveled to London and to my friends doorstep. God will make Himself known to those who seek Him. He will make a way for us to know who He is. We have to be willing to listen and obey. We have to say, Here I am Lord. We have to be willing to open the door and participate in the wondrous work God has for us.

Getting back to Ananias, he is understandably a bit on the cautious side. After all, this is the man who has been persecuting the church. Ananias apparently felt the need to make sure God was really saying what He was saying. Ananias said, God, you do know who this guy is right? God answers him with a pointed directive – Go. I have plans for this guy. And so, Ananias went. The last thing I want us to notice is what happens when we follow God’s plan. We get to see a miracle. We get to witness a life changed. We get to see the beginning of what God is doing. The Holy Spirit came down in that place and Saul could see – both physically and spiritually. His eyes were opened and Ananias got to be the one to watch it happen. How exciting was that!!! Here is a man transformed and renewed. His life was turned upside down and all around and, because of his obedience, Ananias got to be a witness to it all. The joy Saul must have felt must have been palatable. It is a joy that bubbles up from within to burst forth. Several years ago, I watched an amazing video about the Mouk tribe called Ee-Taow. The phrase Ee-Taow means It’s true. If you have never seen this video, Google it and watch. The utter and total joy that happens when the light goes on will stay with you for the rest of your life. This is what true joy looks like when we truly encounter God.

Vs 19b-25 Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some days. Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.” But all who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man who, in Jerusalem, was destroying those who called on this name and then came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?” But Saul grew more capable and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this One is the Messiah. After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. So they were watching the gates day and night intending to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall.

Saul, was uniquely equipped to do what God was asking him to do. He had been trained by the best and had a thorough understanding of Scripture. He was able to immediately go and preach the Messiah. When he met Jesus, everything he had been taught came together. It suddenly made sense and, the one who had set out to destroy those who believed in Jesus, was proclaiming Him in a powerful way. He was so empowered by the Holy Spirit, that he sugcheo – confounded and bewildered the Jews. So much so, they set out to now kill him. The persecutor was now being persecuted. What a turn of events that was! But now, he was in real danger and had to leave Damascus.

Vs 26-31 When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to associate with the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that He had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they attempted to kill him. When the brothers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and it increased in numbers.

After leaving Damascus in the night to escape certain death, he returned to Jerusalem where they were a bit more reluctant to except his turnaround. Once again, God provides the right person to bridge the gap in Barnabas. Barnabas’ name means son of prophecy or encouragement. His word to the disciples in Jerusalem was accepted and Saul was finally accepted. This was a precursor to the relationship Saul and Barnabas would eventually have as they embarked on their missionary journeys together. But this is several years down the line. To put all this timeline in perspective, we have to understand that Saul had been preaching in Damascus for quite some time – three years in all. We find this out in his letter to Galatians 1:18. He had a vital ministry there and had to make a sudden change due to the threats on his life. We also find out from that same scripture that Saul only stayed in Jerusalem for 15 days. That’s all it took for the Hellenistic Jews to seek to take his life. They were not as tolerant as the folks in Damascus! One thing about Saul – he didn’t beat around the bush. He told it straight and true. From there, he was eventually sent to Tarsus, his home. There he would spend anywhere from 8-12 years in basic obscurity. Nothing is really known about his time between leaving Jerusalem and the beginning of his missionary journeys from Antioch. But, this wasn’t time wasted. When we are faithful and ready, no time really is. God always provides us with what we need to be able to follow His path. These years provided Saul with time to hone and build relationships, to dig in and get his bearings, to set up a business and expand the church. As we go through Acts we will meet some of the folks he met in Tarsus and come to know the business he worked in. And, it wasn’t like Tarsus, was a backwater town. It was a thriving port city, strategically placed on the trade routes. People from all over the region came there. It was the perfect place for Saul to get ready for the next thing.