The
Unlikeliest of Converts
[Acts
chapter 9, verses 1-16]
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Last
week, as you recall, we concluded chapter 8 of the Book of Acts of
our ongoing study of the writings of the apostle Luke. The apostle
Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (see last week's study here)
had just parted ways after the eunuch had gladly received his
salvation and baptism. No doubt you also recall how I used Philip's
determined but downplayed approach towards the eunuch as an example
of how we should all embrace our faith, how it is reinforced on an
ongoing basis, as well as setting a benchmark for how we share our
beliefs as we lead others to Christ. We are charged with the
responsibilities of maintaining the zeal of the apostle Philip as
evidence of our own faith, and as we share it with others!
But
today as we move on to chapter 9, we are going to see the flip side
of that coin. We are going to witness – although in retrospect –
what happens when God reaches in and takes zeal away. As we will see,
when zeal is grossly or egregiously misplaced, misdirected or both,
God will not hesitate to stop misplaced zeal in its tracks. Such is
what happened when Saul of Tarsus was called into the Lord's service.
So let's begin chapter 9, shall we?
“Meanwhile,
Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's
disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to
the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who
belonged to The Way, whether men or women, he might take them as
prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey,
suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the
ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you
persecute me?' 'Who are you, Lord?', Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom
you are persecuting', he replied. 'Now get up and go into the city,
and you will be told what you must do.' The men traveling with Saul
stood there speechless. They heard the sound but did not see anyone.
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see
nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he
was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.”
(Acts 9,verses 1-9)
As
you recall from our study of Acts chapter 6, it was Saul who watched
over the clothes of those who were stoning St. Steven to death. So
here we are, 3 chapters later, and Saul has advanced in rank as a
direct result of his systematic persecution of the followers of Jesus
Christ. He had captured for himself a leadership role in the Temple's
campaign against Christianity, and he may have been doing this for
many months or years prior to his being knocked off his horse and
struck blind. We can only imagine Saul's shock as he is told who he
has been persecuting. Undoubtedly Saul resisted, especially at first,
probably feeling resentful and defensive because of his bruised ego
and humiliation. “Now
get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the
sound but did not see anyone.”
Everyone there had no choice but to comply, given their situation.
“The
men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the sound
but did not see anyone.”
The sounds of Christ's commands were meant for everyone, but the
blinding light was intended only for Saul, since he was the only one
chosen. “Saul
got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see
nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he
was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.”
Oftentimes, when God chooses people for certain tasks, and especially
for callings into the ministry, he can't really build them up into
the man or woman God wants us to be unless he first breaks us all the
way down. This is precisely what happened to Saul.
One
other thing that bears mentioning here is that God has this way of
picking the unlikeliest of people to be his servants and carry out
their assigned duties. Moses was a fugitive, Samson was a prisoner of
war, Joshua slaughtered women and children, Jonah was a coward, David
had his best general killed so he could marry his widow, and Jesus
was hung on a cross as a criminal and a heretic. The bottom line here
is God uses the rejected and condemned of the world to advance his
agenda. God can and will embrace what the world despises, and he may
well reject what the world esteems. And now let's move on to part 2
of this week's lesson.
“In
Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him
in a vision, 'Ananias!' 'Yes, Lord!', he answered. 'Go to the house
of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul,
for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come
and place his hands on him to restore his sight.' 'Lord', Ananias
answered, 'I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm
he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with
authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call upon your
name.' But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is my chosen
instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and
before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer
for my name.'”
(Acts 9, verses 10-16)
The
first thing I notice about this servant of the Lord is what I noted
about the apostle Philip in last week's lesson. They were both very
prompt when they answered the Lord's call. Promptness is a key
ingredient in the toolbox of every believer. Promptness is like an
'app' that accelerates – as it compresses – the answers to
others' prayers while speeding up the answers to our own. Next, we
find Ananias being sent by the Spirit to the house of Judas “on
Straight Street” (to the best of my knowledge, this street in
Damascus exists to this day) to look for Saul, “who is praying”.
I would imagine he was considering he had been struck blind, so his
persecution of the early church could be stopped in its tracks. Being
struck blind must have unnerved the soon-to-be apostle-Paul, who up
to this point had been accustomed to having considerable authority.
“In
a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on
him to restore his sight.' 'Lord', Ananias answered, 'I have heard
many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your
saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the
chief priests to arrest all who call upon your name.”
Ananias was no dummy – he was well aware of Saul's reputation as a
dangerous man. But he got rebuked when he brought it up before the
Lord. “Go!”,
the Spirit said,
“This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the
Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.”
In other words, God was telling Ananias to stop asking so many
questions! As I wrote further above, God has this habit of selecting
the unlikeliest of people to carry out His missions on earth. At the
time these things were occurring, Saul had been an accessory to the
torture and murder of dozens, or possibly hundreds, of early
Christians. And yet there he was, lying on a cot at the home of Judas
of Damascus, blind and helpless.
So
as we close out this week's lesson, we find Ananias on a 'mission
from God' going to minister to a man he had good reason to be afraid
of. What will happen when Ananias arrives at Judas' house? Either
Ananias will be able to restore Saul's sight or he won't. Or, once he
restores Saul's vision, will Saul turn on them all and attack them?
To find out what happens and where this all goes, come on back next
week for part 2 of Acts chapter 9. Shalom!
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