Acts is certainly an exciting book and chapter 9 does not disappoint!
The chapter opens with Saul, still wanting to murder and imprison believers in Jesus Christ (who evidently are now known as followers of "the way" - v. 2) heading up to Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem and imprison any believers in Jesus. It is worth noting that Damascus is in Syria, not Israel, and it is approximately 135 miles north east of Jerusalem which is about twice as far as Caperneum which is the northern part of Israel on Lake Galilee where Jesus lived and did much ministry. Saul was zealous in his persecution.
And then we have the dramatic account of Saul's conversion. Jesus speaks to Saul out of heaven in an audible voice - even those travelling with him heard the voice - and asks why Saul is persecuting Jesus. Jesus takes the persecution of his followers very personally. We ARE his body.
It is always amazing to see the dramatic turnaround in Saul. He goes from ardent persecutor of followers of Jesus to a follower himself who goes around proving that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ). He is so successful in his arguing that now those Jews who don't believe are turning against him and want to kill him. The reversal is very dramatic, complete and so very quick. It reminds me that those who are enemies of Christ today, and those who fight against believers now, can be just moments away from following Jesus themselves.
It is interesting that Saul has disciples in Damascus (v. 25) by the time he left. Also then as he comes to Jerusalem and everyone is afraid of him, Barnabas, the son of Encouragement, is the one who has the courage to bring Saul to the apostles and other believers. Of course we'll see these two working together later.
Also interesting is that in Jerusalem Saul is debating mostly with the Greek (Hellenistic) Jews preaches boldly in Jesus name. They then want to kill him so Saul is sent off to Tarsus - a very long way away (in southern Turkey). The church is now described as at peace and growing, now not just in Jerusalem, but in Judea, Galilee and Samaria.
We then see Peter moving out from Jerusalem a bit visiting believers and going to Lydda and then Joppa. Both of these are west of Jerusalem, Joppa being right on the Mediterranean and Lydda not far inland. Jesus first heals through Peter a paralyzed man in Lydda and then raises a woman, Tabitha, from the dead in Joppa. Jesus is reaching out his hand to heal and perform miracles in these places and many are turning to Jesus. It is interesting that Peter says "Jesus Christ heals you." He doesn't say "I heal you in Jesus' name" or "You are healed in Jesus' name" but very explicitly that "Jesus Christ heals you." This is the best form of healing and working "in Jesus name." And as all signs from Jesus go, they point directly to Jesus and people put their trust in him.
Lord Jesus, give us the grace to see those around us who need you, some who are even fighting hard against you. Let us be your hands and feet. Teach and lead us to speak and act in your name, not our own, to build your kingdom, not ours.
The only one reasonable explanation that I can think of for Saul’s dramatic conversion is the Lord Jesus Christ indeed spoke to Saul and convinced him that He was alive and is God. Hope Saul’s conversion can also convince more unbelievers that God exists and Jesus is God.
ReplyDeleteNowadays there may be some people like Saul are zealous in persecuting Christians. I am thinking why Saul and these people like to persecute believers?
It is a good question about why did Saul and why do others persecute believers. As many areas in life, if you just look at things from a mental perspective, the things that people do sometimes don't make sense. The reason is that there are other forces at work than just the mind. There are spiritual forces, specifically ones pushed on by Satan and his kingdom, that are opposed to Jesus Christ and all that he does. That is why there is such a strong reaction to the name of Jesus Christ. It is used as a curse word by some and when his name is spoken, there is a strong emotional response that takes place - more in the stomach area than in the mind. This is just an indication of the spiritual battle that rages around us that we are often unaware of.
DeleteIn the case of Saul (and many others), Satan had deceived Saul so that he could not see the truth of who Jesus was - that he is God. As he later wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 4:4, the god of this age (the devil or Satan) blinds the eyes of the unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of Jesus Christ. Saul was a zealous man and thought that those who followed Jesus were themselves deceived and worse that they were causing harm to God and the people of God. So Satan had deceived him into thinking that it was good for him, and his duty, to kill and persecute those who follow Jesus. John describes this as the spirit of antichrist (1 Jn 2:22, 4:3...) - one that is opposed to Jesus, denies that he is God and fights against him.
If we try to understand these actions with just a mental framework, it is like trying to understand how water can flow up into the air out of a hose or our of a geyser if the only force we know about is gravity that causes the water to go downhill and fall to the ground. There are more forces that work on water than gravity, just as there are more forces that affect human behavior than just the mind and rational thought. These spiritual forces at work often create a strong emotional response with mental justifications that go along with them.
Thanks for the answer.
DeleteAs a Christian, I think I should attend these spiritual battles against Satan. I hope I can use the Amour of God to fight for God's kingdom and help people to know Jesus and get saved. During daily life, I need to learn how to use the Amour of God and get ready for every fight.
Thanks for this great question and answer! I was thinking the same thing when the people were killing Stephen. It seems like a totally irrational and murderous response to what he said--but these sins are not motivated by the people by themselves--they are influenced by the devil and the "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12)
DeleteGod allows the persecution toward the believers to spread the Gospel to the outside of Jerusalem.
ReplyDeleteGod chose Saul to carry Jesus' name to Gentiles.
God talked Peter to be associated with Gentiles in Acts 11.
It was joyful to me to see the God's great plan!
Peter's miracle to make the Dorcas Alive was amazing.
God can do miracles through a man and we can see that today!
I relate to Saul's dramatic conversion because it was similar to my salvation experience. I was certainly not opposed to Christianity nor was I persecuting Christians. In fact, I mentally believed in Christianity and Jesus being the Son of God, etc., for pretty much my entire life and was even zealous for the Christian interpretation of reality. However, I was evil on the inside and this knowledge and belief did not transform me. However, after one day in church in California... actually hearing a single verse during the sermon... I was transformed. My eyes were opened and my priorities were changed overnight - I was "born again." This experience was much more like something happening TO ME than something that I had planned on or chosen to pursue on my own.
ReplyDelete