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The Conversion of Saul
As our study continues we last encountered Saul in Acts 7:58 and in Acts 8:3, where he was consenting to the stoning of Stephen, and making havoc of the church. Luke will again introduce his readers to Saul the chief persecutor of the church. The persecution he unleashed scattered believers far and wide (8:1). They had to flee for their lives. But God in His great wisdom had a good purpose behind the trouble, for everywhere Christians went, they preached the gospel (8:4). One place of safety seemed to be Damascus, the leading city in Syria. The church there was probably founded by Jews who had been converted at Pentecost, but now their ranks were swelling by the people fleeing Jerusalem. The concentration of believers in Damascus came to Saul’s attention so he obtained authority from the high priest to seize them and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial. The Romans at this time were not exercising strong control over the Jewish leaders (most of them were on the Roman government side anyway). Taking prisoners in Damascus merely required the cooperation of the local Synagogues. So, armed with letters of authority Saul started on his way.
The question arises as to why would the Jews in Jerusalem wanted to persecute Christians as far away as Damascus? There are several possibilities: (1)To seize the Christians who had fled, (2) to prevent the spread of Christianity to other major regions, (3) to keep Christians from causing trouble with Rome, (4) to advance the career of Saul, and build his reputation as a true Pharisee, zealous of the law, and (5) to unify the factions of Judaism by giving them a common enemy.
With Saul on the road were several companions. As they drew near to Damascus, a brilliant flash of light from heaven engulfed the whole company. Saul would later say it was brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13). Those with Saul were greatly frightened (Acts 22:9). They stood motionless and speechless, unable to understand what was happening. The group heard a voice, but saw no one. The voice from heaven spoke to Saul in the Hebrew tongue (Acts 26:14). Saul heard the voice questioning him saying, “why persecutest thou me?” Saul was confused. He knew he was in the presence of a being so exalted that he must address him as Lord. In his confusion, he called out the pointless question, “who art thou Lord?” it was pointless because he gave the answer. Moreover, Paul could see the person speaking, for years later he listed himself among those who had seen the risen Christ (1cor.15:8). Saul now had come to the realization that he was in the presence of the risen Savior. Who else was he persecuting? Saul now perceived with horror that his tireless work to extinguish the church was nothing less than blasphemy, for he was desecrating the work of the Lord.
The Lord continued, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Jesus was referring to ox goads, a sharp instrument used to get oxen moving. Only a stubborn ox would respond by kicking the goad and thus inflicting more pain upon itself. The presence of the glorious Lord tore away the pride of Saul, and for the first time in his life he uttered words that were entirely humble: “Lord what wilt thou have me to do?” In other words, “I acknowledge who you are, Lord, and I submit wholly to your leadership. “What is your will?” The Lord instructed Saul to rise and proceed to Damascus, where he would receive further instructions. Saul now blind was led by his friends into Damascus where his blindness would last for three days.
In the meantime, the Lord appeared in a vision to a faithful disciple named Ananias. He was instructed to go to Saul, who was at the house of one named Judas on a street named Straight. The Lord wanted Ananias to lay hands on Saul and restore his slight. Saul was instructed in a vision that Ananias was coming to restore his sight. Ananias feared Saul because of Saul’s violent reputation of persecuting the believers. Everywhere Saul went his reputation preceded him. The Lord patiently assured Ananias that Saul is now his chosen vessel to carry the gospel before the Gentiles, Kings, and to the Jews. Saul is informed he will suffer for the sake of Jesus. The first recorded man to consider Saul a Christian brother was Ananias. Any apprehension that Ananias had has now turned to love for his Jewish brother. The laying on of hands by Ananias had a two fold effect. Saul is not only healed from physical blindness but, also from spiritually blindness. Ananias baptized Saul and nourished him. After Saul received his sight and food, he was strengthened, not to continue his persecution of the disciples, but to begin his new mission for the risen Christ.
Saul remained for some time with the church in Damascus. Immediately he began to preach Christ in the Synagogues. The unconverted Jews were amazed, for they recognized Saul as the man who had come to arrest Christians. Some tried to argue with Paul, but like Stephen, Saul was not easily beaten in debate. In time, as his faith and knowledge grew, he confounded those who opposed him. Saul preaching stirred up such opposition that the Jews plotted to kill him (Stephen all over again). The persecutor has now become the persecuted. Saul’s Christian brothers helped him to escape certain death by lowering him down in a basket over the city walls. Saul experience took a strange turn; he entered blind and left in a basket. Saul immediately departed for Jerusalem where he wanted to get acquainted with the Apostles. Saul soon found out that joining the Apostles or disciples would not be easy. There was suspicion about the authenticity of his conversion, and they knew full well of Saul’s violent activities against the church. Many looked upon Saul’s conversion as a ruse to come among the believers and then continue his persecution. They were understandably fearful of him.
Barnabas who we first met in Acts 4:36 and one of the leaders, believed in Saul’s sincerity and brought him before the Apostles. He explained how Saul was converted on the road to Damascus and how he had been boldly preaching Christ to the point where they wanted to kill him. The Apostles’ suspicions disappeared. Saul was received as a brother, and allowed to fellowship freely with everyone in the church. During this time he spoke with Peter and James, the brother of the Lord (Gal.1:18-19). As he had done in Damascus, he began to confront unbelieving Jews in their Synagogues. Knowing Greek, Saul targeted the Greek-speaking Jews. This was good practice for him, since his calling would be to evangelize the Greek world. Saul’s efforts received the same results as those of Stephen, they sough to kill him. For his safety, the believers brought Saul down to Caesarea and from there to his home city, Tarsus. Saul’s conversion ended the persecution (for a while) that had scattered believers throughout the regions. The church enjoyed a brief time of rest rejoicing and walking in the fear of the Lord. Again many believers multiplied.
Luke shifts focus away from Saul and back to Peter. We last heard mentioned of Peter in Acts 8:25 when he returned back to Jerusalem with John from their work in Samaria. Peter now engages in a traveling ministry. Lydda known as Lod in the Old Testament was located eleven miles southwest of Joppa (today is Tel Aviv). Peter encountered a man named Aeneas who was afflicted with a severe affliction of paralysis of his legs. Whether he was already a believer, is not known. But Peter took compassion on him and declared that the Lord would make him whole. Peter commanded the man to arise and walk. His legs were strengthened and he arose instantly. News of the miracle spread rapidly throughout Lydda, and the neighboring region. Luke reports that all unbelievers in Lydda and Sharon accepted the gospel and turn to the Lord. While Peter was staying in Lydda, a Godly woman in the neighboring city of Joppa had died. This woman was greatly loved by the church because of all her good deeds. Like many people in Palestine, she bore two names, one Aramaic and one Greek. Both the Aramaic (Tabitha) and the Greek (Dorcas) signify “Gazelle”. Two men in the church at Joppa hurried down to Peter and asked him to come quickly with them. It was the Jewish custom to bury someone the same day to avoid corruption of the body. The question arises, if she was already dead, what did her friends expect Peter to do? They must have had faith enough to believe that Peter could bring her back to life. Jesus had informed the Apostles that they would perform greater works than Himself (John 14:12). Therefore the believer in Joppa believed that Peter could raise Dorcas, and so Peter rushed to her bedside, confident that he could perform a miracle.
When Peter arrived in Joppa, he found all the widows weeping over their fallen friend. After putting the widows out of the chamber, Peter kneeled by the body and prayed. Satisfying himself that the Lord’s will be done, he turned and commanded Tabitha to rise. Immediately she opened her eyes and sat up and Peter helped her to her feet. The believers did not keep what had just happened a secret. They eagerly spread the news and soon the whole city knew that a great miracle had been performed. As a result many believed and came to the Lord. After Peter work in Lydda and Joppa he stayed at the home of one called Simon the tanner. Residing at the home of a person whose occupation is that of a tanner poses a serious crisis. A tanner was one who converted animal skins into leather (the hides were soaked until all the fat, blood, and hair was removed). The trade of a tanner was despised by the Jews because it violated the ritual purity laws of not touching dead animals (Lev. 11:1-31). It appeared that Peter was less concerned at this point about staying at the home of a tanner. The word of God in Peter’s heart would be the ground work for what the Lord planned for peter in the following chapter.
Question/Answer:
In verse 2 the Scriptures states the phrase “This Way” what does it mean?
This description of Christianity, derived from Jesus’ description of himself (John 14:6), the phrase appears several times in Acts (19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).
As our study continues we last encountered Saul in Acts 7:58 and in Acts 8:3, where he was consenting to the stoning of Stephen, and making havoc of the church. Luke will again introduce his readers to Saul the chief persecutor of the church. The persecution he unleashed scattered believers far and wide (8:1). They had to flee for their lives. But God in His great wisdom had a good purpose behind the trouble, for everywhere Christians went, they preached the gospel (8:4). One place of safety seemed to be Damascus, the leading city in Syria. The church there was probably founded by Jews who had been converted at Pentecost, but now their ranks were swelling by the people fleeing Jerusalem. The concentration of believers in Damascus came to Saul’s attention so he obtained authority from the high priest to seize them and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial. The Romans at this time were not exercising strong control over the Jewish leaders (most of them were on the Roman government side anyway). Taking prisoners in Damascus merely required the cooperation of the local Synagogues. So, armed with letters of authority Saul started on his way.
The question arises as to why would the Jews in Jerusalem wanted to persecute Christians as far away as Damascus? There are several possibilities: (1)To seize the Christians who had fled, (2) to prevent the spread of Christianity to other major regions, (3) to keep Christians from causing trouble with Rome, (4) to advance the career of Saul, and build his reputation as a true Pharisee, zealous of the law, and (5) to unify the factions of Judaism by giving them a common enemy.
With Saul on the road were several companions. As they drew near to Damascus, a brilliant flash of light from heaven engulfed the whole company. Saul would later say it was brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13). Those with Saul were greatly frightened (Acts 22:9). They stood motionless and speechless, unable to understand what was happening. The group heard a voice, but saw no one. The voice from heaven spoke to Saul in the Hebrew tongue (Acts 26:14). Saul heard the voice questioning him saying, “why persecutest thou me?” Saul was confused. He knew he was in the presence of a being so exalted that he must address him as Lord. In his confusion, he called out the pointless question, “who art thou Lord?” it was pointless because he gave the answer. Moreover, Paul could see the person speaking, for years later he listed himself among those who had seen the risen Christ (1cor.15:8). Saul now had come to the realization that he was in the presence of the risen Savior. Who else was he persecuting? Saul now perceived with horror that his tireless work to extinguish the church was nothing less than blasphemy, for he was desecrating the work of the Lord.
The Lord continued, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Jesus was referring to ox goads, a sharp instrument used to get oxen moving. Only a stubborn ox would respond by kicking the goad and thus inflicting more pain upon itself. The presence of the glorious Lord tore away the pride of Saul, and for the first time in his life he uttered words that were entirely humble: “Lord what wilt thou have me to do?” In other words, “I acknowledge who you are, Lord, and I submit wholly to your leadership. “What is your will?” The Lord instructed Saul to rise and proceed to Damascus, where he would receive further instructions. Saul now blind was led by his friends into Damascus where his blindness would last for three days.
In the meantime, the Lord appeared in a vision to a faithful disciple named Ananias. He was instructed to go to Saul, who was at the house of one named Judas on a street named Straight. The Lord wanted Ananias to lay hands on Saul and restore his slight. Saul was instructed in a vision that Ananias was coming to restore his sight. Ananias feared Saul because of Saul’s violent reputation of persecuting the believers. Everywhere Saul went his reputation preceded him. The Lord patiently assured Ananias that Saul is now his chosen vessel to carry the gospel before the Gentiles, Kings, and to the Jews. Saul is informed he will suffer for the sake of Jesus. The first recorded man to consider Saul a Christian brother was Ananias. Any apprehension that Ananias had has now turned to love for his Jewish brother. The laying on of hands by Ananias had a two fold effect. Saul is not only healed from physical blindness but, also from spiritually blindness. Ananias baptized Saul and nourished him. After Saul received his sight and food, he was strengthened, not to continue his persecution of the disciples, but to begin his new mission for the risen Christ.
Saul remained for some time with the church in Damascus. Immediately he began to preach Christ in the Synagogues. The unconverted Jews were amazed, for they recognized Saul as the man who had come to arrest Christians. Some tried to argue with Paul, but like Stephen, Saul was not easily beaten in debate. In time, as his faith and knowledge grew, he confounded those who opposed him. Saul preaching stirred up such opposition that the Jews plotted to kill him (Stephen all over again). The persecutor has now become the persecuted. Saul’s Christian brothers helped him to escape certain death by lowering him down in a basket over the city walls. Saul experience took a strange turn; he entered blind and left in a basket. Saul immediately departed for Jerusalem where he wanted to get acquainted with the Apostles. Saul soon found out that joining the Apostles or disciples would not be easy. There was suspicion about the authenticity of his conversion, and they knew full well of Saul’s violent activities against the church. Many looked upon Saul’s conversion as a ruse to come among the believers and then continue his persecution. They were understandably fearful of him.
Barnabas who we first met in Acts 4:36 and one of the leaders, believed in Saul’s sincerity and brought him before the Apostles. He explained how Saul was converted on the road to Damascus and how he had been boldly preaching Christ to the point where they wanted to kill him. The Apostles’ suspicions disappeared. Saul was received as a brother, and allowed to fellowship freely with everyone in the church. During this time he spoke with Peter and James, the brother of the Lord (Gal.1:18-19). As he had done in Damascus, he began to confront unbelieving Jews in their Synagogues. Knowing Greek, Saul targeted the Greek-speaking Jews. This was good practice for him, since his calling would be to evangelize the Greek world. Saul’s efforts received the same results as those of Stephen, they sough to kill him. For his safety, the believers brought Saul down to Caesarea and from there to his home city, Tarsus. Saul’s conversion ended the persecution (for a while) that had scattered believers throughout the regions. The church enjoyed a brief time of rest rejoicing and walking in the fear of the Lord. Again many believers multiplied.
Luke shifts focus away from Saul and back to Peter. We last heard mentioned of Peter in Acts 8:25 when he returned back to Jerusalem with John from their work in Samaria. Peter now engages in a traveling ministry. Lydda known as Lod in the Old Testament was located eleven miles southwest of Joppa (today is Tel Aviv). Peter encountered a man named Aeneas who was afflicted with a severe affliction of paralysis of his legs. Whether he was already a believer, is not known. But Peter took compassion on him and declared that the Lord would make him whole. Peter commanded the man to arise and walk. His legs were strengthened and he arose instantly. News of the miracle spread rapidly throughout Lydda, and the neighboring region. Luke reports that all unbelievers in Lydda and Sharon accepted the gospel and turn to the Lord. While Peter was staying in Lydda, a Godly woman in the neighboring city of Joppa had died. This woman was greatly loved by the church because of all her good deeds. Like many people in Palestine, she bore two names, one Aramaic and one Greek. Both the Aramaic (Tabitha) and the Greek (Dorcas) signify “Gazelle”. Two men in the church at Joppa hurried down to Peter and asked him to come quickly with them. It was the Jewish custom to bury someone the same day to avoid corruption of the body. The question arises, if she was already dead, what did her friends expect Peter to do? They must have had faith enough to believe that Peter could bring her back to life. Jesus had informed the Apostles that they would perform greater works than Himself (John 14:12). Therefore the believer in Joppa believed that Peter could raise Dorcas, and so Peter rushed to her bedside, confident that he could perform a miracle.
When Peter arrived in Joppa, he found all the widows weeping over their fallen friend. After putting the widows out of the chamber, Peter kneeled by the body and prayed. Satisfying himself that the Lord’s will be done, he turned and commanded Tabitha to rise. Immediately she opened her eyes and sat up and Peter helped her to her feet. The believers did not keep what had just happened a secret. They eagerly spread the news and soon the whole city knew that a great miracle had been performed. As a result many believed and came to the Lord. After Peter work in Lydda and Joppa he stayed at the home of one called Simon the tanner. Residing at the home of a person whose occupation is that of a tanner poses a serious crisis. A tanner was one who converted animal skins into leather (the hides were soaked until all the fat, blood, and hair was removed). The trade of a tanner was despised by the Jews because it violated the ritual purity laws of not touching dead animals (Lev. 11:1-31). It appeared that Peter was less concerned at this point about staying at the home of a tanner. The word of God in Peter’s heart would be the ground work for what the Lord planned for peter in the following chapter.
Question/Answer:
In verse 2 the Scriptures states the phrase “This Way” what does it mean?
This description of Christianity, derived from Jesus’ description of himself (John 14:6), the phrase appears several times in Acts (19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).
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