Chapter 11.

Paul and Ananias

See the Risen Lord

 

 

A young Pharisee named Saul strongly endorsed the stoning of Stephen.  He had joined the throng which marched Stephen to a killing zone outside of Jerusalem where Stephen was shackled to a post near the city wall.  The officer in charge of the execution proclaimed the charges against Stephen and directed those who wished to cast stones to place their outer garments in the care of Saul, who laid them on a flat, stone surface nearby. 

Saul was born about 5 A.D. in the city of Tarsus, which  was in the province of Cilicia in today’s Turkey.  Though a Jew, his father held Roman citizenship, which Saul inherited.  When he was a boy, his family moved to Jerusalem where he was educated by a leading rabbi, Gamaliel.  In Acts, Luke has Saul saying ...

I am ... a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city [Jerusalem] at the feet of Gamaliel ...  (Acts 22:3)

 

 

 

Saul Helped Facilitate

The Murder of Stephen.

 

Being a zealous Pharisee, Saul was certain that the Christian movement was a wicked departure from the teachings of the Old Testament.  He wanted to eradicate the New Testament Church.  Stephen was a vibrant leader of the “Christian Cult”.  Saul was certain, “Stephen had to go!”  Eagerly, he participated in the execution of Stephen.  Luke states ...

... the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul approved of their killing him.  (Acts 7:58b-8:1a NIV)

 

 

 

Saul

Persecuted the Church

Vehemently.

 

By slaying one of the most evangelistic leaders of the rapidly growing New Testament Church, the rulers of the Jews signaled their intense hatred for the movement.  This ignited many firebrands who were loyal to Mosaic traditions.  Saul was in the vanguard of these zealots.   He attacked Christians with vigor.  Oddly, his attempts to eliminate the Church caused it to grow more rapidly.  Led by the Holy Spirit, many Christian families fled from Jerusalem to other parts of Israel and beyond.  And, in their new locales, they preached Christ.  Many who heard the Gospel from them believed.  The Church began to move into all the world.  Luke relates ...

... On that day [when Stephen was slain] a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.  Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 

(Acts 8:1b-8:4 NIV)

 

 

 

Saul

Marched To Syria

To Capture Christians.

 

Saul loved the Lord intensely.  He loved the Temple, the Law, the animal sacrifice system, and the teachings of the rabbis.  He saw the Christian movement as a wicked cult that must be eradicated.  His devotion to God was misdirected.  Luke declares ...

... Saul was ... 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. 

(Acts 9:1-2 NIV)

 

 

 

Saul

Was Confronted

By the Risen Lord.

 

The Triune God knew Saul’s heart.  In his ardent prayers, Saul was asking God to help him stamp out Christianity.  Saul’s motives were pure and honorable, but Saul’s mind-set was very wrong.  So God, as Jesus, stepped into Saul’s life.  Luke states ...

As he [Saul] 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.”  (Acts 9:3-6 NIV)

Saul saw the Risen Lord.  And, not in a dreamy, foggy way.  No, Saul saw Jesus in His brilliant, glorious, Resurrection form standing before him, blocking him from capturing Christians in Damascus.  And, Jesus’ message was clear, “When you persecute My followers, you are persecuting Me!”  Saul was shocked.  He thought he was doing God’s will.  Suddenly, he realized he was fighting against God.  Jesus sent him into Damascus to meditate and pray and re-orient his mind.

 

 

 

Saul Prayed

For 3 Days and Nights.

 

Just as Jesus was buried in the earth for 3 days and 3 nights and then arose as the glorified Lord, so Saul was buried in darkness and fasting for 3 days and nights and then arose to live a new, sanctified life.  Luke says ...

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound [without understanding the message] 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 9:7-9 NIV)

 

 

 

Ananias Met

The Risen Lord.

 

Ananias was amazed.  Suddenly, without any prior notice, he was face to face with Jesus.  And, he was shocked when Jesus insisted that he go to the house of Judas on Straight Street to help straighten out the life of Saul of Tarsus.  For sure, he believed that Saul was an enemy of the Church.  But, Jesus said, “He is a chosen spokesman.  He will spread the Gospel far and wide.”  So, Ananias went to Saul.  Luke relates ...

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “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 holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”  (Acts 9:10-16 NIV)

 

 

 

Saul Evidenced

His New-Found Faith.

 

In another vision, Jesus told Saul to expect a visit from Ananias.  When Ananias arrived, he placed his hands on Saul, said that Jesus had sent him to pray for Saul’s sight to be restored, and suddenly, Saul could see again.  Simultaneously, Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Immediately, he declared his faith in Christ.  Joyfully, Ananias gathered a group of Christians, and Saul was immersed in water and, then,  raised up, identifying himself with the burial and Resurrection of Jesus.  Quickly, Saul showed that he was a “new man” in Christ.  Luke says ...

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord — Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here — has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.  (Acts 9:17-19a NIV)

 

 

 

Saul

Preached the Gospel

Powerfully.

 

Saul was, again, zealous for the Lord.  In error, he had been trying to stamp out the Christian movement.  Invigorated by his new relationship with Jesus, he became a preacher of the Gospel.  He used the deep understanding of the Scriptures that he had gained in the schools of the Pharisees to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was, indeed, the Messiah.  His testimony overwhelmed those who disputed with him.  Luke discloses ... 

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.  (Acts 9:19b-23 NIV)

 

 

 

Years Later,

Saul Spoke of His Conversion.

 

Ananias told Saul, “You’ve been given audiences with the Lord so that you may be a strong witness to mankind, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.”  Saul spent the rest of his life as a missionary to Europe, Asia Minor, and the Middle East.  Saul had 2 names.  As a Hebrew, he was known as “Saul”.  But, being from Tarsus, a Roman colony city, and being the son of a man who had purchased Roman citizenship, he was also known as “Paul”.  He inherited his father’s Roman citizenship, so as he ministered to an ancient world dominated by Rome, it was wise for him to use his Roman name, implying his privileged legal status.   

 

Paul preached the Gospel, first in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, and then in the world beyond.  After many years, he returned to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship.  Some adversaries, who despised his teachings, surrounded him and began pummeling him.  Roman guards rescued him, took him into their headquarters, and after interrogating him, allowed him to address the angry crowd that had gathered outside.  He used the moment to proclaim, again, how he had become a Christian.  He told of his errant efforts to stamp out Christianity. of his march to Damascus to capture Christians ... of his encounter with Christ ... of his re-assessment of Jesus of Nazareth ... and of his blindness.  Then, he told of the moment when Ananias came to him and restored his sight.  Luke has Paul saying ...

A man named Ananias lived there [in Damascus]. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus. He came and stood beside me and said, “Brother Saul, regain your sight.” And that very moment I could see him! Then he told me, “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.” After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance. I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, “Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.” 

(Acts 22:12-18 NLT)

 

 

 

Later, Paul

Told His Conversion Story

To King Agrippa.

 

All Scripture, including Luke’s Book of Acts, is given by the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16).  So we must conclude, God would have us consider the conversion of Saul 3 times.  First, Luke tells us of Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.  Next, Luke relates  how, years later, Paul testified to the angry crowd in Jerusalem.  And lastly, Luke states that Paul related his conversion story to King Agrippa.  Each re-statement of Paul’s conversion adds a fact or 2 to our understanding of that glorious event.  And we’re sure that Paul gave his testimony hundreds of times as he evangelized in many locales.  Using Paul’s ministry as an example, it’s clear that God is urging each of us to tell others how we became Christians.  Luke has Paul saying ...

... in Jerusalem. authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities. One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.” “Who are you, lord?” I asked. And the Lord replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.” And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God — and prove they have changed by the good things they do.  (Acts 26:10-20 NLT)

 

 

 

Later,

In Corinth,

Paul Saw the Risen Lord.

 

In the years following his conversion, from time to time, Paul was visited by the Lord.  Some of these encounters are recorded in the Bible.  For instance, Luke says that when Paul was ministering to the citizens of Corinth ...

... Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.  (Acts 18:8-10)

 

 

 

Paul Met the Risen Lord

In Heaven!

 

About A.D. 40, 6 or 7 yrars into his ministry, Paul experienced an exhilarating phenomenon.  He was caught up to the “third heaven”.  Presumably, he met Jesus there.  In any case, he mentioned this incident in his second letter to the Church in Corinth.  And, he noted that he had had other encounters with Christ.  He set forth these extraordinary moments as credentials that validated his ministry, but he was somewhat reluctant to write about them, because he did not want to be known as a boastful man.  Paul wrote ...

This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know — only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell. That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God ...   (2 Corinthians 12:1-7a NLT)