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The book of Acts

The conversion of Saul

Chapter 9:1 to 20

This chapter marks the beginning of the movement of the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel increasingly among the Gentile nations, preparing a special apostle intended for that purpose. The book will deal more and more about him and less about Peter and the early apostles.

Saul, in Hebrew, means "requested". Like King Saul, the first king in the history of Israel, Saul was of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin, and his father, it seems, was a wealthy man, having given his son the best education possible for a Jew of his time.

Highly educated and very religious, Saul belonged to the branch of ultra-orthodox Judaism of the Pharisees. He also had the privileged Roman citizenship by being born in the city of Tarsus. Following his religious leaders, Saul was convinced that Jesus of Nazareth, executed by Pilate, was an impostor and that those who still spread the idea that He was the Messiah of prophecy should be eliminated because they were, in his view, a threat to his religion. Saul later reported to King Agrippa that he had shut up many of the saints in prisons, and gave his vote against them when they were killed. He thought that it pleased God (see John 16:2).

This same blindness even today prevents multitudes from admitting the reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even believing in God, they are trapped in religions that consist of rituals, sacrifices, asceticism and superstition, even idolatry, thinking these things are pleasing to God.  

In his ignorance, Saul persecuted God's Anointed, the Messiah, through His body that is the church of God. Saul, at this point, would be nearly thirty years old, was highly regarded by the rabbis, the most zealous among his peers. In His mercy for this religious and sincere Israelite, God intervened.

After witnessing and consenting to the death by stoning of the deacon Stephen, Saul had resolved to go to Damascus, Syria, to check the synagogues in that city. He intended to imprison and bring to trial in Jerusalem "any who were of the Way" he found there. He obtained letters from the high priest giving him authority and permission to do so.

However, God “had separated him from his mother's womb and called him through His grace” (Galatians 1:15). On the road to Damascus, a great light from heaven flashed around him, causing him to fall to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”.  To his question, "Who are You, Lord”, he got the answer, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”... “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do”. This is just part of the dialogue, with more details in chapter 26:14-18.

Saul knew that Jesus was dead and buried. He was convinced that his soul would have gone to Sheol to await the final judgment. However, he also must have known that His disciples taught that the supposed Messiah had risen, and he heard the testimony of Stephen. Now that light and the voice convinced him that they were right. Though his eyes had been blinded by the intensity of that light, his hitherto non-existent spiritual vision was given him and he realized the terrible mistake in which he was immersed.

His choice was now between continuing with his traditional religion, eliminating opposition and achieving greater prominence in his society, or believing in the reality of what he had heard, admit that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, and so submit and obey Him. He knew that the second option would bring great sacrifices, the loss of his position and authority, and the hatred of his colleagues and masters. The same option is offered to many who hear the Gospel today.

However, Saul "was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (chapter 26:19): He arose, and went to Damascus with the help of the men who journeyed with him (they had heard the voice and seen the light, but did not understand what was said). Arriving in Damascus, Saul stayed there three days, blind, without eating or drinking, waiting for someone to come to tell him what to do, as the LORD had said.

There was a group of disciples in Damascus (probably intended victims of Saul’s persecution) one of whom was Ananias. Ananias had a vision, and in it the Lord spoke to him and told him to go and look for Saul, who was praying. In anticipation, Saul had already seen Ananias in a vision, coming to impose his hands on him to restore his sight. Ananias hesitated, because he had heard of Saul and the persecutions he had promoted against the saints of the Lord Jesus, and the power he had to arrest all who called upon the name of Christ in Damascus.

However, the Lord told him to go because Saul had been chosen to carry His name to the Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel ... and He would show Saul how much he must suffer for His name. Note that Saul would not be His witness as were the other apostles, as he had not been with Christ in His ministry, nor in His death and resurrection. However, he would take His Name, when proclaiming the Gospel. So do all Christians today. Saul also would go through persecution and martyrdom, things that all Christians should be prepared to suffer.

Ananias obeyed promptly, went to the house of Judas on the street called Straight where Saul was staying, laid his hands on him as a sign of fellowship as Saul had seen in his vision, and called him "Brother Saul," explaining that he had been sent by the Lord Jesus that he might see and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

It is understood that on the road to Damascus, Saul was blinded physically in order to be able to see spiritually, and that was when he was actually converted to Christ, Who he called Lord, and received the Holy Spirit from Him. For three days, he prayed and waited for the Lord's guidance, and now the Lord sent him one of His servants to give him the hand of fellowship, and to restore his sight so that he might be filled with the Holy Spirit, which happened immediately. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, to better serve God.

Then Saul arose, was baptized, and ate a meal to be strengthened physically. Saved, physically and spiritually healthy, full of the Holy Spirit, Saul remained for some days with the disciples in Damascus, and soon was preaching the Gospel in the synagogues, proclaiming that Jesus was the Son of God.

That Jesus is the Son of God was the basis of the preaching of Saul until the end of his life. It was the opposite of what he had sustained before, but the encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road and the message through Ananias caused him to come back to reality. The expression "Son of God" means that He was the promised and desired Messiah, expected by John the Baptist (John 1:34) and Nathaniel (John 1:49), because Saul was proclaiming his faith in the Lord Jesus in those same synagogues where before he intended to arrest those who confessed their faith in Him.

Saul immediately declared the divinity of Jesus by calling Him Son of God, and always maintained it. With this faith, he shook the world, because there is no power in a different preaching. Peter, in turn, emphasized the resurrection of Jesus as a glorious fact and proclaimed Him Lord and Christ.

It should be noted that Ananias, like Philip and the multitude that were of their time and followed them until now, were simple "disciples", men saved by their faith and followers of Christ, learning from Him, obeying what He taught and filling themselves with the Holy Spirit.

There is, nor ever was, any delegation of "authority" by the apostles of their ministry, and the evangelists, pastors and teachers are gifts of the Holy Spirit to the church of Christ, as the apostles and prophets were at the beginning (Ephesians 4:11) .

When a person is converted, there are certain events that show the reality of his conversion, and which are seen in the case of Saul, as:

1. He found the Lord and heard His voice (vv. 4-6). Only divine revelation could convince him he was wrong in his sincere convictions, and give him the necessary humility to learn the truth from the disciples he met in Damascus.
2. He was willing to obey the Lord and to do His will (v.6).
3. He began to pray (v.11).
4. He was baptized (v.18).
5. He joined in fellowship with God's people (v. 19).
6. He began to preach the Gospel to others (v.20).
7. He grew in grace (v.22).

 

R David Jones

 

 

 

 

1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."

 

 

11 So the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight."
13 Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."
15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

Acts chapter 9, verses 1 to 20