During his conversion No doubt entered the mind of Saul that the One who spoke to him was Jesus of Nazareth, the long-looked-for Messiah, the Consolation and Redeemer of Israel. 154 What is both interesting and important about this text is that the call of salvation does not necessarily require a change of career. Acts 9:17 - Ananias Baptizes Saul - Bible Hub This Paul knew and testified to. One is the truth from God Himself, 28, p. 185. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11). 20 The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins, declares the Lord. The approach the Lord took was one of dealing with Saul in the light of his sin, of his salvation, and of his ministry. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. sOGOSapQ3[y~@9W They could not prove him wrong from the Scriptures. Ananias came to Saul with grace to liberate him from his wrong-headed beliefs and open his heart to Jesus. But there is a greater discrepancy between the accounts of Sauls conversion in Acts and that which Paul gave in Galatians 1. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 10 i There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. He answered, Here I am, Lord. 11 The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 1:15). A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 114. He became a priest himself in 1823. 3 And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? 5 And he said, Who art Thou, Lord?139 And He said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do. 7 And the men who traveled with him140 stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one.141 8 And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.142 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. He sought to preach Christ in simplicity and not in a way that would detract from Him. Pauls conversion is one of the great stories of the early church, and it has rightfully inspired Christians from every generation. (2) While there is considerable emphasis on the conversion of Saul, there is very little detail given as to the precise time or the details of Sauls conversion. Then he turned to her body and said, Tabitha, rise up. She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.q I very much doubt anyone prayed that this Saul might be saved. Used by permission. Note Pauls summary of the gospel at the end of Galatians 2: I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20). Pauls method was consistent with his message. In Damascus, the Lord had spoken to a man named Ananias, and the Lord told Ananias to find Saul and to lay his hands on Saul and pray so that Sauls sight would be restored. WebThe Lord called to him in a vision, o Ananias!. by the sin of Adam. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 1:16f. * [9:36] Tabitha (Dorcas), respectively the Aramaic and Greek words for gazelle, exemplifies the right attitude toward material possessions expressed by Jesus in the Lucan Gospel (Lk 6:30; 11:41; 12:33; 18:22; 19:8). sight. 30And when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.p. Sauls conversion was also his call to ministry, and this conversion experience is strikingly similar to that of one of his predecessors, Ezekiel: 1:4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the northan immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. And the second group, who were waiting for Saul to come and help them deal with the followers of the Way, were about to discover that Saul had joined them, perhaps bringing other members of the opposition along with him. 6 What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? Ananias was a disciple of Jesus who lived in Damascus and was He trusted that Christ had a future purpose for Saul (verse 15) even though Sauls past as he knew it seemed to point toward a different future. 11The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. 12and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight. How does Ananias ability to rise above his own feelings of hatred toward Saul encourage Saul to move 23After a long time had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, When we look at Pauls great love and compassion for the saints, we have to remind ourselves of the hate he once had toward them. 16For (I)I will show him how many things he must suffer for My (J)names sake.. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? What happened to Saul when Ananias laid hand on him? The common characteristics of conversion are those on which I would like to focus in the conversion of Saul. What Ananias didnt know is that Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Let us avoid cookie cutter conversions.. CE!L;oza!sQjaTsg If the worst sinner (Saul) was not too sinful to save, then you are not too sinful for God to save. Note the following impressions gained from a reflection on the passage as a whole. Ananias had not only heard of how Saul had been systematically destroying the church in Jerusalem, hunting down men and women and turning them over to the 1:15; Eph. The obedience and faith that Ananias demonstrated in going to Saul and helping to restore his sight were incredible, to say the least. 2:1 He said to me, Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you. 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. WebAs Donald Davis notes, In case God has overlooked Sauls atrocities, [Ananias] takes occasion to issue a brief reminder. One of the most dramatic revelations of Sauls Damascus road experience was that he was not serving God, but he was persecuting Him. Ananias and Saul - June 3, 2022. Paul was no ordinary followerhe became the most visible and active pillar of the new Christian church. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6). 15:8; Gal. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. Matt. This expression, calling on the name of the Lord seems to be one used consistently in the Old Testament. Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Everyone is born in sin, and every part of their being is affected by sin (intellect, emotions, and will). Peter Restores Tabitha to Life. 42This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord. At first he found himself in the position of being regarded as an apostate by the Jews and suspect by the Christian community of Jerusalem. Bible Hub The question must be asked as to whether or not Sauls conversion has a more general application and relevance. 17) and the restoration of the man after the shattering experience he had known, and for the early ministry in Tarsus, Syria, Cilicia, and Antioch, which prepared mind and method for the major assault on the pagan world. In fact, more is written of what Saul said and did because he was saved than is written of what he said and did resulting in his salvation. At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. This conclusion could be based upon Pauls argument in Galatians 1 and 2, along with the expression, when many days had elapsed in Acts 9:23. What changed about Saul/Paul after Jesus appeared to him? To persecute them was to persecute Him. After this, Saul broke his fast and was strengthened. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Sauls eyes. Acts 9:10-19 Acts 22:12-16 - Webflow A devout Hellenistic Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, Saul was a member of the Pharisees and was taught by none other than Gamaliel, Copyright 2023 Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Ananias and Saul - Holy Land of God His name was Ananias (not to be confused with the husband of 30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. Web3. Get up and make your bed. He got up at once. 12 It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hopethe glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. It is also bad news for the self-righteous. No sinner is beyond the grace and the grasp of God. Why do you think the street was named "Straight" 8 Although I am less than the least of all Gods people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. What a shock Sauls conversion must have been to both groups! 5:3-4). For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:17-18; cf. 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. The baptism of Saul was his testimony to the change which had taken place. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company {photo-lithoprinted}, 1966), p. 90. 1 What happened to Ananias and Sapphira as a result of lying to God? Even then he knew he wanted to live the life of a religious. WebTeach the children the account of Sauls conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ as found in Acts 9:120. on it belonged to the Roman province of Syria, but had a measure of municipal autonomy in the loose federation of cities called the Decapolis. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), p. 181. His career as a persecutor of Christians seems to have begun with Stephen, but it quickly spread to all of the Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 7:588:3). The only question is who is the LORD? Let us not fail to respect the individuality of the conversion experience and to deal with people in the light of their individuality. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15). Obedience is often not easy, but it is very likely the most direct way forward and the clearest way to honor God. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. For less than $5/mo. Thank God that is what happened. This old city is the most enduring in the history of the world (Knowling). Linking is encouraged, but content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed including, but not limited to such means as framing or other digital copying and/or distribution method, in whole or in part without the publisher's written consent. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.