ACTS 9:1-31
Christianity was at a tipping point. Some viewed it as a heretical sect within Judaism. Others viewed it as a fulfilment of Judaism. Some wanted it to become a replacement of Judaism. There was confusion, some bickering and now the mounting threat of persecution.
Christians began moving away from Jerusalem. They settled in places like Caesarea, Samaria and Damascus (some even said there was a sizeable gathering all the way up in Antioch — nearly 500 miles away), thinking they might find a safer, more sympathetic community among people who didn’t live in the shadow of Herod’s Temple, but such safety was short-lived.
One of the most determined anti-Christians, a tent-making rabbi named Saul, went to the high priest and requested a warrant to scour the surrounding regions, looking for people who dared breathe the blasphemous name of Jesus. The Jewish leaders, having heard about how Christians were stirring up all sorts of turmoil in the synagogues (even suggesting that people no longer had to travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the Temple) granted Saul’s request. The warrant was issued.
Saul (who in the Greek language he mostly spoke was also called “Paul”) planned to travel to these cities, confront these heretics in the synagogues, quiet the trouble they created and bring them back to Jerusalem, where they would stand trial before the Jewish leaders. Just like their Leader had. If things worked out well, Saul reasoned, they might face the same humiliating ending Jesus had met.
But there was just one thing this Saul guy hadn’t thought about. What if they were right and he was wrong?
He gathered his supplies for what would probably be a 10-day trip. Food, water, clothing — and not just for himself but for his entire entourage. It was a dangerous time and it was safer to travel in a group. Plus, one never knew what these followers of Jesus might do. Rumours had circulated that they even ate flesh and drank blood!
Having heard the one named Stephen arguing with the high priest, Saul was familiar with the gist of the argument he was likely to encounter upon his arrival. On the journey, lost in thought, perhaps he allowed his mind to work out the details of his rebuttal. If they quoted Isaiah, he would quote Jeremiah. If they quoted the psalmist, he would quote the law. If they…, if they…, if they… .
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed in the sky, throwing Saul to the ground. There was nowhere to hide from it. It was positively suffocating in its brilliance. Everyone was terrified. Saul felt like he was on fire.
“Saul!” a Voice thundered.
The man in question was too terrified to respond.
“Saul!” the Voice repeated. “Why are you mistreating Me?”
Saul must have thought this was the end for him. But who in the world was talking? Who would say such a thing, and who would know his name — let alone his mission?
You don’t suppose… ?
“It’s me, Jesus, the One you’re abusing!”
Saul’s greatest fears were suddenly realised. His mind was racing. He heart was pounding.
“Get up! Go into the city. Someone there will tell you what to do.”
And then it was gone. The light, the Voice, everything returned to normal, except for the panic. The fear remained. The terror became a part of Saul, burrowing deep into the core of his being.
He couldn’t see. He could barely think or speak. He refused to eat or drink for three days.
And then a man named Ananias showed up, claiming that Jesus had sent him to restore Saul’s sight.
Sure enough, as soon as Ananias finished speaking, Saul’s eyes were opened.
He wasn’t sure about much of anything anymore. But he knew this much. He was blind, and now he could see.
Prayer
Dear Lord, it is good for me to review my spiritual journey from time to time so that I memorialise the significant people and events You have used in the process of gradually forming me into the person You intend me to become. Although You made me, I have acted as though I am self-made. I was meant for You, yet I have lived as though everything was meant for me. You called me for Your purposes, yet I have sought my own purposes. But when You were pleased to reveal Your Son to me, You opened up an entirely new way and a new set of options that were formerly closed to me. Now I can live for You and pursue Your purposes, because You have turned my spiritual blindness to sight. In Christ, You have given me a new derivation, a new dignity and a new destiny.
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