When I look through the Gospels and the Book of Acts, I never find the gospel presented in the same way to different people. (10) Sauls encounter with Christ was not only a conversion, but it was also a call to a very specific ministry. The first words of the Lord Jesus to Saul were intended to teach him the inseparable unity between Christ and His church. Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way,137 both men and women,138 he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. It is not clear To whom did the Lord communicate "in a vision"? It says nothing about him receiving the Holy Spirit. Shortly afterwards, the Lord spoke to a disciple named Ananias, asking him to go to Saul, place his hands on him, and restore his sight. For less than $5/mo. You also know this person is a recognized hater of your faith, and wants little if anything to do with you. Gods promises and purposes would not be stopped by this madman, Saul. Who does the voice of Vanessa on Phineas and Ferb? These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them (Isaiah 42:16). He goes for broke. We shall then seek to identify the characteristics of Sauls conversion which are typical of every conversion. As persecution was no longer needed to disperse the church and the gospel, peace was restored to the land. Note the following impressions gained from a reflection on the passage as a whole. ACTS 9:10-14 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, What do Ananias actions, when asked in the passage to heal Saul, suggest about his feelings toward him? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:32). Lest anyone think they are too sinful to save, let me remind you that when Paul wrote that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, he quickly added, among whom I am foremost of all.. And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; 25 but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. And notice one more detail about the way in which Ananias did this. One thing was certain; no matter how much time had passed, the apostles were not yet convinced of Sauls conversion. 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.l In Galatians 1, Saul wrote that God had called him while he was still in his mothers womb (Galatians 1:15). Up till now, Jesus was the sinner, and Saul was the saint. 43* r And he stayed a long time in Joppa with Simon, a tanner. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. east-west thoroughfare through Damascus built by the Greeks after the city As he himself understood the heavenly voice which said to him at his baptism, You are my Son (Mark 1:11 par. To persecute them was to persecute Him. What is remarkable about the Lord's directions to Ananias? 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. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. Were these people as eager as Saul to destroy the church? These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 1 What happened to Ananias and Sapphira as a result of lying to God? * [9:8] He could see nothing: a temporary blindness (Acts 9:18) symbolizing the religious blindness of Saul as persecutor (cf. . Ironically, Ananias could have become one of Sauls targets of persecution for following the Lord Jesus. 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. While Paul may not have brought about the execution of all those whom he arrested, including women as well as men (verse 2), verse 1 strongly suggests that this was his desire and ambition. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness (Micah 7:8-9). Indeed, this seems to be the rule. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. How old was Jesus when he was crucified? In different contexts, preachers might want to draw specific analogies concerning those for whom the congregation should be praying even though it cuts against our grain to do so. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). What is meant by the competitive environment? (7) The salvation of Saul was Christ-centered. Saul proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God (9:20), a designation understood to refer to Israels awaited Messiah.149. 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 authorities, but also knew that he was on the march to Damascus, ready to destroy that church as well. They wanted to keep Gods blessings to themselves. We honor him on May 14. Their story is rarely shown in art, but is the subject of one of the Raphael Cartoons, and a panel on the Brescia Casket, both illustrated here. Saul was also blinded, which identified him with the blindness of the nation Israel of which the Old Testament prophets wrote (see above). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 5 How did God use Ananias in the New Testament? 1:11, Acts 20:23; 2 Cor. (3) Sauls salvation was personal. In spite of this, we are not told here that Saul did receive the Holy Spirit or what happened when he did. The obedience and faith that Ananias demonstrated in going to Saul and helping to restore his sight were incredible, to say the least. Saul recognized that he was a sinner, and that his righteousness was but dung before God. The call of salvation is a call to holiness, and to obedience, and to fellowship, with God and with our fellow-believers. Even if he were not one of these men, he would surely have hated to hear the gospel. It may well be a call to live transformed lives in the same circumstances in which we were found. (6) Little emphasis is placed on Sauls reception of the Holy Spirit, and nothing is said about what happened as Saul received the Spirit. 26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. What is wrong with Ananias response to the Lord? Get up and make your bed. He got up at once. To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:7). As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10). Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the Lord? (Isaiah 42:18-19). 9:31). Despite the threats Saul had made and his notorious track record of persecuting, arresting and even affirming the execution of Christians, Ananias, whose Like Stephen, Saul seemed to gravitate toward preaching to the Hellenistic Jews (9:29). Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight,. On various occasions in his epistles, Paul made either direct or indirect references to his former life of opposition and his radical conversion.132 Pauls theology, his lifestyle, his ministry, and his methodology, all are rooted in his conversion. He was to come to the earth as the great light, the light to the Gentiles, and so He did. 1:16; cf. The two messages cannot be reconciled. That is because our Lord always confronts, convicts, and converts men and women individually, in the light of their own actions and beliefs. WebAs Donald Davis notes, In case God has overlooked Sauls atrocities, [Ananias] takes occasion to issue a brief reminder. There is no more appropriate conclusion to our message than the words of the apostle Paul, which immediately follow those above, and which aptly express the response of the Christian to the wisdom, the grace, and the sovereignty of the God who has saved us, and who works all things together for His glory and for the good of His chosen ones: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for hypocrisy While their penalties seem extreme to us today, God judged them guilty of sins so serious that they threatened the very existence of the early church. For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all (Romans 11:25-32). How do you write a good story in Smash Bros screening? His name was Ananias (not to be confused with the husband of 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;* so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.h . They, too, were afraid of Saul and did not believe he really was a follower of Jesus Christ. Think about what happened as a result of this man overcoming his fear and obeying God. Now they were keeping watch on the gates day and night so as to kill him, This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He hears the voice of the Lord crying out to him. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. It strikes many readers as harsh, a return to Old Testament retribution. It is evident in the way he was saved. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, Chapter 9. It was, of course, Ananias who instructed Saul to be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). Sauls conversion was a miracle, short and simple, but not so much the result of the external miracle of the bright light and the voice of the Lord as the internal transformation and illumination which God wrought: 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man (Galatians 1:15-16). They could hear the voice but they did not see anyone who was speaking. The approach the Lord took was one of dealing with Saul in the light of his sin, of his salvation, and of his ministry. But these laws, which seek to summarize the gospel in a concise way, should always be applied individually. The importance of Sauls conversion can hardly be overestimated. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. . 9. 7 Did God Judge Ananias and Sapphira for the same sin? That our Lords contemporaries believed the Messiah to be in some special sense the son of God is rendered probable by the wording of the high priests question to him at his trial: `Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? (Mark 14:61 par. Saul did not agree with his teacher, Gamaliel, on how the Christians should be dealt with, however. Those things in which Saul would have formerly trusted for his standing before God, he saw in an entirely different light after God found him and saved him: 4b If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. The children will practice being giving and friendly with someone that they do not know. In the Bible, Reuben and Saul were of no relation to each other. He went on to become a respected teacher and the founder of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Betharram. . 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. 2 What do we know about Ananias in Acts 9? Ananias Get up and go to the street called Straight, to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. Saul was told at the time of his conversion that God had chosen him to bear witness to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the Jews (9:15). 25but his disciples took him one night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious (Ezekiel 1:4, 26-28; 2:1-7).143. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), p. 113. This can hardly be possible. l. [9:14] 9:12; 26:10; 1Cor 1:2; 2Tm 2:22. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Why did Ananias have to overcome his fear? Instead, he became the first believer to minister to Saul. Salvation is the miracle whereby God removes the blindness of sin and of Satan, whereby God replaces death with life. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. Throughout his life and ministry Paul marveled at the grace of God shown to him and to other sinners. Ananias found Saul and said to him, Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit. As soon as Ananias spoke, Saul could see again. (8) Saul was saved independently of the apostles. In Jerusalem, as in Damascus, Saul spoke out boldly proclaiming Jesus to be the Christ, the promised Messiah. 140 They are called his sunodeuontes, `those who were in the caravan with Him (cf. No doubt entered the mind of Saul that the Pauls experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1Cor 15:8. Paul was overwhelmed by a flash of heavenly light. He did not say that God revealed his Son to him, but that He revealed His Son in him. In order to have both, they pretended to give the full price of the sale of their property to the apostles. CE!L;oza!sQjaTsg Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. But the gospel is good news for sinners. If he were viewed as a reactionary, a trouble-maker, perhaps there were some unbelievers who thought Saul was too much trouble. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 1:11--2:10; Ephesians 3:1-13; cf. Grace is also the source and the standard for our service: Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person (Colossians 4:6). What do Ananias actions, when asked in the passage to heal Saul, suggest about his feelings toward him? Word was out that Saul would soon be arriving. ACTS 9:27 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. Ironically, Ananias could have become one of Sauls targets of persecution for following the Lord Jesus. Later it was the seat of administration of an Assyrian province. If this passage is profoundly important, it also poses its problems. Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations (Isaiah 51:4). Hebrew Baby Names Meaning: In Hebrew Baby Names the meaning of the name Sapphira is: Sapphire (gem); beautiful. . But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy lifenot because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. We are given a little insight from the account in Acts 12 when Peter was imprisoned and it appeared he would soon be executed, as James had already been, and as we would infer Herod purposed to do with Peter (Acts 12:1-4). 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. The Lord seeks and saves individuals, and thus our methods should be personal. 19 From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. In peace, as in persecution, the church was comforted and continued to increase. The conversion of Saul is a very crucial event in this book, which spells out from a historical point of view (Romans, from a theological viewpoint) the relationship of Jews and Gentiles in the plans and purposes of God. Elsewhere in Acts, such as with the apostles, Stephen and Philip, the message of the gospel was underscored by signs and wonders which accompanied the message. 2. Israels watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep (Isaiah 43:8-10). The narrative lectionary is a four-year cycle of readings Read more. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lords wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. Fourth, if we had all the facts, there would be no problem. It was surely fear (reverence), among other things, which prompted this. OR WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? 1:4). F. F. Bruce, p. 190. We can overcome our fears if, like Ananias, we trust that Jesus is directing the preaching work, Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Shortly afterwards, the Lord spoke to a disciple named Ananias, asking him to go to Saul, place his hands on him, and restore his sight. Thus, he did not use the method of many others, which was man-centered, not Christ-centered: For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. Jesus was alive and not still in the grave! 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. At length, in Gods good time, the door opened, and the events of half a lifetime assumed final and complete significance. E. M. Blaiklock, The Acts of the Apostles, (Grand Rapids: Wm. Saul got help, though, from a man named Barnabas. Those whose lives Saul would gladly have taken in his unsaved days now sought to save his life by sending him away. Why did Saint Paul change his While I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5). From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of Gods choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Israel too will just as surely return to God; and when it happens, it will be all of God, all to His glory and praise: 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. 7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one.g The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory (Isaiah 60:19). It was the most powerful piece of artillery in the Jewish camp that was suddenly turned round upon them. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 123. Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.. I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. Is paralegal higher than legal assistant? The life of Paul and his writings are very important parts of the New Testament. Pauls conversion is one of the great stories of the early church, and it has rightfully inspired Christians from every generation. Imagine for a moment that this is the week of Sauls arrival at Damascus.129 By this time Saul has gained a reputation as the ringleader of the movement to make Christianity extinct. The ultimate issue was Gods ability to saveeven the most committed unbeliever. Some would like the excuse to make some changes to make their life more comfortable. Could Judas have been a Christian? 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.