Beloved, I am pleased to share with you today the above theme from Acts 9:4-5. Indeed, he is a young man called Saul as a particularly bitter opponent of Christians. In his own words, he was “a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and a violent man,” in short, the first of sinners (1 Tim 1:12-15). But the power of God will snatch from Satan one of his best instruments and enlist him in His service.
For not content with tormenting the Christians of Jerusalem, Saul in his fury and fanaticism, will carry the persecution even to the cities where the work has spread (Acts 26:9-11). Here he is going to Damascus with in his hands a power of attorney from the high priest and in his heart an implacable hatred against christ’s disciples. But on the road, in the middle of noon, he is suddenly blinded by a dazzling clarity, thrown to the ground, and he learns, we imagine with what grasp, that the One who challenged him from the height of glory was this Jesus whom he fought in his disciples. For the Lord identifies himself with his dear redeemed; they are part of Himself.
Saul is taken to Damascus, while deep work is being done in his soul. The Lord instructs Ananias to visit the new convert, open his eyes, and baptize him.
Thus, Saul was not content to ravage the congregation in Jerusalem (Acts 8:3). He wanted to extend his diabolical activity far and wide. “Breathing still threats and murders against the Lord’s disciples, he went to the high priest and asked him for letters to Damascus addressed to the synagogues, so that if he found some who were of the way, he would bring them, men and women, bound toJerusalem. Saul’s hatred of the disciples and, consequently, of the Lord, created an atmosphere of wickedness around him. In this we recognize the features of the great enemy of Christ, who led men to put him to death and who, seeing the risen Lord do his work of grace to all, would like to annihilate the results. But, though furious and fearsome, Satan is a defeated enemy. The Lord will show this by snatching from his hands the most energetic instrument of his hatred to make him his great servant by whom he will build the Assembly that Saul wanted to destroy. What was the purpose of the authority of the high priest? Didn’t Peter say that they were only men (Acts 5:29), of whom it was written: “The lips of the priest keep knowledge, and it is from his mouth that the law is sought, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 2:7), while another prophet says, “The law is perished from the priest, and the council from the elders” (Ezekiel 7:26). They were rejected by God, from the moment they had rejected Him in the person of His Son, their Messiah. Despite the apparent power they still claimed, Saul relied on a broken reed to give rise to his rage against the Lord’s disciples. The letters he had from the high priest for the synagogues never reached them.
The Lord let Saul arrive near his destination, for it was in Damascus that the disciple through whom he was to make his message known to him was located. As he approached the city, “suddenly a light shone from the sky like a lightning bolt around him. And having fallen to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul! Saul! why are you persecuting me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said: I am Jesus, let you persecute” (vs. 3-5). From this light, which contrasted with the moral darkness in which Saul moved, a voice speaks to him with authority, for immediately he said, “Who are you Lord?” He had hitherto persecuted despised Christians, believing they were serving God; now he learns that he was persecuting the Lord. But who was this Lord? He knew the God of the Jews, the authority of the high priest; and here is the voice of a Lord is heard with an immediately recognized authority. Paul had not believed Peter’s message to the people(Acts 2:36), saying, “Let the whole house of Israel therefore certainly know that God made and Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified.” Like the mass of Jews, he had ignored it. For all of them, Jesus had ended his life on the cross, between two evildoers; there his story had ended. The disciples preached that he was risen; but they were not believed, while the lie of the religious leaders was admitted, saying that the disciples had come at night to steal his body (Matt. 28:13). Whether or not people believe the Word of God, everything has been and will be fulfilled as it says. Solemn truth for reasoners and unbelievers!
The Lord’s answer contains a truth that was not part of Peter’s teaching when he was testifying of the Lord’s resurrection. By saying to Saul, “I am Jesus whom you persecute,” the Lord expresses the great truth that all believers are united to Him in glory, the members of His spiritual body of which He is the Head. As the apostle Paul, Saul developed this truth in his teachings, especially in his epistles to the Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians. When you touch the limbs of a body, you touch the whole body, and therefore the head. In 1 Cor 12:12, the apostle, speaking of the members of the body of Christ, says, “Thus too is Christ.” The body and the head form a single whole called “Christ”. It should also be noted that the Lord is called Jesus. Although glorified, he was still Jesus, the man born in Bethlehem, the One whose angel had said to Joseph, “Thou shabby call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). This Jesus, humiliated and rejected, is the Lord who made Saul, his persecutor, hear his powerful voice. “Get up,” he said, “and enter the city; and you will be told what to do” (v. 6).
From then on, Saul became a man without his own will, dependent on his Lord for all things, for he belonged to him; he was his redeemed, an important truth that all Christians, young and old, must be penetrated into in order to put it into practice.
The men who were with Saul heard the voice, but saw no one; it was to Saul that the Lord had to deal. It was he alone who was to “see the Righteous, and hear a voice from his mouth,” says Ananias(Acts 22:14). Saul rose from the ground and, as he did not see, his companions led him by the hand to Damascus, where he went three days without seeing and without eating or drinking (vs. 7-9).
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Sudden events:
Ec 9:12 Nor does man know his time, like the fish that are caught in the fatal net, and the birds that are trapped; like them, the sons of man are embraced in the time of misfortune, when he suddenly falls upon them. Ml 3.1 Behold, I will send my messenger; He will prepare the way in front of me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will enter his temple; And the messenger of the covenant that you desire, behold, he comes, says the Lord of hosts. ; Mt 24:27 For as lightning goes from the East and shows itself to the West, so will be the advent of the Son of man. Mk 13:36 fear that he will find you asleep when he arrives suddenly. Lk 2:13 And suddenly he joined the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying; Acts 2:2 Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like that of an impetuous wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 9:3 As he was on his way, and as he approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. Acts 16:26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; at the same moment, all the doors opened, and the bonds of all the prisoners were broken.
- Divine voice, voice of Christ:
-Source of joy for his friends: Jn 3:29 And this judgment is that, the light having come into the world, men preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.
-Recognized by believers: Jn 10:4 When He has brought out all His own sheep, He walks before them; and the sheep follow Him, because they know His voice. (Jn 10:16:27 I still have other sheep, who are not of this sheepfold; these must be brought; they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. 27 My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.)
“Experience the life of men: John 18:37 Pilate said to him: Are you king? Jesus answered: You say, I am king. I was born and came into the world to bear witness to the truth. Whoever is of the truth listens to my voice.
-Stop sinners: Acts 9:3-4 As he was on his way, and as he approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 He fell to the ground, and he heard a voice that said to him: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
- Glorified Christ:
-At the time of the transfiguration: Mk 9:2-3Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him, and led them alone to the distance on a high mountain. He was transfigured before them; 3 his clothes became resplendent, and of such whiteness that there is no fuller on earth who can whiten in this way.
-Described by himself: Jn 1:51 And he said to him: Truely, in truth, you will henceforth see the open heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
-Appeared during Paul’s conversion: Acts 9:4-5 He fell to the ground, and he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 5 He answered: Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said: I am Jesus whom you persecute. It would be hard for you to rebel against the prods.
-Described by John: Rev 1:13-16and, in the midst of the seven candlesticks, someone who looked like a son of a man, dressed in a long robe, and having a golden belt on his chest. 14 His head and hair were white as white wool, like snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 his feet were like burning brass, as if he had been set ablaze in a furnace; and his voice was like the sound of great waters. 16 He had seven stars in his right hand. From his mouth came out a sharp, two-edged sword; and his face was like the sun when it shines in its strength. (Rev 14:14 I looked, and behold, there was a white cloud, and on the cloud sat someone who looked like a son of a man, having on his head a crown of gold, and in his hand a sharp sickle. Rev 19:11-12 Then I saw the open sky, and behold, a white horse appeared. The one who mounted it is called Faithful and True, and he judges and fights with justice. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire; on his head were several tiaras; he had a written name, which no one knows except himself;
- Appearance of Christ after His Resurrection:
-To Mary Magdalene Mk 16:9 Jesus, having risen on the morning of the first day of the week, first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
-To the other women Mt 28:9 And behold, Jesus came to meet them, and said: Hail you. They approached to grasp his feet, and they prostrated themselves before him.
To two disciples Lk 24:15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus approached and walked with them.
-To the eleven disciples Lk 24:36 As they spoke in this way, He himself came into their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be upon you!
-To Peter 1 Co 15:5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
-To the ten, in the absence of Thomas Jn 20:19 On the evening of that day, which was the first of the week, the doors of the place where the disciples were closed, because of the fear they had of the Jews, Jesus came, came, presented himself in their midst, and said to them: Peace be with you!
-To the eleven disciples Jn 20:26 Eight days later, Jesus’ disciples were back in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being closed, presented himself in their midst, and said: Peace be with you!
-At the edge of the Sea of Galilee Jn 21:1 After that, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples, on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias. And this is how he showed himself.
-To five brothers 1 Co 15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at a time, most of whom are still alive, and some of whom are dead.
-To the eleven disciples in Galilee Mt 28:17 When they saw him, they prostrated themselves before him. But some had doubts.
-To James 1 Co 15:7 Then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles.
-At the time of his ascension: Lk 24:50 He led them to Bethany, and, having raised his hands, blessed them.
-To Paul, in his conversion Acts 9:5 He answered: Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said: I am Jesus whom you persecute. It would be hard for you to rebel against the prods. 1 Co 15:8 After all of them, he also appeared to me, as if to the abortion;
- Christ’s “I am”
-The Messiah Jn 4:26 Jesus said to him: I am, I who speak to you.
-The bread of life Jn 6:35 But, I told you, you have seen me, and you do not believe.
-From above Jn 8:23 And he said to them: You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
The Lord Jn 8:58 Jesus said to them: Truthfully, in truth, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.
-The light of the world Jn 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
-The door Jn 10:7 Jesus says to them again: In truth, in truth, I tell you, I am the door of the sheep.
-The Son of God Jn 10:36 the one whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, you say to him: You blaspheme! And this is because I said: I am the Son of God.
-Resurrection and life: Jn 11:25 Jesus said to him: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even if he is dead;
The Lord and the Master Jn 13:13 You call me Master and Lord; and you say well, for I am.
The way, the truth, and the life Jn 14:6 Jesus tells him: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.
-True life Jn 15:1 I am the true edg, and my Father is the winemaker.
-The Alpha and omega Ap 1.8 I am the alpha and the omega, says the Lord God, the one who is, who was, and who comes, the Almighty.
-The first and the last Rev 1:18 I am the first and the last, and the living. I was dead; and behold, I am alive in the centuries of centuries. I hold the keys to death and the sojourn of the dead.
From all of the above, we note that Saul, a particularly bitter opponent of Christians, meets the Lord who transforms him. What a transformation was taking place in this man during these three days! It was undoubtedly the stripping of everything that characterized the old Saul with his own justice and religion, for him, until then, a gain as he says in Phil. 3:7, but which he considered from that moment as a loss, because he had seen Christ in glory, hence from then on his righteousness before God. Only the power of God could make such a man the one who could say, “I am crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me; “And what I now live in the flesh, I live in faith, faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me” (Gal 2:20). Our prayers sustain you all in your efforts to live for Christ from now on.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow on the vision of Centurion Cornelius and Peter. “
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.