NT Doctrine — Acts 9:1-22

Jewish prejudices were being dismantled bit by bit. The Messiah overcame their murderous rejection and unilaterally declared a new Kingdom of Heaven. He opened the door to Diaspora Jews, Samaritans, and the ritually impure Ethiopian Eunuch. Now He’s going to open the door to one of His greatest enemies.

It took Paul a some months to work through the residents of Jerusalem and its suburbs, arresting Christians; the Sanhedrin’s term for the movement at that point was “the Way” (meaning, of Jesus). Then he obtained a broad warrant for similar work in Damascus, with took some time to organize. This brings us up around 35 AD or later.

The entourage would have included some wagons for hauling prisoners and a team of the Temple Guard, mostly mounted on horses. It took a few days to travel east and north to Damascus. Bear in mind that Roman imperial policy was mostly typical of previous empires from farther east, in which each subject nation had at least some judicial authority over their own people throughout the empire. Paul couldn’t touch Gentile Christians, but Jewish Christians were fair game for arrest, trial and prison. Damascus hosted a very large Jewish population, so Paul’s mission was hardly out of the ordinary.

Despite the midday sun, the glory of the Risen Jesus was enough to blind Paul on his horse, and he fell to the ground. For a man who was at least bilingual in Greek and Hebrew Aramaic, it was very significant to him to recognize a Voice speaking to him in the latter. As a Pharisee, he believed in such miraculous events as this. He knew that, at a minimum, this had to be an angel of his God. The notion that he had been persecuting someone from Heaven was enough to rattle Paul; he was stunned at the thought. Learning that this Voice was Jesus ripped away from him everything he knew. Whether he lived or died, he could not imagine resisting at this point. He was conquered, his life the spoils of war.

All he had left at this point was to humbly ask what his new Master required of him.

Paul’s entourage heard the Voice, but saw nothing they could identify. They knew the chief officer of their mission was now totally incapacitated. They could not act without him, as the warrant would name Paul as the executor of the Sanhedrin’s will. They led him into town and had to leave him there and bring the caravan back to Jerusalem.

For about as long as Jesus lay in the grave, Paul was nearly dead himself. This tiny bit part played by Ananias is all we know of him. In obedience to his commission, he went up to the main street cutting through the center of the city, still visible today in the old city. The Lord’s command to Ananias makes clear that suffering was already a normal part of Christian life, and Paul was going to enter into that.

Upon the touch and prayer of Ananias, Paul’s eyes were opened, both literally and spiritually. All the lies of Judaism fell away like scales from his sight. Paul repented in baptism and became a student of the gospel. The message of Stephen was now his message. After some time listening and learning, Paul came out as a champion for the other side. Every Jew in Damascus knew why he had come. That he switched sides so suddenly, and so mightily, was shocking. This in itself was a grand testimony in favor of the message of Jesus.

In no time at all, Paul had stirred up all the Jews in the city.