It was about 37 AD.
Now he was headed to Damascus 150 miles away, in Syria. It
wasn’t good enough for him to just rid Jerusalem of these heretics. In his
religious fervor, he had to go all the way to Damascus and root them out there
too.
He had the blessing of the high priest to do so. (Theophilus, son of Ananus, who had been
appointed by Vitellius, the Roman governor)
He believed he was doing God service, and was blameless in
his persecutions. (John 16:2-3; Php 3:6)
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| Israel-Syria border northwest of the Sea of Galilee - It is in this area where Saul would have traversed on his way to Damascus, which lies about 25 miles away - Road to Damascus |
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We’re going to examine these three accounts today to see
what really happened on the road to Damascus.
Was Saul really converted on the road to Damascus? And how did it come about?
Acts 9 - Luke’s Narrative
Act 9:3-8 KJV
(3) And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly
there shined round about him a light from heaven:
(4a) And he fell to the earth,
Some say he fell from a horse, some that he just
dropped to the ground where he was walking. Taking a 150 mile trip, he may very
well have been travelling by horse or a donkey though the text doesn’t
specifically say.
(4b) and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
When God repeats a name twice, it is to display deep emotion, but not
necessarily anger (as in the Martha, Martha of Luke 10:41 and the Jerusalem,
Jerusalem of (Mat 23:37).
Jesus said that what Saul was doing, persecuting
Christians, dragging men and women out of their houses to be punished or put in
prison, was the equivalent of persecuting Him directly. How can that be?
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto
me. (Matt 25:40)
By persecuting the disciples of Jesus, Saul was
persecuting Jesus himself.
Act 9:5-8 KJV
(5) And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee
to kick against the pricks.
Answer: “I am Jesus whom you’ve been persecuting.”
Now he knows. Now he knows who this being is. And Saul,
once converted as Paul, spent the rest of his life seeking to know him more completely.
(Php 3:10)
It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks, or
the goads.
This is an interesting phrase. It turns out that it
was a proverbial expression common to the day.
An iron goad was an instrument for urging on
oxen, horses and other beasts of burden. It was a sharp
piece of iron stuck into the end of a stick, with which the ox would be poked.
These goads among the Hebrews were made very large. It tells us in Judges 3:31 Shamgar killed 600 men with one of them. Compare
The expression “to kick against the pricks” is derived from the action of
a stubborn and unyielding ox kicking against the goad. The ox would injure no one but
himself and would gain nothing. The expression
denotes “rebellion against lawful authority, and thus getting into greater
difficulty by attempting to oppose the commands to duty.”
In other words, it is futile for you to resist the
Lord your God. God had singled Saul out to turn him from the evil zeal he had
towards God’s people and to turn him towards zealous service to God in a most
dramatic reversal. And Jesus tells him here that it is futile for him to try to
resist.
Trembling and astonished, Saul realized he had no
choice in the matter.
I am Jesus whom you persecuted
Act 9:6-8 KJV
(6) And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou
have me to do? And the Lord said
unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall
be told thee what thou must do.
Once Saul realized Who he was dealing with, he
submitted as unto God. Just like a dumb ox, he was under the hand of the
Master.
What wilt thou have me to do? This was the
smartest thing he said all day.
But Jesus only tells him what to do next. He did
not reveal the whole plan.
As it is so often with us, He tells us what to do next
not the entire plan and how it will turn out. He directs us one step at a time instead of
laying out the details of the grand plan all at once. We must take that
next step in faith trusting the rest to Him.
(7) And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless,
hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
(8) And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he
saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
The second account we have of Saul’s experience on the road
to Damascus is in Acts chapter 22 where we hear Paul recount it himself.
Acts 22 - Paul’s Defense Before the Mob of Jews
This was 20 years after Paul’s experience on the Road to
Damascus. (58 AD)
At the end of Acts chapter 21, an angry mob of Jews wanted
to kill Paul because they claimed he had brought a Gentile, named Trophimus the Ephesian, into the
Temple and defiled it.
Paul had been dragged out of the temple and the Jews were
beating him when Roman soldiers stopped it and took Paul into custody.
As he was being led away, he got permission from the
commander to let him speak to the Jews from the stairs.
Act
22:1-21 KJV
(1) Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye
my defence which I make now unto you.
Interestingly, Paul begins the same as Stephen had
done.
“Men, brethren, and fathers”. (Act 7:2)
(2) (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
(3) I am verily a man which am
a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in
Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the
law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
(4) And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and
delivering into prisons both men and women.
(5) As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate
of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to
Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be
punished.
Paul’s saying, “I was just like you all before I
met Jesus. Let me tell you what happened!”
By mentioning Gamaliel, he may also have been
prompting them to recall what Gamaliel had said back in Acts 5:38-39.
… let them alone:
for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But
if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight
against God.
Then he begins to tell the story of how this was so.
Act 22:6-11 KJV
(6) And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come
nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light
round about me.
(7) And I fell unto the ground, and heard a
voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me?
(8) And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, [specifically,
which Jesus] whom thou persecutest.
(9) And they that were with me saw indeed the light,
and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
(10) And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told
thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
(11) And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led
by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
Paul was making it
clear to the mob that it wasn’t his idea to
preach to the Gentiles; this was God’s plan, not his. He hoped it
also explained to the crowd why he seemed so friendly to the Gentiles: Paul was
simply obeying Jesus and His word to him.
Paul was arrested and taken into Roman custody. (Act
22:24-30)
From now until the
end of the Book of Acts, Paul will be in Roman custody.
The third account is Paul’s defense as he appears in the
court before King Agrippa.
Acts 26 - Paul Defends Himself Before King Agrippa II
Paul stood before
the man whose great-grandfather, Herod the Great, had tried to kill Jesus as a
baby; his grandfather, Herod the tetrarch, Antipas, who had married his brother
Philip’s wife Herodias, had beheaded John the Baptist for pointing it out; his
father, Agrippa I, had killed the first of the apostles to be martyred, (Acts
12:2) James the son of Zebedee.
Agrippa’s family history made it unlikely that Paul would be received warmly. However, we’ll see the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to take no thought ahead of time what to say, that Paul would be given the words to speak by the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through him.
(Matt 10:20; Mark 13:11; Luke
21:15)
Act 26:1-7; 13-21 KJV
(1) Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou
art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and
answered for himself:
(2) I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for
myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the
Jews:
(3) Especially because I know
thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews:
wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
In the auditorium
there in the city of Caesarea Paul spoke to Festus, Agrippa, his sister Bernice
with whom it is believed he had an incestuous relationship, commanders of the
Roman Legion, and all the prominent men of Caesarea. (Acts 25:23) Why did Paul
say Agrippa was expert in Jewish customs? Agrippa and Bernice were Jews so
Paul’s appeal to them began with this framework in mind.
(4) My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among
mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
(5) Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that
after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
(6) And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise
made of God unto our fathers:
Who is the hope of the promise? Jesus, the
Messiah.
(7) Unto which promise our
twelve tribes, instantly serving God day
and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of
the Jews.
The Messiah which has been spoken of in the Law and the
Prophets has come! I’m merely attesting to the fact. And for this, they accuse
me of heresy.
(13) At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven,
above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which
journeyed with me.
(14) And when we were all fallen to the earth, I
heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee
to kick against the pricks.
(15) And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
(16) But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make
thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of
those things in the which I will appear unto thee; [see
2Cor 12:1-7]
(17) Delivering thee from the people, and
from the
Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
(18) To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to
light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith
that is in me.
Isn’t that why we’re sent, brethren? To preach the
gospel that their eyes may be opened, to be a witness, making disciples of
them? (Matt 28:19-20)
§ To turn them from
darkness to the light (see also 1 John 2:8)
§ From the power of
Satan unto God
§ That He may grant
them repentance and forgive their sins (2 Tim 2:24-26)
§ That they too may
receive the glorious inheritance among God’s people
(19) Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the
heavenly vision:
(20) But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and
throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then
to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for
repentance.
(21) For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went
about to kill me.
I went to the Jews first. I gave them first chance to
hear what I had learned. Then I went to the Gentiles.
Paul’s argument was so convincing, so rational, and so
fervently presented that Agrippa is “almost persuaded” to be a Christian. (v.
28)
Act 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a
Christian.
Act 26:31-32
(31) And when they were gone aside, they talked
between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of
bonds.
(32) Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man
might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.
But Paul MUST go to Rome. He was instructed to go to Rome by
Jesus Himself. These were just the circumstances that brought it about.
Act 23:11 KJV And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me
in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
So, did you catch
the apparent “contradictions” in the three accounts?
Apparent Contradictions
Acts 9:3-4; 7
says –
And as he journeyed, he
came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light
from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto
him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Act 9:3-4
KJV)
And the men which
journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing
no man. (Act 9:7
KJV)
And Acts
22:6-7; 9 says –
(6) And it came to pass,
that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon,
suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. (7) And I fell unto the ground, and heard a
voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? (Act 22:6-7 KJV)
(9) And they that were
with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not
the voice of him that spake to me. (Act 22:9 KJV)
And Acts 26:13-14
says –
(13) At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
(14) And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Did the men with
him hear the voice or not hear the voice?
Did the men with
him remain standing, or did they all fall down?
Resolution
As to the men standing – I think it would be safe to
say, they all saw the light. How could they not? It was brighter than the sun!
Upon seeing the light, at first, they all fell to the ground, as Saul said.
They all fell to the earth, which would be the immediate response to the
appearance of such a bright light, brighter than the sun a midday. Upon
recovering themselves, the men with him very likely rose from the ground and
surveyed the remainder of the scene in silent amazement and alarm while Saul
remained on the ground in fear listening to Christ’s admonishment.
But, how is it possible to hear but not hear?
Saul said they heard a voice in Acts 9:4 and then
later he says they heard not the voice that spake to him in Acts 22:9.
Is it possible to hear a voice, the sound of it, and not
know what’s being said?
Ever hear people talking but you can’t quite make out what
they’re saying? What if they’re speaking a foreign language? Can you hear their
voices but not comprehend what’s being said?
In Acts 2 – At Pentecost, they all heard in their own
language, (v. 6) others heard gibberish and accused them of being drunk (v. 13)
Bear in mind also, the voice spoke to Saul in Hebrew.
The men with him were likely of the armed guard type who may not have been educated
in Hebrew, but the language of the day, Greek.
A similar instance occurs in John 12:27-29, when the voice
of God came from heaven to Jesus, “The people who stood by and heard it said it
thundered.” They heard the sound, the noise; but they did not distinguish the
words addressed to him.
Joh 12:27-29 KJV
(27) Now is my soul
troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this
cause came I unto this hour.
(28) Father, glorify
thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it
again.
(29) The people therefore, that stood by, and
heard it, said that it thundered: others
said, An angel spake to him.
Mat 13:13-17 KJV
(13) Therefore speak
I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand.
(14) And in them is
fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
(15) For this
people's heart is waxed gross, and their
ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (ref. Isa 6:10)
(16) But blessed
are your
eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
(17) For verily I
say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to
see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear
those things which
ye hear, and have not heard them.
There’s no doubt, however, that Saul knew who was speaking to him. And
he heard and understood what was said!
Act
22:12-16 KJV
(12) And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a
good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
(13) Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive
thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
(14) And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou
shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear
the voice of his mouth.
(15) For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast
seen and heard.
(16) And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away
thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. [see also Gen 4:26]
As to the men standing - They at
first fell to the ground, as Saul did. They all fell to the earth, the
immediate effect of the appearance of the light. Upon recovering themselves,
the men with him rose from the ground, and watched the scene speechless with
silent amazement and alarm.
Hearing indeed
the voice - namely, the sound of
that voice which had spoken to Saul; but without distinctly understanding the
sense of what was said. When it says, “heard not the voice” it must be
understood in the sense of “understanding the words,” the distinct
articulation, which Paul heard. They heard a “noise”; they were amazed and
alarmed, but they did not hear the distinct words addressed to Saul. Whether the word
translated “voice” is used in the genitive case or the accusative case in the Greek
makes all the difference.
Yet most importantly, Saul heard what Christ had to say to be sure, and
understood exactly what He said to him without question!
Was Saul actually converted on the road to Damascus?
We tend to think of this event on the road to
Damascus as Paul’s conversion but was he actually converted there?
Act
9:9-18 KJV
(9) And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor
drink.
Saul lost his sight due to the great intensity of
the Light. (Acts 22:11; 26:13)
Ever have your picture taken with a camera and a
flash was used? You can’t see for a few seconds afterward. This was a much
greater flash that blinded him for three days. He had not yet been restored. He
had not yet been told what Jesus’ assignment would be. He had time to reflect
on what he had done. You can imagine his deep sorrow and remorse such that he
lost his appetite not even wanting a drink of water. Did he repent? I believe
he did.
(10) And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named
Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias.
And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
Question: Could we ever be “a certain disciple”?
Could God entrust us with a newly repentant babe in Christ?
(11) And the Lord said unto
him, Arise, and go into the street which is called
Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas
[for obvious reasons, this is not the same Judas as
Iscariot]
for one called
Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
(12) And hath seen in a vision a man
named Ananias coming in, and putting his
hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
(13) Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man,
how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
(14) And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all
that call on thy name.
(15) But the Lord said unto him, Go thy
way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles,
and kings, and the children of Israel:
(16) For I will shew him how great things
he must suffer for my name's sake.
(17) And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting
his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even
Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that
thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
(18) And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales:
and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Saul received not only physical sight but also spiritual sight.
- Saul repented.
- He had hands laid on him to receive the Holy Spirit.
- He was baptized.
Where was Saul converted?
It was not on the road to Damascus but in a
house belonging to Judas on Straight Street in the city of Damascus.
From that point forward Saul, a Roman citizen sent
to the Gentiles, went by his Roman name, “Paul”. It doesn’t say he was renamed
by God as was the case when Jacob was renamed Israel.
Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost,
set his eyes on him, (Act
13:9 KJV)
Conclusion
Paul’s conversion – an example for us all
1Ti 1:12-17 KJV
(12) And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath
enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
(13) Who was before a blasphemer, and a
persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
(14) And the grace of our Lord was exceeding
abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
(15) This is
a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
(16) Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy,
that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern
to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
(17) Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be honour
and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Saul’s
conversion is a pattern for us all, for all who call on the name of the Lord.
We can share in his experiences and know that our experiences are God’s will
and find comfort in God’s grace and love.
If God can forgive a man like Saul, he can forgive
you. He can forgive me.
Saul’s conversion reminds us that conversion is
something God does in us. It is God that does the work and He will complete it.
Php 2:13 KJV For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
And He will complete it.
Php 1:6 KJV Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a
good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ:
Once the work begins, it continues until Christ
returns for us or we sleep in the grave awaiting his return.
Saul’s
conversion reminds us that God looks for people to cooperate in the conversion
of others, even though they are not really necessary, except as a demonstration
of the importance of the family of God.
Perhaps He
called you for such a time as this like Esther. (Est 4:14)
Maybe he
called you to assist in turning many to righteousness. (Dan 12:3) Maybe he
called you to be a shining example to others such that when they see your good
works, they will glorify the Father. (Matt 5:16)
Maybe he
brings others to you that they may ask you the reason for the hope that lies
within you. (1Pet 3:15)
Saul was an
extremely rare individual. It was uncommon to find such an educated,
intelligent, devout Jew who was also a Roman citizen. God would use this unique
background to use him a special way.
Your
testimony of how you came into the Truth may not be as dramatic as Paul’s. But
you don’t have to be a Paul for God to use you. You too have a unique
background and perspective. God wants to use your unique talents
in a special way also.
God called you not just to be in his family
but to serve, to serve Him and to serve others, now and in the future. He
didn’t call us to just be in His family, burying our talent, but to do,
to put it to good use in His service.
Answering the call isn’t the end, but the beginning.
And may we
all have ears to hear what our LORD has to say when we ask, “Lord, what wilt
thou have me to do?”.
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