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The
Conversion of Saint Paul. [January 25.]
The Collect.
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O
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GOD, who, through the
preaching of the blessed Apostle Saint Paul, hast caused the light of the
Gospel to shine throughout the world; Grant, we beseech thee, that we, having
his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show forth our thankfulness unto
thee for the same, by following the holy doctrine which he taught; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Conversion of St. Paul, 25 January 2015 Anno Domini
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A
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ND Saul,
yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord,
went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the
synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women,
he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 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? 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. 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. And the men
which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
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. And he was three
days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 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. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and
enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he
prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting
his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered,
Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy
saints at Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind
all that call on thy name. 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: for I will shew him how great
things he must suffer for my name’s sake. 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.
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received
sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received meat, he
was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at
Damascus. (Acts
9:1-19)
A Man on
the Right Road with the WRONG Intentions:
Saul was a man bent on destroying the Church of Jesus Christ, and he didn’t
mind if that mission involved cruel treatment and murder of his victims. He
began that morning of his trip with hate in his heart, but finished his course
with a new name (Paul) and a heart full of love.
Like Saul, we have all been on that Road to Damascus. We were all on
the road to no good when the Lord stopped us in our tracks and blinded us with
the brilliance of His Person. We were no better, nor worse, than was Paul in
his pre-salvation life. We may, like Saul, not have even sought out Christ, but
He sought us out . Though we may not have been breathing out threatenings and
slaughter, we were still on no better ground than was Saul for being a rebel to
Christ is not a matter of degrees. It is simply a state of belonging or not
belonging; of being accounted among the elect, or among those of the family of
the Dark Prince of the Air.
God can do wonders with the open heart. If the heart is calloused and
hardened, He is able to melt it and remake it in an instant. Saul has
been the agent of hard and wicked persecution against the church. He was a
prominent figure in the stoning of Stephen, and now he continues unabated in
his bitter pursuit of the Christian Church.
“And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high
priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if
he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them
bound unto Jerusalem.” Saul is as enthusiastic in his work of
persecution of Christ’s Church as he later became in its defense and
propagation. The object of his actions was not only the Christian disciples,
but Christ Himself. Now he has approached the high priest for a warrant of
letters to travel to Damascus to search out every vestige of the Church of
Christ. It will be good to remember that just as feeding the widows and orphans
is doing the same to Christ, the opposite prospect holds true as well –
persecution of the saints is tantamount to persecution of Christ. Little did
Saul realize what would befall him on his journey?
“And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus:
and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:4 And he fell to
the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Evil men must beware of
“lights from heaven”. It puts them ill at ease. This light apparently startled
Saul so much so that he fell to the ground, and his companions with him. (Acts 26:14) The voice of Christ is heard by Saul: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”
Only Saul of the company heard with understanding the voice of Christ for he
only was the man called of God. (Acts 22:9) He was on the road to destroy the lives of disciples, but to hurt the
Disciples of Christ is to hurt Christ Himself! “And he trembling and
astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do.” It is
easier to recognize the Lord’s presence when one is afraid. Saul knows this is
the Lord even if he does not know the person of Christ. He calls him LORD.
“And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to
kick against the pricks.” A man cannot fight against the
powers of Heaven. Saul was called of God long before the idea ever arose in
Saul’s mind. He has resisted from the beginning. Perhaps his enthusiasm to
destroy is his weapon of opposition to the call. How often men struggle against
God’s Calling until God places them down and out on the road so that they will
finally listen. We see that the incident has caused Saul to have a sudden
change of, not only heart, but attitude! “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do.” He knows this is no dream as
well as he knows that this is not a Person to resist. “What wilt thou have me to do?”
This is the main thing Saul has asked and the main thing for each of us to ask
as well.
“And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what
thou must do.” Yes, to
the city where you hoped to persecute the people of God – the same city! A man
may be called to the ministry without a firm spiritual knowledge of to what he
is being called. The important point here is to answer the call and then await
further orders. “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice,
but seeing no man.” The voice was heard but not understood by
the company.
“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.” Saul was struck blind by the Light
of Heaven. He would not see the things of the world until his eyes were opened
anew to the beauties of Heavenly Truth. He required an escort to get about. He
would become the Apostle that would lead thousands out of darkness, but now he
needs a guide just to move about.
“And he was three days without
sight, and neither did eat nor drink.10 And there was a certain disciple
at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias.”
Saul was blind in like number of days as Christ was in the tomb. The man who
would die daily to self would also suffer the darkness for three days. Now the
Lord is preparing a man to receive Saul by the name of Ananias. The Lord calls
him by name, but only once. Ananias was a man accustomed to listening to the
voice of Christ unlike Saul. So the Lord need only pronounce his name once to
gain his attention. Ananias knew the Voice and the Person of Christ: “And he
said, Behold, I am here, Lord.”
“And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight,
and enquire in the house of Judas 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.” When the Lord calls us on mission, He will
always require us to travel in a straight way. Our example and impression is
most important as a testimony to the lost. The Lord provides full accounting of
that which He expects of Ananias. Saul was not sentient to the voice of the
Lord and had to await further counsel, but Ananias is a veteran disciple who
knows the Lord and understands His ways.
The cause of Ananias going to this man does not seem reasonable to
Ananias in view of Saul’s reputation for cruelty to Christians. “Why, Lord,
would you have me go to this man?” “Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by
many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call
on thy name.” None of this made sense to Ananias and,
frequently, the Lord calls us to a circumstance whose purpose is known only to
the Lord.
“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: 16For I will shew
him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.” Saul is being called to a very high Office,
but he will suffer at least as badly as he has caused others to suffer in the
cause of Christ. Were these decisions made by mere men, you and I would
probably have ended Saul’s life long before the Damascus Road, but God knows
the end from the beginning and the end of Saul will be a glorious one.
“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.”
Poor Ananias. He is a man of courage in the Lord. For all he knew, Saul would
lash out at him and have him arrested and perhaps stoned. But we must obey God
and not take counsel of our fears. When a blind man receives his sight again,
the world seems full of light and color. But when he receives his spiritual
sight, the earth appears bland and unappealing. Heaven looms large and
beautiful! The Holy Ghost gives spiritual eyes to Saul! Now Saul knows the
Person of the Lord who appeared to him on the way was Jesus.
“And immediately there fell
from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and
arose, and was baptized.” Were it not so very solemn an event,
it would almost be humorous to observe this man, “breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord,” suddenly and
completely changed in his nature, and becoming the very thing he came to
destroy. This is the Lord’s work. It is much like a plain bar of metal that has
every physical property of a magnet, except magnetism. When it is properly
charged with the invisible electromagnetic charge, it assumes the same property
of that other magnet. That is what happens when God brings us to salvation. We
may appear as the old man, but there is a new nature inside. Saul was made to
see, not only physically but spiritually. Not time to waste when we come to the
Lord. We must come all the way. Saul was immediately baptized.
“And when he had received meat,
he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were
at Damascus.” When a man is blind, he may not eat the Bread of
Heaven. But now Saul has his sight restored and he does eat physical bread and
also the Bread of Heaven. Instead of coming in the fires of persecution, Saul
is now sojourning with the disciples with whom he would have never thought to
do only three days past. When you came to Christ, did your vision change and
did your fellowship along with it? Do you keep the same company with brigands
or with saints?
Saul (Paul) begin on a dusty old Road to Damascus compelled by a full
measure of hate; he finished his course constrained by a heart filled with love
– that love that he describes in the Love Chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians
13. He had no idea where that road led when he embarked, though he believed it
would lead to the stoning of many Christians. How amazing that it led to his
own, and countless others’, salvation.
Perhaps you have not
known Christ in an intimate way, and are searching for your own Road to
Damascus. Though the Roman Prelate loves to heretically aver that “all roads
lead to Rome” - they certainly may, but they do not lead to heaven! So where is
your Damascus Road? Believe it or, it is right at your feet. You may be
facing away from that road, but it begins right where you stand, for the way to
Christ is always available for the one willing to turn from going the wrong
directing, and begin a journey home to Him. There are so many directions you
may go from the point you are standing and still miss that road, but it is
there. It is only one direction, and that direction is the same the Prodigal
Son took returning to his Father when “he came to himself.” Have you, friend,
come to yourself and gotten on that right road yet?
