How does God defeat His enemies? He turns them into friends through the love shown in Jesus’ death on the cross, His resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Theologians often use the word “conversion” to describe this experience. In today’s Bible passage, we will see how Saul, an enemy of God, was converted through God’s gracious revelation on the Damascus Road. In an instant, he changed from an enemy into a friend.
This conversion was so dramatic that the Book of Acts tells it three times.
Saul—the Enemy—Meets Jesus
Acts 9 begins with Saul (later known as Paul) getting permission from the high priest to go to Damascus. He planned to arrest any men or women who followed Jesus and bring them bound to Jerusalem for trial.
Instead of carrying out his evil mission, he was graciously given a vision of the glorified, risen Christ.
“Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.'”
— Acts 9:3-6
Saul, an enemy of Jesus but still loved by a caring Savior, saw a vision of the risen Lord and fell to the ground in fear. What is interesting is that John, known as the beloved disciple, had the same experience when he saw the risen Lord.
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”
— Revelation 1:17
Whether it was John on Patmos or Saul on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians, seeing the glory of Jesus was life-changing. It is a gracious act of God that reveals who He is, who we are, and how deeply we need Him.
The Scales Fall Off
Jesus told Saul that persecuting Christians was like persecuting Him. He then told Saul to go to Damascus, where he would receive instructions about what to do. For three days, Saul could not see and did not eat or drink.
A disciple named Ananias was given a dangerous task. In a vision, he was told to meet one of the church’s most feared persecutors, help him regain his sight, and share the message of what he was to do next.
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
— Acts 9:13-16
It is encouraging to know that faithful followers of the Lord can still question the directions He gives them. In the end, however, Ananias did what the Lord asked him to do.
Ananias prayed what we now call a “prayer of command.” Not only did the scales of blindness fall from Saul’s eyes, but he also received the Holy Spirit.
“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
— Acts 9:17
Starr Daily
Starr Daily spent 20 years in prison, from 1910 to 1930. He was filled with hatred for the warden. After officials discovered he had planned to kill the warden, he was placed in solitary confinement and nearly died under the harsh conditions.
During that time alone, he had a vision of Jesus. He described what he received from Jesus as pure love. Jesus’ love completely changed him from a hardened criminal into a kind, gentle man. Hear his story below, as he shared it at a conference in the 1960s.
Please give yourself the gift of hearing his story. Several years ago, I read it and was greatly inspired by how Jesus’ love transforms broken humanity. His conversion is like Paul’s: once filled with hate and anger, and completely against the Lord, he was transformed by God’s love.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Acts 9:1-19 on YouTube today.
