"An Enemy Becomes a Friend" (Acts 9:1-19)

Introduction

Here is the remarkable narrative of the chief persecutor of the early church movement becoming the greatest missionary in its history. You would be struggling to find a bigger turn around!! Yet this is an inspiring story about what God can make happen. God had the help of a sincere follower named Ananias, and the prior preaching of Stephen; but largely God instigated this turn of events completely on his own initiative. God had a hand on Saul’s life, even though Saul was such an extreme opponent of Jesus. There was something about this Saul, that was just so well suited to God’s mission agenda. If only Saul could meet Jesus! As it turned out, Saul was perfectly suited to spreading the Gospel (in the power of the Holy Spirit) right across the known world.

Later, Saul would get a new name to be known by … Paul. As our character is known through our name, it was most appropriate that Saul would become Paul, because there had been a complete and thorough change. We know that there would have been a process of Paul meeting with the apostles and other disciples, as well as much reflection in the intimate company of God, before everything fell into place. But even then, the book of Acts reveals a remarkable and dramatic change where an enemy of Jesus becomes his friend, and immediately starts preaching for the One he just days before preached against. This has been described as the second greatest event in human history after the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is because Paul would largely be responsible for beginning the broad spread of the Gospel to Gentile peoples.

Text

What do you notice? What stands out in this text??

(a)  The Violence of Saul (v.1-2)

The old Saul was so committed to crushing all witness to the name of Jesus, that he sought permission from the Jewish leadership to have a roving commission … arresting all the Christians he could find and bring them to trial [Jesus-followers were then known as people of “the Way”]. Saul could get away with doing just about anything to non-Roman citizens. We know from Acts 7-8 that Saul was present and approving of the stoning death of the evangelist Stephen – perhaps even playing a leading role in this outcome. Listen to Acts 8:3 – “But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison”. In a later testimony about his life (26:11), Paul confessed that, “By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme [torture?]; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities”. This was no mere casual opposition, but rather highly calculated aggression. Remarkably, this person, yes this person, can be described as God’s “chosen instrument” (v.15).

Why was Saul like this? Here was a man wrapped up in rigid and inflexible law – this is how he had been educated – this is what he lived and breathed. He saw nothing else. [Saul saw himself as faultless in legalistic righteousness (Philippians 3:6).] There would be no reform to religion in Israel under Saul’s watch! Saul had no time for followers of a presumed dead man (named Jesus) who preached grace and forgiveness, and who had defied the law (especially the Sabbath law by healing on it). Any claims about this man’s resurrection must be squashed. The idea that Jesus was God incarnate could not be tolerated. And thus Saul actively pursued anyone who claimed the name of Jesus with violent intent. Interesting though, that the sort of focus and motivation that Saul applied to his persecution, could later be applied positively and gracefully to God’s mission. Far from experiencing God’s wrath, we might even hear God saying, ‘Here’s a good man to get for my team’! Here is a talented man, who just needs a credible cause!

(b) Seeing the Light (v.3-6)

So God in Jesus revealed himself to Saul on the road to Damascus. A “light from heaven” flashed around Saul. This was so dramatic and unexpected that Saul fell to the ground. There on the ground he heard a voice (refer verse 4): How could it be that someone so steeped in the religion of Yahweh could possibly pervert God’s cause and persecute God’s people? And Jesus who promised to be with his disciples always, was always going to take this persecution personally! Saul thought he was just stamping on a ragtag band of nuts, but it turned out that he was actually persecuting the very God he thought he knew (but obviously didn’t).

For Saul, this could only be God speaking, but this was a God that Saul didn’t as yet know … “Who are you, Lord”? There had been thus far no personal relationship through which Saul could really know God. So, when Saul had heard about Jesus, he hadn’t recognised him as God. And this kept him operating on the wrong side (the side of the enemy)! But then Jesus identified himself, and this must have been very impressive, for it was enough for Saul to do as he was instructed. [It’s one thing to sense Jesus, it is another to respond (but respond he did)!]

One could only imagine that the witness to Jesus that he had previously heard preached by Stephen … now actually started to ring true. How could one ever be satisfied living under the [religious] law?! How could one ever really be free or at peace?! How could one ever really be forgiven, such that life was better?! One could only become more and more disappointed with their failure. The only answer could be grace that cut across the law. The cross and resurrection could actually make sense! Saul had heard Stephen say some quite radical words as his stoning proceeded (quoted in 7:56-60):

·        I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!

·        Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

·        Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

Was there something in these words, or Stephen’s extraordinary faith and courage, that was emblazoned on Saul’s memory? Did Stephen exhibit an inner certainty or peace in the face of violence!? Had this unsettled Saul? Had this planted sufficient seeds for what was coming next? See how God prepares the way! Are we also being led to consider whether there was some deep discontent in Saul after all … that just needed to intersect with Jesus? Did Saul have misgivings about his life, and his zealousness was actually more a reaction to his doubts?

In any case, this one brief moment in time had such high impact; it changed Saul’s plans completely, it changed everything.

Michael Hardin writes of this radical change in Paul:

The deep structure of Saul changed and became Paul. His entire way of thinking was shattered and rebuilt on a new foundation, Jesus Christ. The way he had perceived and directed his life to this point was entirely transformed. (“The Jesus Driven Life, p.210-11, emphasis added).

Saul was probably around 37 years old at this point; by no means too late to make such radical change in his life: darkness to light, persecutor to apostle.

(c)  Starting a New Journey (v.6-19)

Saul had been blinded, presumably by the light, and could see nothing. The one who had done so many dark deeds could not physically stand up to so much light. Spiritual darkness was now matched with physical blindness. This immediately suggests that his previous vision had been defective, and that Saul needed completely new sight through which to see everything properly … to newly perceive truth. This period of temporary blindness was preparing Paul to be able to see in all new ways.

One could not easily make such a radical shift from enemy to friend without completely fresh sight and new vision to see things differently. Here for Saul was three days of soul-searching and contemplation and repentance. Fasting was also part of this new discernment (v.9b). The questions to consider?!? How is God now moving in the world? What is God’s will? What is my true role in God’s mission? In his praying, God was also preparing Saul for the impending visit of Ananias, that would build on his personal encounter with Jesus.

One could also not easily move from enemy to friend without help? God provided this help in the person of Ananias. [Interesting to compare the “Here I am Lord” (v.10) of Ananias with the “Who are you Lord” of Saul.] When called upon though, Ananias expressed his very serious reservations – the name of Saul struck fear into members of the Jesus-following community. Despite these very understandable reservations, Ananias raised the courage, and went as instructed by God to minister to Saul – and remarkably addressed Saul as … “Brother Saul” (v.17). It is Jesus that can make former enemies … brothers! From Saul’s side, he was experiencing kindness and ministry … from one … that a few days earlier he would have chained up and taken back to Jerusalem.

Ananias “laid his hands” on Saul – a powerful act demonstrating healing, acceptance, blessing and calling (v.17). This would mean that Saul regained his physical sight in acknowledgement of new spiritual sight – seeing as he had never been able to see before. This would mean that Saul would be filled with the Holy Spirit – bringing the empowerment of God and the presence of Jesus … this being Saul’s own Pentecost experience (preparing him to share the Gospel across cultures and boundaries). Saul would then be baptised by immersion in water, to show publicly that he too now had died to his old life and been raised to new life in Christ.

Saul, or Paul as he will soon be better known, is now a follower of Jesus too! The fast was over. Paul would work on regaining his strength. The mission was on!! Saul immediately started preaching the name of Jesus (as Son of God) in the same synagogues in which he had previously planned to arrest all the Jesus-followers worshipping therein.

Conclusion

Happy days!?! Well not completely. Paul would operate under the Holy Spirit and bring the name of Jesus to many a person. He would travel widely and plant churches and be deeply invested in their development and growing maturity. He would, often from prison, write letters to these churches; responding to the questions they had, or responding to situations (often unfortunate) that he had become aware of. Many of these exact letters were so well thought of (and so inspired), that they were long-preserved and form a major part of our new testament.

But this ministry and mission was carried out often under severe opposition and persecution. Ironic isn’t it. This was foreseen and communicated to Ananias (refer verse 16). To any that thought that Paul was getting off lightly for his hideous acts, we get this – “I myself [i.e. God] will show him [i.e. Paul] how much he must suffer for the sake of my name”. To any notion of ours that God’s mission would be easy – same verse! Paul would know what travelling against the tide sometimes means!

So, what do we get out of all this??

(i)                What a mighty God we serve. Not only did God come to our neighbourhood in Jesus, to empathise, teach, heal and save, God changed the chief persecutor into the greatest missionary, so that the Good News of Jesus could reach all the way to me!

(ii)              When Jesus-followers were unfairly persecuted, God stepped in and challenged the chief persecutor. Whereas this in itself does not stamp out persecution, it does remind us that God does not forget the oppressed, will enter and abide in their suffering, and ultimately bring the victory.

(iii)            We should never limit what God can achieve. We should not let our limited vision impede or ignore God’s big picture activity.

(iv)            God chooses to use us on mission despite what we have done in the past. In fact, our sins of the past, and our present salvation, and the tremendous difference between the two, should motivate us about those who remain lost.

(v)              We may be needed on the frontline like Paul; or perhaps more likely, as part of the team, like Ananias, who was ready, willing, able, faithful and courageous enough … to fulfil the small but absolutely significant role God had for him to perform.

(vi)            We can ourselves be changed. If any are lost in guilt and shame, or caught up in any addictive behaviour, or have hateful or violent thoughts toward another – God will come to us in his light and offer us a personal relationship with him through Jesus. There is staggering forgiveness on offer for us today!

(vii)          The Jesus-following life on mission for God is not easy and takes us out of our comfort zones; yet brings get purpose and meaning, and leads to all sorts of growth, and becoming more close to the image of Jesus.