My God and My Country

From Persecutor to Preacher

The Book of Acts

Chapter 9 Verses 1-20

by R.P. Woitowitz Sr.

1 And Saul yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord went unto the high Priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the Synagogues, that if he found any that were of that way, (either men or women) he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 Now as he journeyed, it came to pass that as he was come near to Damascus, suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 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 pricks.(a) 6 He then both trembling and astonied, said, Lord, what wilt thou that I do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou shalt do. 7 The men also which journeyed with him, stood amazed, hearing his voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the ground, and opened his eyes, but saw no man. Then led they him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus, 9 Where he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 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. 11 Then the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and seek in the house of Judas after one called Saul of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth. 12 (And he saw in a vision a man named Ananias coming into him, and putting his hands 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 Moreover here he hath authority of the high Priests, to bind all that call on thy Name. 15 Then 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 show him, how many things he must suffer for my Name’s sake. 17 Then Ananias went his way, and entered into that house, and put his hands on him, and saith, Brother Saul, the Lord hath sent me (even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest) 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 suddenly he received sight, and arose, and was baptized, 19 And received meat, and was strengthened. So was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 20 And straightway he preached Christ in the Synagogues, that he was that Son of God.

One of my more favorite chapters in God’s Holy Word is the conversion of then Saul on the road to Damascus as found in The Book of Acts Chapter 9 verses 1-20. Here, is a man, who in an earlier chapter ( Acts Chapter 7 ) not only witnessed but condoned the stoning of Stephen, by holding the coats of those that did the actual stoning. This a man, who we read in Acts Chapter 8 is endeavoring to put out the light of the Gospel of Christ, to extinguish it with all the power and authority given to him. He is a well educated and learned man. A man of much authority, who we read in the very first verse of Acts Chapter 9 is now taking his authority to Damascus, to seek out and destroy all those who preach the resurrection of Christ, and the confessing of Him as Savior. In fact in the above translation, it is said he sought to “slaughter” them man and or woman. I don’t know about you, but this is a really heavy word; slaughter. According to Webster’s Dictionary Edition 1913, it is defined as; The act of killing. Specifically: The extensive, violent, bloody, or wanton destruction of life; carnage. That’s pretty definitive and rather permanent I would add.

So, here we find a man who for all intent purpose is actively seeking to destroy the early church and its followers. Then something amazing happens as he is on that road. Saul is suddenly blinded by a light. It is Christ Himself and He is speaking to Saul. Saul falls to the ground in much fear, and asks of Christ, what do you wish of me? There is no way of knowing, but one would logically guess, that Saul feared for His own life. For if Christ could just suddenly strike him down it is well within his His power to take his life. Yet God, in His mercy, not only forgives Saul but likewise puts Him to work, for His own ends. One must see the irony in all of this, yet also see God’s compassion that ALL should come to repentance, even those who would persecute His saints. And on the face of it, what better man, than one much learned in Jewish Law and Scripture? As noted earlier Saul was a man of much authority and high status in the Jewish community in Jerusalem.

We move further onward into the chapter and we find Saul fasting and praying, and along comes Ananias, who has been sent by Christ, to not only heal, Saul physically, by restoring his sight, but to heal him spiritually as well, so that he is now, no longer a persecutor, but, a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a side note, I am wondering exactly what the “scales” were that fell off of Saul’s eyes. I am certain that there are many eye doctors, that would put forth the proposition that they were cataracts. And it might be likely so, but we have no way of really learning with any certainty. However, it is of interest to note that as soon as Ananias lays hands on him his vision is suddenly restored, and to coin a phrase he can now see clearly, and plainly.

What follows probably wowed the leaders of the Jewish community in Damascus. That is to say, herein is one Saul of Tarsus filled with all authority to rid that city of the heretics that believed and preached the Gospel of Christ. But what does he do? He preaches that very same Gospel! How astounded they must have been, and how betrayed they must have felt, so much so that later onward in the chapter, they did plan to kill him. But today we will not speak of that fact.

Now one may ask, well, what are we getting from all of this, why am I going to such great lengths to share this reading today? First off, for those that are already familiar with God’s Word, it is a refresher course if you will, a reminder of what we once were and what we are now today. But for others, that have not read, nor sought, nor listened to the Bible, or have only read it, but not actually studied, it is a small portrait about how a person, through God’s grace and compassion can come to Christ and not only believe, but to serve as well.

R.P. Woitowitz Sr. - A humble disciple in the service the King, Christ Jesus

(a) Editor’s notation - This saying is based on an old Hebrew proverb that suggests that those who are so stubborn, wind up hurting themselves the most as opposed to hurting other people. In other words, things are going to badly for that person.