A Study of Acts: The Road to Damascus
Acts 9:1-9 - The best change in someone’s life is one that takes them from darkness into light.
“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
Acts 9:1-9 NASB1995
We’ve now arrived at one of the most spine-tingling moments in the Bible. The conversion of Saul (Paul is his Roman name) is an event that is truly earth-shattering and Heaven-shaking. When people have their minds dead set against something or someone, it is highly unlikely if not impossible that they will be persuaded to an alternative point of view (more on that later from a personal perspective). Just look at politics right now in this country for an example of deeply entrenched opinions that will not be changed no matter what counter-evidence or logical persuasions are applied. Of course, in our crazy world today the modern-day naysayers and critics attribute this conversion to an epileptic seizure or bolt of lightning and they grab onto the minor differences in the story as it is told throughout Acts as evidence that it didn’t really happen.
In preparing this devotional, I searched and searched through great art works of Saul’s conversion and felt like nothing was really good enough, including the one I actually did include from the great Michelangelo at the top. Saul is too old in this fresco (he is apparently the man with the grey beard and hair on the ground); Saul’s conversion is estimated to have occurred around AD 33/34, not that long after Stephen was martyred. Saul is described as a “young man” holding the coats of the perpetrators for that stoning event. Many of the art works are also too dark, as if the artist was afraid to try and portray the indescribable light from the Lord that blinds Saul temporarily; many others show Saul tumbling from a horse (there is no evidence that he was riding on a horse to Damascus). Again, in this Michelangelo fresco, the beam of light is barely noticeable as a lighter area.
So let’s learn a little bit more about Saul. Precept Austin has commentary from Steven Ger (from his book - see link at the end) that is a good overview of this man. The links go to various sources:
His Hebrew name, Saul, reflects the pride of his family in the most illustrious historical member of their tribe of Benjamin, the first king of Israel. He also was given a Roman, or Latin, name, Paulus. Although it was common custom for Romans to be granted three names, the custom among Jews of the Roman Empire seems to have been to assign only two names (from Simon Legasse, "Paul's Pre-Christian Career According to Acts," in Richard Bauckham, ed., The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting, vol. 4: Palestinian Setting).
Growing up in cosmopolitan Tarsus, Saul was probably conversant with Greek since childhood, but probably spoke either Hebrew or Aramaic in his home. Considering his upbringing in Tarsus and Jerusalem, his formal education, and judging from his epistles, it is clear that Saul was comfortably conversant in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and perhaps even Latin.
Saul, of course, was a fervent member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of Judaism, and it is probable that Saul's father shared that affiliation. The Mishnah provides some indication of the rigorous education Jewish children (or at least, the children of Pharisees) received.[Mishnah, Avot 5:21] At the age of five, Jewish boys began their formal study of the Hebrew Scripture; being educated not only in the content, but also in the prescribed rules of biblical interpretation. At the age of ten, Jewish boys added the study of Pharisaic, or rabbinic, legal traditions. It is probable that it was at this age that Saul was sent to Jerusalem to study "at the feet of" Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), where he may have lived with family members (Saul's sister lived in Jerusalem and his family was apparently politically well connected in Jerusalem, as his nephew is able to learn of the assassination plot against Saul in Acts 23:16).
At the age of thirteen, Saul would become Bar Mitzvah, a "son of the commandment," which was formal recognition that he was a full-fledged, responsible participant in the Jewish community. It was in Jerusalem that Saul, like all rabbinic students, would also have been trained in a manual trade, in his particular case, that of tentmaking, although it is still debated as to whether this specifically involved working with textiles, leather or goatskin. (Twenty-First Century Commentary-Acts)
Great information! So Saul is breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He asks for letters from the high priest (Caiphas) to bring to Damascus so he can round up men AND women of the Way (I wonder what happens to their children?) and bring them back to Jerusalem under arrest. Damascus is about 170 miles from Jerusalem, so Saul is obviously VERY determined! It is also worth noting that the church is growing rapidly.
According to Steven Ger from his book on Acts, a treaty had been signed between Rome and Judea that extended the high priest’s authority to Jewish enclaves and communities throughout the Roman Empire, which is why Saul asks for these letters, so he can round up the heretics that are following “The Way”. I like that name for this new religion - following Jesus is not a some-time thing, but is a way of life.
This is another artistic representation that is beautifully rendered by a great artist; once again Substack is not allowing me to caption a second art work for some reason, so here is the caption: Caravaggio, Conversion on the Way to Damascus (1601). Oil on canvas, 230 x 175 cm (90.5 x 68.8 in). Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome. However, it just reinforces the theory that most artists, regardless of their skill and renown, are not reliable witnesses to Biblical history (there’s that horse again and the light is not overwhelming, although Saul seems younger in this work).
So in this passage, suddenly a blinding light flashes all around Saul and he falls to the ground (probably not off a horse). A voice is heard: “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?” Saul replies, “Who are you, Lord?” And He replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city and it will be told you what you must do”. The others in the party hear the voice but do not see anyone. Saul is temporarily blinded and must be led by the hand on into Damascus; he also doesn’t consume any water or food for three days. I really like this explanation of events from Gotquestions.org that also ties in the other versions that Paul tells later in Acts:
The events that happened on the road to Damascus relate not only to the apostle Paul, whose dramatic conversion occurred there, but they also provide a clear picture of the conversion of all people. While some have an extraordinarily dramatic conversion known as a “Damascus Road experience,” the conversion of all believers follows a similar pattern of Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus, described in Paul’s own words in Acts 9:1–9; Acts 22:6–11; and Acts 26:9–20.
Putting the three accounts together, the details of this amazing experience come together. Paul, who went by the name of Saul at that time, was on his way to Damascus with a letter from the high priest of the temple in Jerusalem giving him authority to arrest any who belonged to “the Way,” meaning those who followed Christ. So intent was he on “opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9) that in “raging fury,” he breathed “threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” Here was a man who truly hated Christ and all who were associated with Him.
Suddenly a bright light shone on Saul, causing his entire party to fall to the ground. Then Jesus spoke to Saul, asking him, “Why are you persecuting me?” in a voice understood only by him. Saul recognized that this was a deity of some sort because he called Him “Lord” and asked who He was. When Jesus identified Himself as the very One Saul had been persecuting, one can only imagine the terror that filled Saul’s heart. Saul was speechless, no doubt thinking to himself, “I’m a dead man.” The Acts 22 version of the story indicates that Saul’s response was to ask what Jesus wanted him to do. The Acts 9 and Acts 22 retellings of the story have Saul saying Jesus told him to rise and go to Damascus where he would be told what to do.
In the Acts 26 story, which is longer and more detailed, Saul describes Jesus’ commission of him as His messenger to the Gentiles (which must have amazed Saul, the ultimate Gentile-hating Pharisee), to turn many from darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God. His message of forgiveness of sins and “a place among those who are sanctified by faith” must have also astonished Saul because the Jews were convinced they alone had the place of honor in God’s eyes.
There is no discrepancy or contradiction among these three accounts. Even though Saul received his commission from Jesus on the road, he still had to go into Damascus and be told what to do—meet with Ananias who laid hands on him, receive the Holy Spirit, be baptized, and be received by the disciples there (Acts 9:15–16, 19; 22:12–16). At Damascus, he also went for three days without eating or drinking, and then received his sight, which had been taken from him on the road.
I will be exploring those additional passages in this devotional series later, God willing.
Thinking about my own conversion experience, I would say that it is part “road to Damascus” and part a slower learning and growing experience after that point. I was dead set against God for many years after growing up in the church (obviously I wasn’t born again), stumbling around thinking I was a smart, feminist, liberal, pro-“choice”atheist. I was a proponent of science, not myth; I was probably rallying an agnostic most of the time, because I would suddenly pray when on an airplane that encountered bad turbulence - what a hypocrite! I bought into the fears in “The Handmaid’s Tale” when it was first published, recommending the book to other people (what a hackneyed piece of trash that tome is, IMHO, looking back in retrospect; it is responsible in many ways for this unfounded and ludicrous fear that Christians want a theocracy in this country).
Then I had the experience of the Outback Angel in December 2006 - probably my Damascus experience - followed by the overwhelming evidence of His signs and wonders as I watched my Mom and Dad pass away within 18 months of each other. Steve also had experiences along those same lines. We started to pray again and we began attending church, although our first choice was one that we had to run away from (probably a few years later than was prudent). People can certainly change in a big way, even when they think they are dead set against something. I also had a massive change of heart when it came to politics for other reasons in those years, but I won’t go into that because it is not really relevant to the story, although I do vote my conservative and pro-life faith now.
When we got married 45 years ago, I was starting into my apostasy - I told the pastors at the church where we were married (the same one that I attended for the years I was growing up) that I didn’t want any scripture readings from that “misogynist” Paul. Sure enough, the older and quite devout executive pastor read the very verses that I abhorred at the time, from Ephesians, about wives submitting to their husbands. I was steaming, but I actually didn’t say anything to that pastor, not wanting to make waves on my wedding day. I followed my ignorant bliss and, because of that short-sightedness, we are now in our elder years without any family to speak of, which can cause great loneliness and regret. Oh, and ALL of the writings of Paul are now so dear to me and his conversion story is, in my mind, second only to the Gospels of Jesus as a powerful and convincing story of the truth of God’s power and promises. I was blind, just like Saul, but now I see!
My next devotional examines Acts 9:10-19 - Saul meets Ananias in Damascus.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord: Today I will pray the words of the hymn “The Long Arm of the Lord” by Wayne Watson as found on Precept Austin:
A million dark alleys you can hide in
Dig a tunnel to the center of the earth
Convinced you've got nobody to confide in
Got you questioning the sum of what you're worth
People label you the black sheep of the family
Come collect upon your prodigal reward
'Cause you can never outrun
Or go beyond the reaches
Of the long arm of the Lord
I've been ashamed--I've been humbled and forgiven
I've been chastened by my Father's loving hand
But still, at times, I go on with my evil
It seems to constitute the nature of a man
But forgiveness is as close as my confession
And my sin amputated by His sword
'Cause you can never outrun
Or go beyond the reaches
Of the long arm of the Lord
If He gave to me all that I deserve
This could be my final breath
But with compassion in His eyes
He's drawing me home
Into His arms--Into His tender arms of rest
There are pagans at the corners of creation
Making light of the salvation that we know
And with a small, narrow mind I give them over
To the passion of the Godless seed they sow
But, in truth, we have just as much potential
To be Godly and perfected by the Word
My capacity for creative sin is never extended
Past God's capacity for restoration.
Amen!
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Precept Austin was accessed on 9/28/2024 and 9/29/2024 to review the commentary for Acts 9:1-9.
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 9/29/2024 to answer the question, “What is the Road to Damascus?”