Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light. When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them (John 12:35-36). In Peters words, Ananias and Sapphira agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord(v9), which appears to be a terrible sin in the eyes of God, so terrible that it even warranted having the couple killed on the spot, without even being given the chance to confess and repent. Saul got help, though, from a man named Barnabas. A vision, in this context, was a supernatural sight from God. He sent me so that you can For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along. He wrote letters to the first churches in order to help them understand the Scriptures and to tell them how to live as good Christians. Who has saved us and called us to a holy lifenot because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. Impatient men forget that God is not bound by time. The Lord With the help of a priest who knew his parents he was allowed to attend religious school. Copyright 2019-2023 USCCB, please review our Privacy Policy. These two shocking deaths served as an example to the body of Christ that God hates hypocrisy. There he was transfigured before them. Pauls opposition resulted in the scattering of the Christians from Jerusalem, thus taking the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and beyond (Acts 8:1; 11:19-21). Saul, in my opinion, is portrayed by Luke as the first-fruits of these promises. He trusted that Christ had a future purpose for Saul (verse 15) even though Sauls past as he knew it seemed to point toward a different future. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave and friendly. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith (Philippians 3:1-9; cf. * [9:8] He could see nothing: a temporary blindness (Acts 9:18) symbolizing the religious blindness of Saul as persecutor (cf. WebThere was no indication in Jesus words that Ananias was going to give Saul the Holy Spirit. There is no more appropriate conclusion to our message than the words of the apostle Paul, which immediately follow those above, and which aptly express the response of the Christian to the wisdom, the grace, and the sovereignty of the God who has saved us, and who works all things together for His glory and for the good of His chosen ones: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! It strikes many readers as harsh, a return to Old Testament retribution. (14) There is an interesting symmetry or parallel between the conversion of Saul and the conversion of Cornelius. Ananias and Saul - June 3, 2022. Word was out that Saul would soon be arriving. Unless otherwise noted, all material copyright 2023, Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. Before he reached Damascus a light flashed in front of Saul that was so bright he fell down on the ground. He is trying to inform God of whats going on. And Jesus took the persecution of Christians very personally. How can this message of suffering for Jesus' name in Sapphira). WebThats when Ananias heard a word from the Lord. If he were viewed as a reactionary, a trouble-maker, perhaps there were some unbelievers who thought Saul was too much trouble. And notice one more detail about the way in which Ananias did this. FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? WebAs Donald Davis notes, In case God has overlooked Sauls atrocities, [Ananias] takes occasion to issue a brief reminder. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God. 21 And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests? 22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding147 the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. What a shock Sauls conversion must have been to both groups! (6) Sauls salvation was a conversion, a radical change. As at Damascus, Saul eventually had to leave the city of Jerusalem to save his life. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow-citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22). He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Sauls eyes. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Who does the voice of Vanessa on Phineas and Ferb? For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Think about what happened as a result of this man overcoming his fear and obeying God. Why did Ananias have to overcome his fear? Without Ananias prayer, Saul spends the rest of his life as a blind man wondering what his life might have been. The risen Lord selected Saul out of the group with which he was traveling to hear, to see Him, and to understand His words. How do you calculate working capital for a construction company? what occupation he was (possibly a businessman). 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:6-7). Salvation may occur in a large group, such as those saved at the preaching of Peter at Pentecost, but each individual was saved because of a personal encounter with Christ. Second, the only result of this event shown in the Bible is that Saul received his sight. It was Gods initiative all the way. And laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. The message which Saul received was not only a call to salvation, but a divine call to ministry. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you (Deuteronomy 28:28-29). It may well be a call to live transformed lives in the same circumstances in which we were found. Let us avoid cookie cutter conversions.. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The children will practice being giving and friendly with someone that they do not know. This text portrays one of the historical landmarks of the church. Granted, his experience is unique and dramatic. And be thankful (Colossians 3:15). No doubt entered the mind of Saul that the Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? 34Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. He started NOW to trust God. I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5). What is remarkable about the Lord's directions to Ananias? 27Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. 1:29, 30, NKJV, Abide Bible, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version. A man once confessed to his pastor that even though he didnt think of himself as hating people, there was one person he really hated for the way the person had wronged him. On various occasions in his epistles, Paul made either direct or indirect references to his former life of opposition and his radical conversion.132 Pauls theology, his lifestyle, his ministry, and his methodology, all are rooted in his conversion. 30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. They, not unlike Ananias, were very reluctant to have anything to do with this Christian killer. Would the church not have undertaken the task of discipling these folks? 1:4). F. F. Bruce, p. 190. 19and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.*. /w\/)sr?o|cBw3>E> If the unity of Christ and His body, the church, were a vital truth with respect to Sauls persecution of the church, it was also a vital truth for him as a Christian. Used by permission. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. 147 The more Saul preached, the more the Jews were confused. The conversion of Saul is important in another way. 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 145 We may note incidentally the two new descriptions of the Christians used here. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 19So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Saul was not seeking God. Saul was saved in spite of himself. Fourth, if we had all the facts, there would be no problem. In fact, as Saul would later write, he realized that he was chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). * [9:36] Tabitha (Dorcas), respectively the Aramaic and Greek words for gazelle, exemplifies the right attitude toward material possessions expressed by Jesus in the Lucan Gospel (Lk 6:30; 11:41; 12:33; 18:22; 19:8). It is not a transition, but a transformation. Yes, Lord, he answered. * [9:119] This is the first of three accounts of Pauls conversion (with Acts 22:316 and Acts 26:218) with some differences of detail owing to Lukes use of different sources. (10) Sauls encounter with Christ was not only a conversion, but it was also a call to a very specific ministry. The first words of the Lord Jesus to Saul were intended to teach him the inseparable unity between Christ and His church. Without Ananias prayer, Saul spends the rest of his life as a blind man wondering what his life might have been. 1:15; Eph. Ironically, Ananias could have become one of Sauls targets of persecution for following the Lord Jesus. Copyright 2023 Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. All rights reserved. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them (Isaiah 42:16). In order to have both, they pretended to give the full price of the sale of their property to the apostles. Then a voice said to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?, Saul asked the voice, Who are you, sir?, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. Despite the threats Saul had made and his notorious track record of persecuting, arresting and even affirming the execution of Christians, Ananias, whose Get the BEST VALUE in digital Bible study as you prepare for Easter. What happened when Ananias anointed Saul? The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world (John 1:4-5, 7-9). Saul was the bad guy. also 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2). I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). The man who, days before, was persecuting Christ was now preaching Christ. Those things in which Saul would have formerly trusted for his standing before God, he saw in an entirely different light after God found him and saved him: 4b If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. I. Howard Marshall summarizes the problem in these words: Nevertheless, we obtain a different impression of things from Galatians 1:16-24, according to which (1) Paul did not confer with men after his conversion nor go to the apostles in Jerusalem, but (2) departed to Arabia and then returned to Damascus; then (3) three years later he went to Jerusalem for a visit lasting a fortnight during which he saw only Peter and James, and at this time he was unknown by sight to the churches of Judea; thereafter (4) he went to Syria and Cilicia. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The only question is who is the LORD? In 2 Corinthians 11:32 Paul speaks of an ethnarch of Aretas, the king of the Nabataean Arabs, who guarded the city to prevent him escaping from it. The apostles had nothing to do with Sauls conversion, and they were reluctant to believe it had happened or to welcome him into their fellowship. helpful to the Lord. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). And what a comfort to know that God always finishes what He starts: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lords wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. This old city is the most enduring in the history of the world (Knowling). One cannot help but wonder if it did not send chills up and down Pauls spine when he cast the spell of blindness on the Jewish false prophet, Bar-Jesus: And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. Transform us as you transformed Paul. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It is not just in the Book of Acts that the importance of Sauls conversion is evident. Pauls conversion is one of the great stories of the early church, and it has rightfully inspired Christians from every generation. %PDF-1.2 % 13But Ananias replied, Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones* in Jerusalem.k Why do you think the street was named "Straight" `}Hq)l2hZ0r89asO70Da`qg 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lords freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christs slave. A devout Hellenistic Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, Saul was a member of the Pharisees and was taught by none other than Gamaliel, 1. 6Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.f He has sovereignly chosen to use people to lead people to salvation, Spirit baptism, deliverance, and healing. Saul asked.I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. Sauls salvation was focused on one thing and on one thing aloneChrist. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 59:15b60:13). Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. The result of that reluctant leap of faith is that Sauls eyes are opened and he is baptized, becoming part of (and eventually a leader in) the very church he sought to wipe out. It says nothing about him receiving the Holy Spirit. 116-117. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. For now, he was told to proceed on to Damascus, where he would be given his next instructions.144 His blindness certainly gave Saul the opportunity to dwell on these events. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. Both are call stories. They, too, were afraid of Saul and did not believe he really was a follower of Jesus Christ. All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Now that the Lord had identified Himself as Jesus, Saul recognized that he was the sinner. The words which Ananias spoke to Saul indicate he was also to lay hands on him so that he would receive the Holy Spirit (9:17). came under Alexander the Great's rule. 21:29 (30); John 5:7; 12:21; 20:15; and should be so in John 9:36. Saul Preaches in Damascus. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Discuss 2 ways in which Paul suffered as an apostle A resource for the whole church from Luther Seminary. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6). The "Straight Street" or Via Recta in Latin, was a straight To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:7). For the remainder of this essay, I will pursue the second option. When he was still very young, Michael was hired out as a shepherd boy. We honor him on May 14. WebTeach the children the account of Sauls conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ as found in Acts 9:120. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1). Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira got caught up in a band-wagon effect. Not only does the narrator tell the story of Sauls transformation from persecutor to apostle in Acts 9, Saul himself re-tells the story twice when defending himself before persecutors (before the tribune in Jerusalem, Acts 22:1-21; and before Agrippa, Acts 26:1-23). But the gospel is good news for sinners. Some of the Hellenistic Jews responded to the preaching of Saul as they had to Stephens preaching; they wanted to kill him (9:29). At first, I thought this was unique with Saul. Some were amazed, taking note of the dramatic turn-about in Sauls faith and practice (9:21). (1) Sauls salvation was the salvation of a sinner. WebAnanias, had he disobeyed Christ, would not have helped Saul on that path in which he, as Paul the apostle, did so much, and suffered so much, for Christ. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". I was inclined to think that most of us, experientially, are called to faith in Christ only to gradually learn Gods will for our life, progressively revealed to us as we walk in Him. To him be honor and might forever. "how many things he must suffer for But as I see the call of God referred to in the New Testament, it seems that the call of salvation assumes other callings, to which Paul and other New Testament writers made frequent reference: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1). And thus, in Gods time, Saul was dramatically converted, seeing the Christ whom he had been persecuting, risen from the dead and in His heavenly glory. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. the citation of Ps 2:7 in Pauls speech at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:33). At first he found himself in the position of being regarded as an apostate by the Jews and suspect by the Christian community of Jerusalem. They are also very significant in what they conveyed to Saul. Thus, whenever he spoke of his conversion and his call to ministry, he always spoke of this incident as an act of divine grace, of Gods unmerited favor, of an act of mercy toward him: I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:15-16).
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