Paul: Seeing the Light 13/08/2021

Picture by James Day on Unsplash. [www.jamesdayart.com.]

This is a well-known incident and many sermons and gospel messages have been preached on this incident on the road to Damascus. Just to explain, when I speak of Saul and Paul, I am speaking of the same man. Before his conversion, he was known as Saul of Tarsus (and Saul was a Jewish name). He is better known by the title Paul the apostle and this is a Greek name as he became the apostle of the Gentiles - those nations who were not Jews. I want to start today's Day Share with God speaking to a man who lived in the city of Damascus.

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” [Acts 9:15‭-‬16 NIV]

The Lord is speaking to a Christian by the name of Ananias because he wants him to meet this man Saul of Tarsus. It is hardly surprising that Ananias needs to be persuaded to have anything to do with Saul. After all Saul was a bitter enemy of followers of Jesus of Nazareth - people who would later be called Christians. He was part of a group of Jewish fanatics who were extremely zealous against anyone or any cult which they thought was threatening the Jewish religion. This included those who followed this man from Galilee - Jesus of Nazareth. Saul had come to Damascus on an anti-Christian mission. He had letters giving him permission to hunt down any followers of this man he considered an imposter. He wanted them to be imprisoned or killed.

But notice the phrase the Lord uses to describe Saul - 'my chosen instrument.' God had a definite purpose for Saul's life. He wanted Saul to be instrumental in the establishment of this new concept - the Church. God's choice of Saul is surprising to say the least. Why did God choose a fanatical Jew who was bitterly opposed to this new religion. Saul was a Pharisee from Tarsus which was a city in Cilicia - now in modern day Turkey. It was an important city because it was strategically placed on a major east-west trading route. It was a city of culture and politics, philosophy and industry. There was textile business which manufactured material made from goats hair. This may have been a family business - they made shelters or tents etc. People travelled a lot and they tended to camp out in the open air and this would provide a rough shelter for them.

Tarsus was a very overcrowded city and it would be difficult for Jewish families such as Saul's to practise their religion privately. The city might have had as much as 100,000 residents and only 2 or 3 thousand Jews. And Paul was one of these Jews. Not only that but he was brought up as a Pharisee - a stickler for tradition and keeping the laws of Moses. The Pharisees feature prominently in many Day Shares on John's Gospel. Eating was a major issue - what sort of food could the Jews eat in a Gentile city. What about eating alongside of non-Jews or Gentiles. But it is possible that Paul had learned to do business with these Gentiles when he was selling the tents he had made. Paul could read Hebrew very well - the language of the Old Testament. He could converse in Aramaic - the language used by the Jews in Palestine. He was probably able to speak and read Greek and maybe Latin as well. He knew the Old Testament inside out. As far as Saul was concerned, this man Jesus of Nazareth was a distraction for the Jews and was diverting them away from seeing the Messiah restoring the kingdom. The Jews had been in exile but the prophets had prophesied of a future day of glory. The temple was central to this hope for the Jews. God would dwell in his temple on earth. This was about to happen - perhaps very soon. The Jews had to keep the Torah and wait for the return of the One God in power setting up his kingdom on earth

But God had chosen Saul because he had an important task for him.

1. Saul or he would be known as Paul the apostle was to proclaim the name of Jesus to the Gentiles. Stop and think about the significance of this - Jews like Saul did not see that God had anything to do with Gentiles. For Saul and the Pharisees, the Gentiles were 'dogs' - they were considered social outcasts as they worshipped idols and false gods - e.g. the Romans worshipped gods such as Mars, the god of war etc. They were also notorious for sexual immorality and for having no moral standards. [The next Day Share will examine what one of these Gentile cities looked like in Saul's / Paul's day

2. He went on to proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah to the Jews as well as the Gentiles. Saul had previously believed that the Messiah had still to come and that he would usher in a great period in Israel's history. The Jews had suffered banishment and exile and although they had been able to return to their own land, it was a very weak kingdom and the Romans had conquered their land and Jews had even to pay taxes to maintain the Roman army.

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” [Acts 9:3-5 NIV]

This was a very important event in Paul's life. He had a revelation of the risen Jesus the Messiah. It was a vision of Jesus of Nazareth in glory. If we look at a letter which Paul wrote many years later, we are given an insight into what happened that day. (See 2 Corinthians 4:4- 6. )

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. [2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV]

Paul in this letter refers 'to the Gospel of the glory of Christ' (2 Corinthians 4:4) He speaks about light shining out of darkness and light was a major theme in that dramatic event. The darkness probably refers to the spiritual darkness of the nation of Israel and Saul in particular.

In the account in the Acts, notice that Saul calls the person who addresses him, "Lord." [Acts 9:5] Saul realised that this was a heavenly vision. He believed in God the Father and he knew that God had used visions in the Old Testament. So Saul immediately recognised that he was being addressed by God. But the voice clearly identifies himself - " I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." This might seem strange to us and it probably seemed strange to this zealous Jew who was blinded by this light. Light always signifies God's presence. Saul must have wondered - how can it be Jesus? He was crucified on the hill of Calvary or Golgotha outside the city of Jerusalem. Saul may have heard rumours that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the dead but he would have dismissed them as fantasy and deception and lies. But this person who is shining as Jehovah is claiming to be Jesus. This must have been a tremendous shock to this devout Jew who had refused to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. Not only so but Jesus is identifying with his followers such as Stephen who had been stoned to death (and Saul of Tarsus had been involved in that execution - although he personally did not throw any stones - he merely assisted by looking after the outer garments of the stone throwers. But the word of Jesus is a great comfort to the many Christians who are suffering persecution today - Jesus is suffering with them. "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting."

This was a dramatic turning point in the life of Saul of Tarsus. It was the beginning of a new life and a new beginning. Saul did not need to be convinced that there was a God who was all powerful and had created the world. He prayed several times a day to the One God. He did not need to be taught about faith in God.

But Saul had to come to terms with his misunderstanding of the Messiah. The stumbling block for him was the fact that Jesus had been crucified. This was a shameful, degrading death and this is not what Saul had expected for the Messiah. I am not sure how he did not understand Isaiah 53 to refer to the Messiah. But on the Road to Damascus, he saw that this suffering led to glory. He did not see the shameful spectacle that so many Jews in Jerusalem had witnessed. He saw Jesus of Nazareth in heaven glorified. This vision changed his life dramatically.

Saul had much to learn on this new pathway and God had to prepare him for service for himself. Saul had to learn much in God's school but his experience on the Damascus Road changed his attitude to Jesus of Nazareth and changed his attitude to his followers. He appreciated that Jesus is the Messiah - the long-promised Messiah but he had to come to terms with the crucifixion and the resurrection.

Lessons to be learned.

1. Even a religious Jew needed to be born again. His religious zeal was not enough in its own to please God. His zeal was misplaced. John 20: John wrote his gospel so that his readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) and that they might have life etc.

2. The new birth is the beginning of the Christian pathway but God has still so many lessons to teach us after we have come to faith in His Son.

3. God may have a plan for your life. You may have tried to avoid committing to His plan. It may take a brilliant light It may take an earthquake.