Acts 9:1 But Paul, threatening with every breath and eager to destroy every Christian, went to the High Priest in Jerusalem. 2 He requested a letter addressed to synagogues in Damascus, requiring their cooperation in the persecution of any believers he found there, both men and women, so that he could bring them in chains to Jerusalem.
3 As he was nearing Damascus on this mission, suddenly a brilliant light from heaven spotted down upon him! 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Paul! Paul! Why are you persecuting me?”
5 “Who is speaking, sir?” Paul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city and await my further instructions.”
7 The men with Paul stood speechless with surprise, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8-9 As Paul picked himself up off the ground, he found that he was blind. He had to be led into Damascus and was there three days, blind, going without food and water all that time.
Well, it finally happened. Saul of Tarsus, a.k.a. Paul, that fiery Pharisee of the Pharisees, is on his way to Damascus, hoping to seize Christians there and drag them back to Jerusalem in chains. Such an action should prove conclusively that Paul is truly a guardian of the faith…or is he? Even though Paul didn’t throw stones at Stephen, he watched the cloaks of the men who did the stoning. But while Paul was standing there sneering at Stephen, he also heard Stephen testifying that Stephen was seeing the heavens open and witnessing Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. The memory of that testimony has rankled Paul’s equanimity ever since. Imagine! This man claims to have seen God Almighty as he is dying? How? Surely that statement must be the result of a rock striking Stephen’s head…or did he REALLY see God?
Shrugging off the growing conviction that Stephen really did see God and Jesus, Paul collects letters of reference to the synagogues in Damascus and sets off, determined to wipe out the expanding cell of Jesus believers there. Paul is arguing with himself for the hundredth time and is nearly at Damascus when suddenly a piercing bright light shines around him, blinding him. Stunned, Paul falls to the ground and a voice from heaven cries out, “Paul! Paul! Why are you persecuting me?”
5 “Who is speaking, sir?” Paul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city and await my further instructions.”
The men with Paul hear a voice; however, they don’t witness the bright light. Meanwhile, Paul has been blinded by the light and must be led into Damascus. Paul’s companions lead him to a house owned by a man named Judas, where Paul spends the next three days praying and fasting. And now God is preparing the next act in this play.
10 Now there was in Damascus a believer named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord!” he replied.
11 And the Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street and find the house of a man named Judas and ask there for Paul of Tarsus. He is praying to me right now, for 12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him so that he can see again!”
13 “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I have heard about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! 14 And we hear that he has arrest warrants with him from the chief priests, authorizing him to arrest every believer in Damascus!”
15 But the Lord said, “Go and do what I say. For Paul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the nations and before kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for me.”
Ananias has had visions before, but this one is both thrilling and shocking. Christians in Damascus are well aware of Paul and his plans and have even been discussing what they should do when he arrives. Now suddenly, God is ordering Ananias to go to Paul, exposing himself as a Jesus follower, and risking his life and the lives of his family and friends and their families. Ananias is terrified, for such exposure might mean persecution and death; however, amazingly, Ananias obeys God without questioning or arguing.
Reading this story, it’s easy to gloss over the enormity of Ananias’ simple act of obedience. The risks involved are monumental. And even if Paul is receptive, what about the men who have accompanied him? Paul isn’t the only zealot in Jerusalem, and his companions might be just as dangerous. Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been countless believers whose obedience has led to untold blessings for millions of people. Charles G. Finney was an atheist lawyer in Adams, New York, when a group of young people decided to pray earnestly for his conversion. Finney became one of the foremost revivalist preachers of the mid-nineteenth century and a man of inspiring faith. It was a Sunday School teacher concerned for one of the young men in his class who led Dwight L. Moody to the Lord in the back of the shoe store where Moody was working. Moody became one of the greatest evangelists of the nineteenth century. David Wilkerson left a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania to go to the slums of New York City to evangelize gang members.
17 So Ananias went over and found Paul and laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Paul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you may be filled with the Holy Spirit and get your sight back.”
18 Instantly (it was as though scales fell from his eyes) Paul could see and was immediately baptized. 19 Then he ate and was strengthened.
It’s tough to know who is more shocked at the results of Ananias’ prayer, Paul or Ananias. Ananias has come and he has obediently laid hands on Paul; however, he has no idea what God is about to do. Can God heal Paul without the physical manifestation of scales falling from his eyes? Of course. But God is just as concerned for Ananias as he is for Paul, and God knows that Ananias needs to be able to witness some physical manifestation to bolster his faith. Ananias is going to take the tale of Paul’s healing back to all the other believers in Damascus, and they will be strengthened and encouraged by his witness. God is very economical and He always gets the maximum amount of benefit out of any of His actions.
On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends on those gathered in the Upper Room, giving them a true mountaintop experience. But now Paul has his own unique mountaintop experience, one that cannot be argued away. Through the years, there have been many arguments regarding Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” that many regard as some kind of eye problems. Is it possible that Paul’s eyes incur some injury from that heavenly light on the road to Damascus? Certainly, such an injury would cause Paul to remember his encounter with Jesus for the rest of his life.
Many people have demanded that God give them a dramatic Damascus Road experience so that they can believe in God. But Paul was sincerely searching for God and trying to serve Him; he simply was doing it all wrong. The men with Paul heard Jesus’ voice but did not see anything. Perhaps God has been sending experiences, but people are looking in the wrong direction. Remember Elizabeth Barrett Browning: “Earth is crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God. And only those who see take off their shoes; the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
Paul’s experience is unique; but remember that God loves you just as much as He does Paul. Sometimes we fail to recognize mountaintop experiences because they’re not dramatic. The Holy Spirit can come in all kinds of ways, and many times He comes quietly and simply. May God give us receptive hearts so that we will be open to His presence whenever and however He chooses to manifest Himself.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, give us open hearts to receive Your goodness and Your mercy and Your love. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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