Chapter Nine
Saul’s Dramatic Conversion
9:1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Luke describes Saul as being zealous in his endeavor to completely eradicate Christianity, he was “breathing threats and murder” against any Jew that was associated with the Way, an early name for those that believed and followed Jesus (the use of the name ‘Christian’ doesn’t appear until Acts 11:26). Before heading to Damascus, Saul obtained letters from the high priest giving him permission to go to the synagogues in Damascus to seek and arrest any believer and transport them to Jerusalem.
9:3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
On his way to Damascus, Saul encountered something very unusual, something that he will talk about for the rest of his life. A light from above shone all around him, it was so bright that he and his companions fell to the ground (see Acts 26:14). At that time he heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
9:5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Through the use of the word “Lord,” Saul undoubtedly understood that God was speaking, but asks who is speaking nonetheless, and is told that it was Jesus, the same one that he has been persecuting.
9:6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Jesus tells Saul that he is to enter Damascus and will be instructed what to do next. Luke notes that the men with Paul stood apparently dazed and confused, as they heard the voice but saw no one. When Saul got up, he realized he was blind and needed to be led into Damascus. Saul waited for three days without eating or drinking.
9:10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
The scene changes to a different location in Damascus where a man named Ananias is living. Jesus speaks to him in a vision and tells him to go to a house owned by Judas (a popular name) and look for a man of Tarsus named Saul who is praying. He is to lay his hands on Saul to restore his sight. Ananias at first was alarmed, and pointed out that Saul has done “much evil” to believers in Jerusalem and that he also has the authority to arrest believers. Jesus reassures him by saying that Saul was His chosen instrument to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, kings, and to the children of Israel. He concludes by saying that He will show him how much he must suffer for His name’s sake.
9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. 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. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
Ananias did as he was told, upon laying his hands on Saul and telling him that Jesus sent him so that he can see again, as well as be filled with the Holy Spirit, something like scales fell from his eyes and he could see again. Saul got up, was baptized, ate, and regained his strength. He spent several days there in Damascus with other believers.
Considerations
Behold, He is Praying!
The simplest explanation of prayer is the ability to talk to God. But the Bible teaches us that there is a lot more to prayer than just access to God (although that is a critical part, try talking to a king, a national president, or even a celebrity). We know through prayer we can praise Him (see Isaiah 25:1). We can confess our sins to Him (see 1 John 1:9). We can thank Him for all that He has done (see Psalm 107:1). And we can ask Him for things (see Matthew 7:7). But what was Saul praying for? We are not told, but since he was baptized after receiving his sight back, tells us that he understood who Jesus is and dedicated himself to be a disciple of His. Please excuse the following phrase, as the word is often associated with New Age philosophy, but prayer ‘transcends’ normal words or thoughts, it bridges the normal with the supernatural, that of man and God (not some faceless force). It is God’s ‘mechanism’ that He provides for us, and encourages us to use, so that we can become actively involved in what He is doing for us individually, as well as for all of humanity. Prayer is essential for believers that are, or desire to be, active disciples of Jesus. It brings us together so that we can be effective workers in His kingdom.
Saul Proclaims the Gospel in Synagogues
9:20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
Without further delay, Saul started to profess at the synagogues in Damascus that Jesus is the Son of God. Something that if he heard someone else say a few days earlier would have had them arrested.
9:21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
The Jews that heard him proclaim Jesus as the Son of God couldn’t believe what they were hearing, as they knew of Paul’s reputation and that he had authority to bring those who profess Jesus as Lord before the chief priests (not necessarily synonymous with the ‘high’ priests, likely influential priests or as a reference to the Sanhedrin, click here to to read more). Saul increased in strength (Greek enedynamouto, to become more able, in context, an increase in the power of God) and bewildered the Jews in Damascus as he was able to prove that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
9:23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
The Jews that would not listen to Saul and refused to accept Jesus plotted to kill Saul. They watched for him at the city gates but Saul heard about their plans and was lowered down in a basket through an opening in the wall. In his second epistle to the church in Corinth Paul notes that governor under King Aretas (Aretas IV Philopatris, the king of the Arab Nabateans, who had possession of Damascus for a short time) was guarding the gates to the city awaiting Paul’s departure. The local Jews likely persuaded the governor to “lock down” the city.
Considerations
Kill the Messenger
Even though the punishment for blasphemy was death (see Leviticus 24:14-6) the mentality of eliminating opposing ideas by killing the messenger was prominent in the gospels, which lead to Jesus’ death, then earlier in this book we read about Stephen being martyred, and now Saul’s life is being threatened. Laying in wait at the city gates is certainly not a response to blasphemy, it is a cold-blooded response to defend a presupposition (in their minds Jesus could not be the Christ). They were willing to violate one of the Ten Commandments to preserve a way of thinking. This will not be Saul’s only death threat in his ministry.
Nabateans
The Nabateans’ beginnings are a bit of a mystery. It is interesting that they became so powerful and successful in their region, especially since they were considered to be from a wandering Arab tribe living in tents and were not agriculturally inclined. Their ability to manage water and farming and their success in trading along the caravan routes between India, southern Arabia, and the Mediterranean hints that southern Arabia might have been their original home. But the derivation of “Nabataea” from Nebaioth, son of Ishmael and brother-in-law of Esau (Genesis 25:13; 28:9; 36:3), is often contested for phonetic reasons.
Their kingdom was next to Judea, from 169 B.C. to 106 A.D. During the Hellenistic-Roman period, the Judeans and Nabataeans lived and governed together. Interestingly, Herod the Great’s mother, who was also a Nabataean (her name was Cypros), she was married to Antipater II, the Idumean ruler. When the Parthians invaded Jerusalem in 40 B.C., Herod had to escape to Petra, the Nabataean capital. Later, Herod Antipas, Herod the Great’s son, married a daughter of the powerful Nabataean king Aretas IV (the same king listed above), which helped strengthen their relationship. However, things got complicated again when Herodias, his niece and sister-in-law, became his wife after his divorce.
The Nabataean religion was an Arab polytheistic system that thrived in Petra and its nearby regions. It centered around the worship of local, North Arabian, and Hellenistic gods, with a deep appreciation for nature, fertility, and aniconism (the art of representing gods using stone blocks). Among their main deities were Dushara, the god of the royal family, and the goddess Al-Uzza. Other important deities included Allat (the goddess of fate and springs), Hubal, and Al-Qaum (the god of war and night). Their gods were usually depicted by sacred, uncarved stones or blocks called betyls, rather than statues that looked like people. Religious ceremonies often involved sacrifices, and sometimes, they would hold communal feasts in special dining rooms called triclinia, which were associated with tombs.
Saul Goes to Jerusalem
9:26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.
Saul joins the disciples in Jerusalem, but they wanted nothing to do with him as they all knew about what he had done in the past to disciples of Jesus. They simply did not believe that he was now a believer himself.
9:27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
A disciple named Barnabas (see Acts 4:36) who knew what Saul went through and how afterwards he was able to preach in the name of Jesus, brought him to the apostles. He vouched for Saul, and pointed out that, like them, Saul saw and spoke to Jesus. That there was nothing to fear, he has proven himself to not be a spy.
9:28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
Saul began to preach boldly in Jerusalem and was able to speak to and successfully debate the Greek speaking Jews (the Hellenists, see Acts 6:1). Some believe that the many of the Hellenists, while exiled in Greek territory, learned more than just a language, that they may have been influenced by its culture and religion as well. Regardless, these Jews also sought to kill Saul. When the plot to kill him was learned, his fellow believers brought him to Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast and sent him (likely by boat) to his hometown Tarsus. This is the last we see of Saul for several years (see Acts 11:25).
9:31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
Luke records that the church (singular, as a whole) in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was getting stronger as believers were living in fear of the Lord (click here to learn what that means) and in the comfort (Greek paraklēsei, the act of exhortation, encouragement, comfort, and consolation) of the Holy Spirit, they grew in number.
Peter tells Aeneas that Jesus has Healed Him
9:32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
Returning to the subject being Peter, Luke notes that he had gone to various places in his ministry and at one time went to visit believers in Lydda (approximately 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem on the road to Joppa on the coast). There he met a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed for eight years. Peter said to him that Jesus healed him and he is to rise and make his bed. At which time he got up and the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him on his feet, and recognizing that was a miracle, they accepted Jesus as their Savior.
Peter Prays for Tabitha to be Restored to Life
9:36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. 37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.
A woman named Tabitha (an Aramaic name which we’re told means Dorcas in the Greek, which when translated to English means gazelle) in the coastal town of Joppa, got sick and died. Some of the local disciples sent for Peter who was in Lydda to come quickly. When Peter arrived, the room had several widows weeping and showing off the many garments that Tabitha had made, as she was known for her good works and acts of charity.
9:40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.
Peter had everyone leave the room and knelt down and prayed, he then turned towards her and said, “Tabitha, arise.” She first opened her eyes and when she saw Peter, she sat up. He extended his hand out to her and helped lift her up. He then calls everyone to come back into the room and presented her alive. This miracle became “big news” in Joppa and, as a result, many came to believe in Jesus. Peter stayed in Joppa for several days at Simon the tanner’s house (see Acts 10:6, 32).