Bible Study: Acts 9

[Acts 10-11 are a single story, so I will write about both of them in next week's blog.] 

The "conversion of Saul" (to Paul) is one of the best-known stories from Acts. In a very dramatic display (which is often confused and bound up with a similar legend about Martin Luther), God gets Saul's attention and creates a complete change in him. 

Saul, an infamous persecutor of all Jews who were following the Way of Jesus (8:3, 9:1-2), is traveling from Jerusalem in Judea to Damascus in Syria, some 150 miles. He carries authorization from the high priest to arrest any Jesus followers and return them to Jerusalem for trial by the Jewish court. Jesus interrupts this mission and asks, "Why are you persecuting ME?" Though people will suffer because of Saul's zeal for Jewish orthodoxy, it is Jesus who is persecuted when his name and his way are prevented from working through the apostles for transformation. Saul may not recognize the voice as belonging to Jesus, but he does understand he is dealing with a power greater than himself. He is unable to see, and his companions, who also hear the voice, take him to Damascus, as instructed. 

Here we have the second part of this conversion story.1 Just as Saul is determined to persecute people of the Way and is turned around to BE one of the people of the Way, so also Ananias has a 180 degree turn. He is determined to avoid Saul at all costs, thus saving his own life, but Jesus instructs him not to run from Saul, but to go to him. Ananias' trust in God is greater than his fear of Saul, for he does as instructed, thus fulfilling Saul's vision of being healed (9:12). Through this sign, Saul's conversion is complete: the one who used his power against Jesus and his followers now has become one of them, and uses his notoriety and significant influence in proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God. He even encounters the same hostility he formerly practiced and has to flee for his safety, first from Damascus to Jerusalem (9:23-26) then from Jerusalem to Tarsus (9:29-30). 

Such a complete and immediate conversion was difficult for those who knew Saul to comprehend. He was not trusted by the apostles, and became hated by the Jewish authorities. Which Saul is the real Saul? We would greet such a complete change in someone with equal skepticism, I think. But the "proof" is shown in changed behavior, which is a key to understanding what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The apostles, and Saul, were Jewish. For their whole lives they had practiced a set of behaviors that showed their faith. Now, as follower of Jesus, they continue this pattern. Following Jesus is not a matter of believing the "right things" or ascribing to a certain set of doctrines. Saul's and Ananias' conversions remind us that Jesus does not call us to think about him, but to follow him, to do as he does, to be as he is. 
    "The Way” is a powerful metaphor for Christian identity. Instead of being identified by a set of beliefs, these faithful communities were known by their character in the world. Christian faith was a way of life and one that impelled individuals and communities to leave the safe confines of home and church to walk on the road God had set out. “The Way” suggests that faith is a living, active way of life. 2

Notice how danger and peace are woven together in this story. Saul threatens danger, Jesus interrupts with a life-saving, life-changing peace. The authorities begin to persecute Saul, but in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria (9:31; recall Jesus sending the apostles to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth in 1:8), there is peace, and in that peace the church thrives and grows. As we notice danger in the world around us, do we also notice peace? In the midst of all that seems wrong in front of us, what is God doing that is right, life-giving, peace-making? And how are we called to be part of that in our time and place? 

Our guiding questions: 
1. What is God doing? 
2. What are the people doing? 
3. What do we learn about being church? 

--


  1. Jim Boyce, Working Preacher, 4-18-2010 www.workingpreacher.org
  2. Eric Barreto, Working Preacher, 4-10-2016 www.workingpreacher.org

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