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The Conversion of Saul

Today’s discussion is the conversion of Saul – who we all know by his Greco-Roman name, Paul . . . the man who became the greatest writing apostle.

We met Saul briefly in lesson 6. He’s a Hellenized Jew (aka Grecian Jew) from Tarsus in Cilicia (part of modern Turkey). He may have been a member of the Synagogue of the Freedmen in Jerusalem, whose members were the strongest opponents of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. If this is correct, Saul may have debated Stephen . . . perhaps orchestrated Stephen’s trial by the Sanhedrin . . . maybe even organized the mob which stoned Stephen to death. But all we know for sure is that Saul “gav(e) approval to (Stephen’s) death” (Acts 8:1) by guarding the cloaks of his murderers (Acts 7:58). And we know Saul became a zealous persecutor of Christians: going “from house to house, dragg(ing) off (Christians to) put them in prison” (Acts 8:3).

As today’s lesson begins, Saul is “still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples” (Acts 9:1) . . . and Jerusalem is not enough. Saul asks for – and receives – letters of commission from the high priest to chase down and arrest Christians who fled to Damascus, 150 miles from Jerusalem, in the Roman Province of Syria.

Just what power does Saul receive from the high priest with these letters of commission? The Jewish Sanhedrin might be compared to government of the Vatican. The Vatican is an independent “nation” with police and courts and the pope as chief of state . . . but its officials have no authority outside the Vatican walls, completely contained within the city of Rome. Similarly, the Sanhedrin and the temple police have authority in Jerusalem, but no authority outside. This analogy is imperfect, because the Vatican is truly independent, whereas the Sanhedrin must answer to the Roman governor. Nevertheless, the Sanhedrin has no authority to send temple police outside Jerusalem to arrest someone accused of violating Jewish law: the crime Christians are charged with.

Furthermore, Syria, is ruled from the city of Petra – the city pictured in Indiana Jones’ Last Crusade movie – by a Nabatean Arab, King Aretas IV. Recall that John the Baptist was beheaded for calling attention to the adultery of King Herod Antipas; and the wife Herod divorced to commit adultery was the daughter of King Aretas IV. Aretas is no friend of the Jews, and the Sanhedrin has virtually no relations with Syria. To chase Christians to Damascus, Saul is on his own; he’s leading a private police force into potentially hostile territory. Caravan operators routinely employ private police . . . but Saul had darn well better stay on the “good side” of the Romans, or he’s in big trouble.

Saul’s job is to go to the synagogues, present his letters from the high priest, and persuade the synagogues to turn over any Christian members, to be taken to Jerusalem for a Sanhedrin trial – presumably for blasphemy. Saul must then take the Christians 150 miles to Jerusalem . . . probably by force. He will receive no help from local governments – and might even be required to bribe local officials. To put it in language we might understand: Saul is like a bounty hunter in the old west, pursuing his prey into Mexico . . . where no crime has been committed, and he has no authority. But Saul is a Roman citizen, transporting non-Roman prisoners. That counts for a lot . . . and may be the reason he asked for – and received – this assignment. Nevertheless, Saul has undertaken a task of extreme difficulty with great personal risk – which demonstrates the intensity of Saul’s zeal to cleanse Judaism by eradicating Christian “vermin.”

Saul’s conversion on the Damascus Road is a familiar story – but sometimes that means facts get mixed up with tradition . . . so let’s review exactly what the Bible says – based not only on Acts 9, but also on additional details in Acts 22 and Acts 26:

·        A bright light from heaven suddenly appears. It so startles Saul and his companions that they fall to the ground.

·        Saul does not see Jesus – his eyes are closed in reaction to the bright light – but he hears Jesus speak. Jesus identifies Himself, and asks why Saul is persecuting Him.  (Notice: Jesus says Saul is persecuting Him – not His followers.)

·        Jesus tells Saul to go to Damascus and await instructions.

·        When the sound and light go away, and Saul gets up from the ground, he is blind! 

·        Saul’s companions only hear noise (Acts 22) – not Jesus’ voice – and they aren’t blinded by the light. They are able to lead Saul to Damascus.

The whole episode probably lasts only a few seconds, but Saul is instantly converted: then and there he becomes a follower of Jesus. How do we know? Jesus talks to Saul as if he is a believer: giving instructions, and expecting Saul to obey.

Why was Saul – after years as a Pharisee – immediately converted to follow Jesus? There's an obvious answer: if we see a blinding light and hear a voice from heaven speaking to us, we do what it says. It's like the old joke: “Where does a 600 lb. gorilla sit? Wherever he wants!” And although this is a good answer, it may be too shallow . . . because Saul does not merely become a follower of Jesus: he transfers his zeal for persecuting Christians to zeal evangelizing Christianity. Saul is not merely impressed with the error of his ways: he has a complete change of heart! We need to understand why this happened . . . understand what’s going on in Saul’s head as best we can.

Some scholars say Saul learned to reject Judaism . . . and by inference that Christians should reject the Old Testament and focus strictly on the New Testament. This attitude was prevalent 50 years ago, but thankfully is rarely taught today. Today we emphasize the Jewishness of Jesus . . . that Jesus and the New Testament follow logically from God’s Old Testament promises . . . just as the apostles taught the Jews of Jerusalem after Pentecost. Remember what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matt 5:17).

But Saul on the road to Damascus probably knows little of Jesus’ teachings . . . only what he has heard from Stephen and others: namely, that there is substantial evidence Jesus meets all the prophetic criteria to be the Jewish Messiah, and that signs and miracles done in Jesus’ name demonstrate Jesus has the power of God. Yet like most Jews in Jerusalem, Saul has seen this evidence but refuses to believe. He tries to deny the undeniable . . . and becomes angry because he is unable to dispute the facts. He expresses his insecurity by oppressing Christians: trying to eliminate the messengers who bring these uncomfortable facts.

Why does he do it? As Saul retells this story in Acts 26, he quotes Jesus’ exact words:

“‘Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads’” (Acts 26:14b).

“Kicking against the goads” comes from a Greek proverb . . . we would use the term “beat your head against wall.” Saul’s tutor Gamaliel suggested in Acts 5 that if the “activity (of Jesus’ followers) . . . is from God, (anyone who tries to stop them) will only (be) fighting against God" (Acts 5:38b-39). That’s what Jesus is telling Saul on the road to Damascus: “Quit trying to fight God; you can’t win!”

And remember what Stephen said to the Sanhedrin that brought out the mob:

"Look, . . . I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56).

Stephen was saying, “Jesus was the Messiah, and I see Him now at the right hand of God in heaven.” And Saul heard him say it. Jesus’ appearance to Saul on the Road to Damascus therefore makes him realize: “Stephen was right. Jesus was the Messiah, and Stephen did see Him at the right hand of God in heaven . . . and so do I.”

In summary, Saul was vehement and violent in his persecution of Christians because he didn’t want face the facts, and sought instead to eliminate the messengers. But Jesus brings him face-to-face with the facts in a way he can’t avoid, and instantly – like Stephen and Philip and 5000 others – Saul realizes Jesus is the Messiah. That was all it took. And it’s all very logical. Saul is not rejecting Judaism; he is affirming Jesus as the fulfillment of Judaism. The only change in Saul’s thinking – a very fundamental change – is to view Judaism through the lens of Jesus as Messiah.

And the converted Saul – who changed his name to Paul – did not change either his intensity or his willingness to take great risk. What changed was his goal and his methods: to bring people to Jesus by persuasion, renouncing violence.

Saul’s companions lead him to Damascus, and he stays there 3 days without eating or drinking. (Some scholars compare Saul’s three days of darkness with Jesus’ 3 days in the tomb before His resurrection.) During that time, God appears in a vision to both Saul and a Christian named Ananias, revealing that Ananias will restore Saul’s sight. Ananias protests: “God,” he says, “don’t you realize this guy Saul is persecuting Christians. Are you sure you want me to go help him?” But God reveals his plan to Ananias: “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:15b-16). So Ananias goes to Saul . . . and Saul’s sight is restored . . . and he is baptized . . . and he is “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17b). It’s the first recorded instance of the Holy Spirit coming upon a believer without an apostle laying on hands . . . which is probably symbolic for Paul’s later ministry (cf Gal 1:15-19).

According to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he immediately goes from Damascus to Arabia, where for three years he is tutored by the Holy Spirit to understand scripture in light of the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah of prophesy. Then he returns to Damascus. He goes into the Jewish synagogues and – in what becomes a pattern of his later missionary work – preaches Jesus . . . arguing from scripture that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah . . . just like Stephen did. Saul’s former friends and former foes are both astonished . . . and the Jews in the synagogues respond to Saul just as Saul responded to Stephen: unable to stand up against Saul’s irrefutable logic they conspire to kill him. It’s “déjà vu all over again.” According to 2 Corinthians 11, the Jews secure the support of King Aretas to arrest Saul – necessary because of his Roman citizenship. Fortunately, Saul catches word of this plot before his enemies can carry it out; his friends lower him in a basket through an opening in the city wall, and he escapes.

Then he goes to Jerusalem, and the story is repeated. First the Christians are suspicious.  They worry Saul is not a true disciple . . . maybe a double agent, trying to trick them into saying something that will allow him to drag them before the Sanhedrin.

Eventually Saul is accepted by the Christians. Then he confronts his old friends, the Hellenized Jews . . . perhaps at the "Synagogue of the Freedmen." But it’s “déjà vu all over again,” again. Just as Stephen failed to convince Saul, just as Saul failed to convince the Jews of Damascus, Saul's irrefutable logic now fails to convince his former supporters . . . and they conspire to kill him. So the Christians of Jerusalem smuggle Saul to the port of Caesarea, where he catches a ship home to Tarsus.

The bible is silent about the reception Saul receives when he returns home. He had left Tarsus years before to go to Jerusalem to study to be a rabbi and a Pharisee; his old Jewish friends may not be so happy to see him. Paul’s letter to the Galatians says he spent his time working to evangelize Cilicia and nearby Syria, but it gives no details. Nevertheless, for the next 5 years or so, Saul prepares for the rest of his life . . . and in particular for his great ministry to the Gentiles, which begins in Acts 11.

This lesson ends with Acts 9:31:

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31).

This marks the end of phase 2 of Jesus’ instructions in Acts 1:8 . . . with a strong church in Judea and Samaria.

For the next two lessons, the focus turns to Peter, who makes a missionary journey through Judea and Samaria. In Joppa he performs his most extraordinary miracle: raising someone from the dead. Then in Caesarea, Peter, a Hebraic Jew, presides over what may be an even more extraordinary miracle: bringing Gentiles into the church. Paul is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, but Peter first broke the ice.