“The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless, they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

               In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, ‘Ananias!’

               ‘Yes, Lord,’ he answered.

               The Lord told him, ‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. ‘“
Acts 9:7-12

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JANUARY 7, 2025

Saul was in serious trouble. He lost his eyesight! And he lost his self-understanding. He now realized he had been persecuting Jesus, who revealed Himself to Saul as the Lord. What was a Pharisee like himself to do? His world had been upended. Saul was so confounded that he could neither eat nor drink. His response to all that had befallen him was to pray.

Jesus, whom he had opposed with all his might, had spoken to him, essentially declaring Himself the Messiah. But how could Jesus be the Messiah? He had been put to death. Where was the victorious kingdom the Messiah should usher in? None of this story fit Saul’s traditional worldview, in which the Messiah would restore the nation of Israel to political and religious dominance. Obedience to the law was the bedrock of right standing with the God of his fathers. He had devoted his entire life to this endeavor, and now hearing his rigorous efforts brought into question must have been almost too much to bear. Saul’s entire identity was called into question.

But Saul was honest with himself and God. He could not deny that he had been exposed to a claim that ran counter to everything He had believed and lived. He could not continue down the path he had been following. If Jesus was the Messiah, then persecuting Jesus’ followers was opposition to God.

God began to answer Saul’s prayers through a man named Ananias. Saul’s dilemma was to be remedied one step at a time, beginning with his eyesight. Jesus told him to get up off the ground and go into the city, where he would be told what to do next. This was the first step in a process that would continue for the rest of his life.

When God calls a person, He brings a new reality. Now, a new Captain is giving orders. The way ahead is unseen, but the directions can be trusted. Saul was now under an authority he could never have imagined; his life will now demonstrate the power of God to change the world.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • Did you come to Jesus during a period of crisis in your life or in a season of relative calm?
  • How has your perception of reality been defined by the gospel?
  • How has the trajectory of your life been altered by the truth that Jesus is Lord?

 

Church Reading Plan: Genesis 7; Matthew 7