Damascus | Bob's boy's Christianity blog

In verses 19-20, we find the man who had ravaged the church and approved of the deaths of Christians, including that of Stephen preaching in the synagogue and declaring that Jesus is the Son of God. This naturally amazed and bewildered a great many people. Such a turnaround in such a short time must have been difficult to comprehend.

Verse 22 says that he “confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” How was Saul proving that Jesus was that Messiah that they had awaited so long? He was filed with the Spirit, and he was using the Scripture. He had the eyewitness accounts of the apostles. And now, he had his own account of what had happened to him, which would be very convincing as he declared that Jesus (whose very name he had despised) was Lord and Christ.

But not everyone was happy about Saul’s conversion. Verse 23 says that the Jews were plotting to kill him. The Jews referred to, we can naturally assume, were the chief priests and scribes — some of whom for which he had acquired letters in Jerusalem giving him authority to arrest Christians. Now they watched the gates day and night waiting to kill him. But his disciples helped him escape quietly, lowering Saul in a basket through an opening in the wall. His time in Damascus, for now, was coming to an end.

(This year’s reading plan for Luke, Acts, and 1 and 2 Chronicles averages just 15 verses per day – 5 days per week!)
Schedule for this week
Read or listen to audio of today’s selection from Acts here
Read or listen to audio of today’s selection from 2 Chronicles here

/Bob’s boy

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some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please visit this site’s menu item “The Author’s Books” for info on the author’s books, website, and Facebook page.

All of my comments in this blog are solely my responsibility. When reading any commentary, you should always refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word.

Now in Damascus for three days after the encounter on the road which left him blind, Saul did not eat or drink anything. The Lord told a man named Ananias (in a vision) to “go to the street called Straight,” to find Saul and restore his sight. Ananias protested, reminding the Lord of all he had done to the Christians in Jerusalem, stating that he had full authority to do the same to anyone in Damascus.

English: Damascus, street called straight (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But the Lord told him that Saul had been chosen by Him to carry His name “before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” Saul would of course do exactly that, as we will see throughout the book of Acts. But it is significant to note that his purpose, beyond evangelizing the Gentiles, included doing so not just for kings (and presumably an emperor). He was to do so to the children of Israel themselves. And Saul (Paul) will do plenty of that as well.

Then the Lord told Ananias that He will show Saul how much he must suffer for the sake of His name. God’s word never mentions a statement from God or Jesus that has no meaning. So it is appropriate to consider that Saul would have a very good idea of what was in store for him the rest of his days, as his life was changing forever.

Ananias reluctantly agreed to go. And as he laid his hands on Saul and told him what the Lord had told him to do in verse 17, verse 18 says that “something like scales fell from his eyes” and his sight was restored. That phenomenon is not explained because it does not need to be. The entire ordeal was certainly miraculous. But the real miracle was that this man who had caused the death of so many Christians was then baptized into Christ.

/Bob’s boy

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Please visit this site’s menu item “The Author’s Books” for info on the author’s books, website, and social media contacts.

All of my comments in this blog are solely my responsibility. When reading any commentary, you should always refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word.