Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 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. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 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. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
-Acts 9:1-19
From what we have read in Acts so far, we learned about this character named Saul who is so far away from Jesus. He commits sins in front of everyone by (a) allowing Stephen, a disciple, to be killed for talking truth about Jesus, and (b) destroying the church. We could see this man as a crazy, controversial character going against everything God wants. How dare he, right? However, in this passage, we witness the reconciliation of Saul and God through the Holy Spirit.
Throughout all this, Jesus has been watching all of Saul's doings. In verse 4, Jesus even talks to Saul from heaven. Didn't Jesus die? How is he able to talk to people on Earth? Well, Jesus is still alive in heaven!
Jesus shows and proves his power to Saul, such a non-believer, by blinding him. He led one of his disciples, Ananais, to heal him so that he can see. Once Ananais laid his hands on Saul, Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and was able to see. He eventually got baptized and became a follower of Jesus. Saul became a new man! He became saved through Jesus. In this process, Saul left his old sinful life and began a new radical life full of Jesus. Jesus didn't have to do this, but he showed grace and compassion because he wanted to save Saul from evil and sin. In verse 15, Jesus explains his plan for Saul's life saying that he will use him to demonstrate the Gospel to others. To explain to the gentiles and the Jews that Jesus is alive and still working.
This passage lets us know that it IS possible for people like Saul to be converted into Christianity. I bet we can think of "Sauls" in our own lives -those people who you can't imagine being a Christian because of all their bad behavior. But know this: God invites everyone to learn about him and receive his gift of grace. As we ourselves witness more conversions and radical change like Saul's from people around us, I hope we can understand how amazing God is for bringing new life into this world.
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