And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you persecute: but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.
\nActs 9:3\u20136<\/p>\n
This section of the Book of Acts picks up with the life of Saul during the third persecution of the Church.<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION<\/p>\n
A. The Background of Saul<\/p>\n
According to tradition, the parents of Saul came from Upper Galilee. They fled to Tarsus during the Roman takeover of the country in the first century B.C.<\/p>\n
Saul was brought up as a Pharisee. This meant that at the age of five he began the study of the Scriptures. At the age of ten, he began to study rabbinic tradition. At the age of twelve, he learned a manual trade, in Saul\u2019s case, it was tent making. At the age of thirteen, he had his bar mitzvah or his confirmation. At that point, he was sent to Jerusalem to study at the feet of Gamaliel according to Acts 22:3. He had a sister in Jerusalem and may have even lived with her according to Acts 23:16. During that time, he would have been supported by his parents.<\/p>\n
He was a Roman citizen according to Acts 16:37\u201338 and 22:25\u201329 and was therefore from a wealthy family. As a Roman citizen, he would have had three Roman names, but only one is actually known: Paulus or Paul. He learned four languages: Hebrew and Aramaic from the Jewish community, and Greek and Latin from the streets of Tarsus.<\/p>\n
He was probably a short man, because, in Acts 14:12, he was taken to be Mercury, who was shorter than Jupiter. According to 2 Corinthians 10:10, his bodily presence was weak. His body was marked because of much persecution, according to Galatians 6:17.<\/p>\n
He did not have any oratory skills, for he had no excellency of speech (1 Cor. 2:1\u20135), his speech was of no account (2 Cor. 10:10), and he was rude in speech (2 Cor. 11:6). But he was of keen intellect and rabbinic logic was part of his thinking.<\/p>\n
B. The City of Tarsus<\/p>\n
Tarsus was a city in Asia Minor, now in the southeastern part of Turkey. It was located in a fertile plain ten miles from the sea, near the famous Cilician Gates, a narrow pass through the Taurus Mountains. It was located between the East West transition point for travel by land or by sea. The Cydnus River flowed through the city, making it a river city, as well as a seaport.<\/p>\n
Tarsus is mentioned as early as the Assyrian records of 850 B.C. It was taken by Alexander the Great in the year 334 B.C. and quickly became a Greek city. It also became a university town and was one of the three cities with a medical school. The other two cities were Athens and Alexandria.<\/p>\n
Jews were brought to Tarsus to settle there and to help the economy, and they were forced to live there in the year 171 B.C. It was the home of Athenodorus, a Stoic who was the teacher of Caesar Augustus. It was the capital of Cilicia, with a population of 500,000. It was the home of Ciscero when he was governor of Cilicia, between the years 51\u201350 B.C. In the year 38 B.C., Mark Anthony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus. Later, Augustus Caesar gave it the title of a metropolis with the right to issue its own courts.<\/p>\n
In the Book of Acts, Tarsus is mentioned several times: Acts 9:11 states that Saul was from Tarsus; Acts 9:30 states that Saul was sent to Tarsus; Acts 11:25 states that Barnabas went to Tarsus to seek Saul; Acts 21:39 mentions Tarsus in Cilicia as no mean city; and Acts 22:3 states that Saul was a Jew born in Tarsus of Cilicia.<\/p>\n
I. THE REVELATION ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS\u2014ACTS 9:1\u20139<\/p>\n
A. The Purpose of the Journey\u2014Acts 9:1\u20132<\/p>\n
But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
1. The Persecution by Saul<\/p>\n
Verse 1a identifies Saul as the instigator of the persecution. Actually, Acts 9:1 is a continuation of the same persecution that began in Acts 8:1, which states: And Saul was consenting unto his death.<\/p>\n
Then Acts 8:3 adds: But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.<\/p>\n
Some time had now elapsed since the death of Stephen, but the zeal of Saul, the persecutor increased with his successes. Luke writes that Saul was breathing this. The Greek word means \u201cbreathing in\u201d or \u201cinhaling.\u201d In other words, his threatening and slaughter had come to be the very breath of Saul.<\/p>\n
2. The Request for Authority by Saul<\/p>\n
Verse 1b states that Saul, a Pharisee, went unto the high priest, who was a Sadducee. This shows that now there was a political and religious unity against the Jewish believers, a combined Pharisaic and Sadducean conspiracy.<\/p>\n
The identity of this high priest is not certain, for it depends on the year in which this persecution actually occurred. If it was A.D. 35, the high priest was Caiaphas. If it was A.D. 36, the high priest was Jonathan. If it was A.D. 37, the high priest was Theopholis.<\/p>\n
In verse 2a, Saul asked for letters of authority from the high priest as a favor to himself, and he was given these letters. The Greek word for letters is the origin of the English word \u201cepistles.\u201d But the question is: How could the high priest in Jerusalem give Saul epistles that would give him authority over Jewish believers in far away Damascus? The answer lies in historical sources from the biblical period.<\/p>\n
According to 1 Maccabees 15:20\u201324, a treaty was made between Rome and the high priest giving him the right of extradition in religious cases. Furthermore, both Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar granted jurisdiction over Jews in foreign cities to the high priest and the Sanhedrin. This authority was not always recognized in every local community outside of Judea, but it was recognized in Damascus.<\/p>\n
In Acts 26:11, Saul himself said that he got his authority from the chief priests and the Sanhedrin. Having authority over Jewish believers with these letters, he went toward Damascus. Many of those who fled Jerusalem in Acts 8:4 went there in order to be outside the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin. Saul\u2019s purpose was to bring them back under that jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
At this time, Damascus may have been under King Aretus of Arabia who was a tributary to Rome, and might therefore grant Saul\u2019s request. The total Jewish population of Damascus at this time was 16,000 Jews. These letters of authority were not addressed specifically to King Aretus, but unto the synagogues. Saul was hoping to get the support of the local synagogues, especially if King Aretus proved to be uncooperative. Furthermore, many of the Jewish believers were in the synagogues; therefore, Saul would need their support.<\/p>\n
3. The Indictment of the Believers<\/p>\n
The punishment was revealed in verse 2b: if he found any that were of the Way. The term the Way was the most common, early name for the new faith, not \u201cChristianity\u201d or \u201cMessianism. This term is found six times in the Book of Acts (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). This had a very Jewish origin, which emphasizes \u201ca Jewish form of lifestyle.\u201d In Rabbinic Judaism, this is known as halachah. Some Old Testament examples are: Isaiah 40:3 speaks of the way of Jehovah; and Psalm 1:6 speaks of the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. In the case of the Jewish believers, they followed the Way of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, and it was these followers of the Way whom Saul came to arrest.<\/p>\n
Both men and women were included, for Saul made no sexual distinctions in his persecutions. Three times men and women are mentioned as being the objects of Saul\u2019s persecution (Acts 8:3; 9:2; 22:4). His aim was to bring them bound to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
Saul had been greatly successful in his persecutions against the body of Jewish believers in Jerusalem. He had persecuted many; he had jailed many; and according to his own statements, he had even killed many. Now, he was going to try to carry his success outside the borders of the Land; he intended to make the Jewish believers of Damascus the first victims of the Diaspora. But, of course, God was about to intervene.<\/p>\n
B. The Revelation Out of Heaven\u2014Acts 9:3\u20136<\/p>\n
And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you persecute: but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.<\/p>\n
The place of the revelation out of heaven is stated in verse 3a: he drew nigh unto Damascus. Saul was very close to Damascus, within view or sight of Damascus; in other words, he was close to the city limits. God began His work of intervention at that critical point.<\/p>\n
The revelation of the Shechinah Glory came in verse 3b with a dramatic intervention that stopped the plan and progress of Saul: suddenly there shone round about him a light, which was the Shechinah Glory. The Greek word means that a light \u201cflashed,\u201d like a flash of lightening round about him; in other words, a light out of heaven suddenly flashed around him.<\/p>\n
Verse 4a records Saul\u2019s response: he fell upon the earth; he immediately recognized that a divine revelation was taking place. Falling upon the ground was a typical response when a Jew was confronted with a revelation of God\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n
In verse 4b, he heard what the Jews call a bat kol, meaning \u201ca voice from Heaven.\u201d He heard a voice saying: Saul, Saul. From the way the name reads in the Greek text, it is obvious that the voice came to him in the Hebrew language. Instead of using the regular Greek form, which is Saulos, the voice used the Hebrew term Shaul; it was not Saulos, Saulos, but Shaul, Shaul. The same Hebrew form of the name is found in the other two accounts of his salvation (Acts 22:7; 26:14).<\/p>\n
The doubling of his name: Saul, Saul, was to call special attention, and this is also in the Old Testament tradition. In Genesis 22:11, God said: Abraham, Abraham; in Exodus 3:4, He said: Moses, Moses; and in 1 Samuel 3:10, He said: Samuel, Samuel. God will double a name to call special attention, as He did here.<\/p>\n
Having caught Saul\u2019s attention, He asked him a question: Why persecute you me? Although Saul was not actively persecuting Yeshua personally, yet, in persecuting the believers, Saul was persecuting Yeshua; to persecute the Body is to persecute the Head. There is no record of Jesus ever meeting Saul during His earthly sojourn.<\/p>\n
Verse 5a reveals Saul\u2019s response: Who are you, Lord? This was a valid question for him, and it was a real surprise to Saul who did not think he was persecuting a heavenly being. Yet, it was from Heaven that this voice came. When Saul called him Lord, he meant it in the sense of \u201csir,\u201d because Saul did not recognize Yeshua as Lord at this point. If Saul did mean Lord rather than \u201csir,\u201d it was not in recognition of the Lordship of Jesus, but in recognition that some divine being was speaking to him. In other words, he was not addressing Yeshua as Lord out of his heart, for as yet he did not know who the speaker was.<\/p>\n
Then in verses 5b\u20136, Yeshua identified Himself and gave instructions to Saul. In verse 5b, He said: I am Jesus whom you persecute. That is a clear identification, meaning \u201cI am the One whose followers you are persecuting, therefore, you are persecuting Me.\u201d Saul then received a command in verse 6: he was to arise from his prostrate position, enter the city, and wait until someone came to him and told him what he had to do.<\/p>\n
C. The Reaction of Saul\u2019s Companions\u2014Acts 9:7<\/p>\n
And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but beholding no man.<\/p>\n
The men who journeyed with Saul stood there speechless. According to this verse, they heard the voice, but Acts 22:9 states: they heard not the voice. Some claim that this must be a contradiction between the two accounts.<\/p>\n
But there is no contradiction if one understands the Greek. In verse 7, the word voice is used with a genitive. In Acts 22:9, it is used with an accusative. To hear the voice with a genitive simply means \u201cto hear a sound,\u201d but to hear it with the accusative means \u201cto hear with understanding.\u201d The point is that they heard something, but they could not understand the words. Only Saul actually understood the articulated words.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, they beheld no man. They saw the light, but they saw no figure, but Saul saw both. On the basis of having seen the resurrected Messiah, Saul received the gift of apostleship.<\/p>\n
D. The Response of Saul\u2014Acts 9:8\u20139<\/p>\n
And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.<\/p>\n
In verse 4, Saul had fallen upon the earth. Now, in verse 8 he arose and his eyes were opened, [but] he saw nothing. The Greek tense emphasizes that \u201che was seeing nothing.\u201d According to his own testimony in Acts 22:11, he had been blinded by the Shechinah Glory light. Earlier, he was spiritually blind, but he had physical sight; now, he had spiritual sight, but was physically blind. He had spiritual light, but was now in physical darkness.<\/p>\n
The blindness proved that something had happened to Saul. It was not just an hallucination; people who have hallucinations do not go blind from them. Because he was now blind: they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.<\/p>\n
Saul was supposed to arrive in Damascus as a persecutor, but he arrived believing in the Messiahship of Yeshua. In fact, he himself will be forced to flee Damascus later in this chapter because of persecution. He will be persecuted because of his faith in the Messiahship of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Verse 9 states: he was three days without sight. Those next three days proved to be a period of waiting, a period of testing, a period of meditation. As Saul meditated, he knew that circumstances were about to change the whole course of his life. During these three days without sight, he did not eat, and he did not drink. These three days were days of fasting; it was a three day period of spiritual separation for the purpose of reflection and for the purpose of meditation.<\/p>\n
II. THE HEALING OF SAUL\u2014ACTS 9:10\u201319A<\/p>\n
The account of the healing of Saul begins with the call of Ananias of Damascus.<\/p>\n
A. The Call of Ananias\u2014Acts 9:10<\/p>\n
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said unto him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.<\/p>\n
The name Ananias comes from the Hebrew Chananyah, which means \u201cJehovah is gracious.\u201d The Lord\u2019s message came to him in a vision. God called Ananias by name and he responded: Behold, I am here, Lord, probably using the Hebrew expression, Hineni, meaning \u201cHere am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
By then, the Church had already spread as far as Damascus, and Ananias was among the members of that congregation. Damascus was a free city under Rome and a member of the Decapolis, one of the ten Greek cities. At this time, it was under King Aretus IV (2 Cor. 11:32), who was the king of the Nabateans from 9 B.C. until A.D. 40. Aretus was the father in law of Herod Antipas. It was the daughter of Aretus whom Antipas divorced in order to marry Herodias, who instigated the beheading of John the Baptist.<\/p>\n
B. The Commission of Ananias\u2014Acts 9:11\u201312<\/p>\n
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prays; and he has seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.<\/p>\n
1. The Specific Instructions<\/p>\n
In verse 11, Ananias was told: go to the street \u2026 called Straight. The Greek word for street refers to the narrow alleys or lanes that were found between the houses. The name of this particular street was Straight because most city lanes were crooked. This street ran in a straight line from the eastern gate of the city to the western gate of the city. Ananias was to walk along that street asking, \u201cWhere is the house of Judas?\u201d<\/p>\n
Who Judas was is unclear. It is not known if he was a believer or unbeliever, but, since Saul was taken there, he was probably an unbeliever. That may have been Saul\u2019s original destination upon arriving in Damascus. But the house was known, and by asking for the house, Ananias knew that someone could point it out to him. He was then to: inquire \u2026 for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus, who, at this point, was praying.<\/p>\n
2. The Means of Healing<\/p>\n
Ananias is then told what to do in verse 12. By this time, Saul already had a vision while he was praying. In this vision, he saw a man by the name of Ananias. Even the name of Ananias had already been revealed to Saul. Although he was blind, Saul was still capable of seeing a vision, in which Ananias laid hands on Saul and that would be the means of his healing. Ananias received a special appointment for this special job, and Saul would receive his sight by the hands of Ananias. In other words, Ananias was asked to fulfill the vision of Saul.<\/p>\n
C. The Objection of Ananias\u2014Acts 9:13\u201314<\/p>\n
But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem: and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon your name. Ananias, however, issued an objection in verse 13, pointing out Saul\u2019s work in Jerusalem. By this time, Saul\u2019s reputation had spread as far as Damascus, probably by many of those who had fled Judea from the persecution and had come to Damascus.<\/p>\n
Then Ananias added: how much evil he did or how many evil things he had done. Among the many evil deeds that Saul admitted he had done in Acts 26:10 were two things in particular. First, he had shut up many saints in prisons; and, secondly, he had put many to death. When Ananias said that Saul did many evil things to the saints in Jerusalem, this was the first use of the term saints as a reference to believers in the New Testament. This eventually became the most common term for believers in the New Testament.<\/p>\n
In verse 14, Ananias pointed out Saul\u2019s work in Damascus and that he even had authority from the chief priests. The fact that Saul received letters of authority was known by the believers in Damascus, and they knew that Saul had come for the purpose of binding all that call upon the name of Yeshua; he had come to arrest Jewish believers and take them back to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
D. The Response of God\u2014Acts 9:15\u201316<\/p>\n
But the Lord said unto him, Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n
Verse 15 spells out Saul\u2019s calling to be an apostle to the Gentiles. God said to Ananias: Go your way; in other words, fulfill your own commission, just as Saul would fulfill his commission. The reason is: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, a Hebraism which means that he is \u201ca vessel of choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
God chose Saul before Saul chose Yeshua. God chose him to bear His name. There are three elements to his calling. First, God chose him to be a witness before the Gentiles, and that became the chief element of his call. This was brought out twice in his own epistles (Rom. 11:11\u201314; Eph. 2:11\u20133:6). Secondly, Saul is called upon to testify to kings. It is this element that will ultimately bring him to Rome. He will bring testimony to Aretus IV, to Herod Agrippa II, and to Caesar Nero. The third element is that he will go to the children of Israel because Saul will always go \u201cto the Jew first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, in verse 16, Jesus predicted the future sufferings of Saul. This is a warning that these many things he must suffer will cover his whole career. He had caused suffering among Jewish believers; now that he is a Jewish believer, he will experience suffering. The term how many things means \u201call kinds of sufferings.\u201d The fulfillment of this is well recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:22\u201323.<\/p>\n
E. The Obedience of Ananias\u2014Acts 9:17<\/p>\n
And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared unto you in the way which you came, has sent me, that you may receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
Having been comforted and reassured by God, Ananias showed his obedience to his commission by departing and entering into the house, and laying his hands on him.<\/p>\n
Ananias used the Hebrew term Brother Saul, showing that he addressed him in Hebrew, not Greek. The fact that Ananias now called him Brother shows that Ananias accepted Saul as a fellow believer. He told Saul that the Lord, even Jesus \u201cappeared unto you,\u201d meaning that Saul saw the resurrected Messiah, therefore, he was qualified to be an apostle in the second category of apostleship. This same Yeshua had now sent Ananias.<\/p>\n
This was an act of obedience to a special command for the purpose: that you may receive your sight. Saul now clearly saw spiritually, but he will also see physically. Then Ananias added: be filled with the Holy Spirit. Saul was already regenerated by the Holy Spirit, he was already baptized by the Holy Spirit by this time, but now he was to be filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit. This filling by the Spirit would give Saul the power to fulfill the commission to bear the gospel to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the people of Israel. It also gave him his apostolic power.<\/p>\n
F. The Healing of Saul\u2014Acts 9:18\u201319a<\/p>\n
And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened.<\/p>\n
Saul\u2019s healing is in verse 18a. Luke does not say that there actually were scales, which fell from his eyes, but that they felt that way to Saul. Here, Luke used a common medical term used by doctors in the ancient Greek world, reflecting Luke\u2019s background and profession. Saul received his sight instantaneously, and the healing was total.<\/p>\n
In verse 18b, the healing was followed immediately by baptism by Ananias, identifying him with the new faith. He identified himself with the death and the burial and the Resurrection of Yeshua.<\/p>\n
In verse 19a: he took food [broke his fast] and was strengthened.<\/p>\n
III. THE PREACHING OF SAUL\u2014ACTS 9:19B\u201322<\/p>\n
A. The New Fellowship\u2014Acts 9:19b<\/p>\n
And he was certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus.<\/p>\n
The words certain days referred to an indefinite period of time, just before he left for Arabia. Because Judas was not a believer, Saul apparently had to leave the house of Judas and made his home with the disciples, the fellow believers; Saul was now the guest of those whom he had come to persecute.<\/p>\n
B. The Message of Saul\u2014Acts 9:20<\/p>\n
And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God.<\/p>\n
Saul\u2019s letters of authority had been addressed to the synagogues of Damascus, and it is in the synagogues that he proclaimed the gospel; Saul, the persecutor becomes Saul, the proclaimer. His topic was Yeshua, and the content of his proclamation was that he is the Son of God. While the term Son of God is used of Jesus many times and in many places, this is the only time that His Messianic title is used in the Book of Acts.<\/p>\n
C. The Response of the Jewish Community\u2014Acts 9:21<\/p>\n
And all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called on this name? and he had come hither for this intent, that he might bring them bound before the chief priests.<\/p>\n
They were amazed, they were \u201cbeside themselves.\u201d The Greek word means, \u201cto stand out of oneself.\u201d They continued, \u201cto stand out of themselves\u201d in astonishment at this radical reversal in Saul, the persecutor.<\/p>\n
In their amazement, they then raised the question: Is not this he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called on this name?\u201d The word havoc means \u201cto lay waste.\u201d Saul\u2019s persecution of Jewish believers in Jerusalem was violent and very well known. He had come to Damascus with the intent to do the same thing to Jewish believers there. His purpose was: that he might bring them bound before the chief priests. Now, he was staying with Jewish believers and proclaiming the name of Yeshua himself.<\/p>\n
D. The Ministry of Saul\u2014Acts 9:22<\/p>\n
But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.<\/p>\n
Saul received power. There was a progressive increase in strength as opposition grew. He was able to confound the Jews that dwelled in Damascus. The more Saul preached, the more the Jews in Damascus were confused. During all this preaching, he kept on proving that Jesus was the Messiah, as well as the Son of God.<\/p>\n
It is probably after the events of verse 22, that he left Damascus to go to Arabia, as recorded in Galatians 1:15\u201317. Arabia was then Nabataea, and at times Damascus was its principal city. This does not mean that Saul went all the way to the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, but only to the region just beyond Damascus, known as Nabataea.<\/p>\n
IV. THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST SAUL\u2014ACTS 9:23\u201325<\/p>\n
And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him: but their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates also day and night that they might kill him: but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.<\/p>\n
Verse 23 records the plot. The timing was: when many days were fulfilled or were in the process of being fulfilled. The word refers to \u201ca long time.\u201d In this case, it was a period of three years, because what is now being described happened after he returned to Damascus from Arabia. At that point: the Jews took counsel together to kill him. This was the first of many such conspiracies against Saul.<\/p>\n
Saul took knowledge of the conspiracy in verse 24a: their plot became known to Saul, and he was able to use special caution.<\/p>\n
In verse 24b, they made another attempt by watching the gates day and night; they kept on watching the gates day and night hoping for an opportunity to see Saul either coming in or going out, and get him at that point. Their purpose was: that they might kill him. According to 2 Corinthians 11:32, the conspiracy included the ethnarch of Aretas IV, but not Aretas himself. The conspirators had obtained the consent of the ethnarch and had him appoint some of them as guards or watchers at the gates of the city.<\/p>\n
In verse 25, Saul escaped because his disciples took him by night. These were Saul\u2019s disciples, showing that Saul\u2019s preaching had borne fruit; he already had a number of disciples. At nighttime, they let him down through the wall by means of a large basket made of plaited reeds. According to 2 Corinthians 11:33, it was through a window, which opened into a home on the inside of the wall. This was the same situation as with Rahab and the spies in Joshua 2:15. Also according to 2 Corinthians 11:33, Saul saw this event as something shameful in his memory. But Saul escaped and made it to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
V. THE RETURN TO JERUSALEM\u2014ACTS 9:26\u201330<\/p>\n
A. The Response of the Saints\u2014Acts 9:26<\/p>\n
And when he was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.<\/p>\n
This is the first time that Saul had come back to Jerusalem since he was saved three years earlier. Now, he tried to join himself to the disciples and become a member of the congregation at Jerusalem. However, he made no effort to contact the Sanhedrin.<\/p>\n
But the Jewish believers were all afraid of him; they kept on fearing him because many had previously suffered at his hand. Some had lost relatives because of Saul. They had heard of his conversion, but they had a hard time believing that he was a [true] disciple. Perhaps they thought Saul was really \u201ca plant\u201d by the Sanhedrin? This is the period described in Galatians 1:18\u201320.<\/p>\n
B. The Intervention of Barnabas\u2014Acts 9:27<\/p>\n
But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, for Saul, Barnabas intervened. The name Barnabas means \u201ca son of exhortation\u201d or \u201ca son of consolation.\u201d He lived up to his name in that he brought Saul to the apostles. This is the same thing that is recorded in Galatians 1:18\u201319 and, according to that passage, Barnabas took him to two of the apostles: Peter, who was the head of the Twelve, and James, who was the head of the congregation at Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
Barnabas declared three things to Peter and James. First, that Saul had seen the Lord in the way; Saul had actually seen the resurrected Messiah. Secondly, that the Messiah had spoken to him. And thirdly: how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. Thus, Barnabas was able to convince Peter and James of the validity of Saul\u2019s salvation, and he was accepted.<\/p>\n
C. The Ministry of Saul in Jerusalem\u2014Acts 9:28\u201329<\/p>\n
And he was with them going in and going out at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord: and he spoke and disputed against the Grecian Jews; but they were seeking to kill him.<\/p>\n
In verse 28, Luke describes Saul\u2019s ministry among the apostles: he was with them; he stayed with Peter according to Galatians 1:18. He kept going in and going out; Barnabas, Peter, and James were able to open all the doors for Saul, and so the fear of Saul vanished from among the believers. But all this, according to Galatians 1:18, lasted only fifteen days.<\/p>\n
Verse 29a describes his ministry among the unbelievers in that he preached boldly in the name of the Lord, but only among the Jews of Jerusalem. He did not go out to the countryside of Judea, although there were congregations there (Gal. 1:22). He stayed in Jerusalem and disputed against the Grecian Jews. He did exactly what Stephen had done with the same group in Acts 6:9 that brought about Stephen\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
As in the case of Stephen, the disputers raised a plot in verse 29b: but they were seeking to kill him. This is the second plot against Saul. They responded to Saul in the same way they had responded to Stephen. Saul\u2019s vision, mentioned by him in Acts 22:17\u201321, occurred at this point in his life, when he was told by God to leave Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
D. The Escape of Saul\u2014Acts 9:30<\/p>\n
And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.<\/p>\n
Saul escaped from Jerusalem when the fellow Jewish believers knew about the conspiracy and escorted him down to Caesarea. They gave him a protective escort, and brought him to the port of Caesarea, and from there he could sail by ship to Tarsus.<\/p>\n
Saul stayed in Tarsus for the next ten years. This is the same event spoken of in Galatians 1:21. Perhaps, it was during this ten year period that he had his experience in the third heaven, recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:1\u20134.<\/p>\n
VI. THE RESULT OF SAUL\u2019S SALVATION\u2014ACTS 9:31<\/p>\n
So the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied.<\/p>\n
Because the chief persecutor had become a believer, the Church in all of the regions of Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace. Furthermore, the Church was being edified; the believers were being built up; it was walking in the fear of the Lord; and it received the comfort of the Holy Spirit; therefore, the Church was multiplied, they increased in number.<\/p>\n
But the quietness for the Church was only temporary, for a new persecution arose in chapter 12<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, … <\/p>\n