Chapter 9 Acts 9
Saul Meets Jesus on the Road to Damascus (vv. 1-19a)
In the meantime Saul a kept up his violent threats of murder against the followers of the Lord. He went to the High Priest b 2 and asked for letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus, c so that if he should find there any followers of the Way d of the Lord, he would be able to arrest them, both men and women, and bring them back to Jerusalem. e 3 As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light f from the sky flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice g saying to him, “Saul, Saul! h Why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” i he asked. “I am Jesus,whom you persecute,” j the voice said. 6 “But get up and go into the city, where you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men who were travelling with Saul had stopped, not saying a word; they heard the voice k but could not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but could not see a thing. l So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was not able to see, and during that time he did not eat or drink anything.
10 There was a Christian m in Damascus named Ananias. n He had a vision, in which the Lord said to him, “Ananias!”
“Here I am, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord said to him, “Get ready and go to Straight Street, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus o named Saul. He is praying, 12 and in a vision p he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hand on him so that he might see again.”
13 Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and about all the terrible things he has done to your people q in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come to Damascus with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who worship you.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go, because I have chosen him to serve me, to make my name known to Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel. r 16 And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake.”
17 So Ananias went, entered the house where Saul was, and placed his hands on him. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord has sent me – Jesus himself, who appeared s to you on the road as you were coming here. He sent me so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 At once something like fish scales t fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was able to see again. He stood up and was baptised; 19 and after he had eaten, his strength came back.
Interesting Stuff:
a This was the Saul introduced by Luke at the stoning of Stephen (7:58).
b This was probably Caiaphas (see chap 4, note j) and members of the Sanhedrin who had authority over Jews both in Judea and elsewhere.
c Damascus was a large and thriving town located in the Roman province of Syria. It was situated about 242 km (150 miles) from Jerusalem, and had a big Jewish community. It was the nearest important city outside Palestine, being the centre of a vast commercial network which reached places like north Syria, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Persia, and Arabia. Saul went with the authority of the Sanhedrin, seeking to return to Jerusalem those Christians, largely the Hellenistic-speaking ones, who had fled the city. From their viewpoint the new ‘Way’ (see note below) had to be stopped in Damascus. If it flourished there, the gospel would quickly reach all the places mentioned above.
d During the early existence of the church, before the term ‘Christians’ was used, those who accepted Jesus’ messiahship and claimed him as their Lord, called themselves followers of ‘the Way’ (see 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14). The origin of this term is uncertain but it probably had something to do with the believers’ understanding that theirs was the way of salvation, and that God had appointed Jesus as the way or manner of life which men should follow if they wished to be saved.
e In Jerusalem, the full authority of the Sanhedrin could be exercised in trial for either acquittal or death.
f The bright light is to be understood as an expression of divine glory.
g In rabbinic tradition, such a voice from heaven would have been understood as the voice of God, either giving a rebuke or a word of instruction.
h It was common in ancient times for a person to be addressed by the repetition of his name in a formal setting.
i The term ‘Lord’ was used in the ancient world both as a term of worship or as a respectful way of addressing someone. Saul did not know who he was speaking to. He just knew that he had been struck down by a light from heaven and addressed by a voice from heaven, both of which signalled the divine presence. So he was probably using it in a worshipful manner though he was confused as to how he could be rebuked by God for doing His will and service.
j Jesus was indicating to Saul that while he thought he was merely attacking a group of people for their heretical way of worshipping God, he was in reality attacking a group who had a heavenly spokesman. To persecute the church is in essence to persecute Jesus himself for the church is Christ’s body (see 1 Co 12:27).
Saul, however, must have been thoroughly confused because in his mind he was not persecuting God but defending Him and His Law.
k The revelation was given to Saul alone and was not shared by his companions. Nevertheless, they were witnesses that some- thing unusual had happened. Ac 26:14 says that all of them fell to the ground as well.
l The way Saul was cured of his blindness (v. 18) suggests that his condition was probably supernatural, and not just the result of being blinded by the bright light. In his weakness, he needed to be led by his companions to Damascus where he fasted for three days, no doubt still overcome by shock and perhaps by deep sorrow and repentance at what he had been doing all along.
m Other translations have the word ‘disciple’ instead. The term ‘Christian’ was first used of believers at Antioch in Ac 11:26.
n Ananias was a Jew of Damascus and a believer in Jesus. In Ac 22:12, he was described as a religious man who was greatly respected by all the Jews.
o Tarsus was Paul’s native town. It was the capital city of the province of Cilicia from A.D. 72 onwards and was well-known as a centre for learning.
p Ananias’ visit would be expected because Saul himself had been given a vision of him coming to lay his hands upon Saul. This arrangement was thus confirmed by a double vision (cf. the story of Cornelius and Peter, 10:1-23).
q The word in other translations is ‘saints’. This is a common term in Paul’s writings. The basic idea of the Greek for this word is ‘holiness’. All Christians are saints in that they are people who have been ‘set apart’ by God as His, and are being made increasingly holy by the Holy Spirit in their lives.
r These represent the three main groups of people before whom Paul would in fact bear witness to later in the book of Acts. The unusual order of the words is meant to stress the calling of Paul to the Gentiles.
s Paul’s Damascus road experience was not merely a vision. Jesus actually appeared to him. Thus on this fact, Saul based his qualification to be an apostle.
t It is suggested that this was the falling away of some kind of film from his eyes.
Questions:
Where was Saul going to and what was his purpose in going to this place (vv. 1-2)?
2. What happened as he neared this place (vv. 3-4)?
3. Relate the conversation that Saul had with Jesus (vv. 5-6).
4. Describe what happened to Saul after that (vv. 7-9).
5. Who did Jesus appear to in a vision in Damascus (v. 10)?
6. What did Jesus ask Ananias to do (vv. 11-12)?
7. What did Ananias tell Jesus that he had heard about Saul (vv. 13-14)?
8. What did Jesus then tell Ananias about Saul’s work in the future (vv. 15-16)?
9. Describe what Ananias did in response to Jesus’ commandand the consequences of his actions (vv. 17-19).
Summary of Section:
- Saul kept up his threats of murder against the followers of the Way of the Lord. He went to the High Priest and asked for letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus so that he could arrest the followers, if there were any, and bring them back to Jerusalem.
- As he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him why he was persecuting him.
- Saul called him ‘Lord’ and asked who he was.
- The voice said that he was Jesus whom Saul was persecuting. He told Saul to get up and go into Damascus where Saul would be told what he must do.
- The men travelling with Saul heard the voice but could not see anyone. When Saul got up and could not see, they led him into Damascus by the hand.
- Saul could not see for three days and he did not eat anything during that time.
- There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias to whom Jesus appeared in a vision. He told Ananias to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for Saul of Tarsus.
- Saul would be praying and in a vision he would have seen Ananias come and place his hands on him so that he might see again.
- Ananias told Jesus that many people had told him stories about Saul and the terrible things he had done to Jesus’ people in Jerusalem. He added that Saul had come to Damascus to arrest all those who worship Jesus.
- Jesus told Ananias to go for he had chosen Saul to serve him and make his name known to the Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. He would show Saul how much he must suffer for Jesus’ sake.
- So Ananias obeyed and went and placed his hands on Saul, telling him that he had been sent by Jesus so that he might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
- At once, something like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. He got up and was baptised. He ate and gained back his strength.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- There are three accounts of Paul’s conversion in Acts, here in chapter 9, and two more in chapters 22 and 26. Luke uses repetitions to indicate that something is important.
- What stands out about Paul’s conver- sion is the sovereign grace of God. Paul did not choose to accept Christ but it was Christ who chose him and intervened in his life. Some of the language that Luke uses to describe Paul before his conversion seems to portray him as a ‘wild and ferocious beast’. But God in His sovereign grace turned him around.
- Paul had expected to enter Damascus in the fullness of his pride, as a self-confident opponent of Christ. However, he was led into it, humbled and blinded, a captive of the very Christ he had opposed. The resur- rected and now-glorified Christ had appeared to him by the light and the voice, not to overwhelm him but in such a way as to enable him to make a free response.
- The Lord had already decided to call Paul to his service for he had chosen him as his instrument for the task of bearing his name before Gentiles, kings and the people of Israel. This bearing of witness to Jesus was a costly task in terms of the suffering that it would cause for the bearer of God’s Good News. And this was what awaited Paul as he obeyed Jesus’ call.
Saul Preaches in Damascus and Jerusalem (vv. 19b-31)
Saul stayed for a few days with the believers in Damascus. 20 He went straight to the synagogues and began to preach that Jesus was the Son of God. u
21 All who heard him were amazed and asked, “Isn’t he the one who in Jerusalem was killing those who worship that man Jesus? And didn’t he come here for the very purpose of arresting those people and taking them back to the chief priests?”
22 But Saul’s preaching became even more powerful, and his proofs that Jesus was the Messiah were so convincing v that the Jews who lived in Damascus could not answer him.
23 After many days w had gone by, the Jews met together and made plans to kill Saul, 24 but he was told of their plan. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But one night Saul’s followers took him and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26 Saul went to Jerusalem x and tried to join the disciples. But they would not believe that he was a disciple, and they were all afraid of him. 27 Then Barnabas came to his help and took him to the apostles.
He explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him. He also told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus. 28 And so Saul stayed with them and went all over Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He also talked and disputed with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers found out about this, they took Saul to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. y
31 And so it was that the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. Through the help of the Holy Spirit z it was strengthened and grew in numbers, as it lived in reverence for the Lord.
Interesting Stuff:
u Jesus’ appearing to Saul led to his conviction that Jesus is the Son of God because that was what he began to preach in the synagogues in Damascus. It became Saul’s regular practice from this point onwards to preach about Christ at every opportunity in
the synagogues.
v This seems to suggest that Paul grew in his understanding of Jesus’ fulfilment of the OT teachings that point to him as the Messiah and Son of God, and in his ability to demonstrate the truth of his proclamation.
w Luke’s expression of ‘many days’ corresponds to the time lapse of three years as mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Galatians (Gal 1:17-18). It is probable that the major part of this period Paul spent in Arabia. Upon his return to Damascus, plans were made by the Jews to kill him.
x Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem as a Christian took place three years after his conversion. From Gal 1:19, we learn that he only met
Peter and James, the Lord’s brother, in Jerusalem.
y They sent Paul back to his hometown.
z The work of the Holy Spirit is particularly noted by Luke throughout the book of Acts. This is why the book is sometimes called the Acts of the Holy Spirit.
Questions:
What did Saul do in Damascus after his conversion (vv. 19b-20)?
2. What was the reaction of those who heard him (v. 21)?
3. What happened to Paul’s preaching with time (v. 22)?
4. What happened after many days had gone by (vv. 23-26)?
5. Describe what Barnabas did for Saul when Saul went to Jerusalem (vv. 26-30).
Why could the apostles trust Barnabas?
6. What happened to the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria after this period of time (v. 31)?
Summary of Section:
- Saul stayed for a few days in Damascus with the believers. He went straight to the synagogues and preached that Jesus was the Son of God.
- All who heard him were amazed, asking whether he was not the one who was killing the worshippers of Jesus in Jerusalem and who had come to arrest all these people and take them back to the chief priests.
- Saul’s preaching became more powerful and his proofs that Jesus was the Messiah were so convincing that the Jews could not answer him.
- After many days had gone by, they met together and wanted to kill him.
- However, Saul was told of their plan. So one night his followers helped him to escape in a basket through an opening in the wall of the city.
- Saul went to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples.
- They did not believe that he was a disciple and were afraid of him. Barnabas took him to the apostles and explained how Jesus had met him on the road to Damascus and how consequently Saul had boldly preached in Jesus’ name in Damascus.
- So Saul stayed with them and preached all over Jerusalem. He talked with the Greek-speaking Jews and they tried to kill him.
- The believers then took Saul and sent him away to Tarsus.
- Thus the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. Through the Holy Spirit’s help, it was strengthened and grew in numbers as it lived in reverence for the Lord.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Luke emphasises how Paul was no sooner converted and called to be a witness to Jesus than he began to fulfil his commission. He associated with the believers in Damascus and started preaching to the unbelieving Jews. Before long he encountered opposition and had to escape from the town.
- This pattern was repeated in Jerusalem when he preached to the Hellenists until they opposed him and wanted to kill him. Paul nearly became the victim of the kind of persecution which he himself had once practised.
- From Gal 1:16-24, we get a more complete picture of Paul’s activity after his conversion. After a brief period in Damascus, he left for Arabia and then returned to Damascus (v. 23). Then three years later, he went to Jerusalem (v. 26) for a visit which lasted fourteen days during which he saw only Peter and James. At this time, he was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea. Then he went to Syria and Cilicia (v. 30).
- Despite the opposition raised against Paul, active persecution of the church stopped with Paul’s departure from the scene (v. 30), and the church enjoyed a time of peace and growth.
Peter Goes to Lydda and Joppa (vv. 32-43)
32 Peter travelled everywhere, and on one occasion he went to visit God’s people who lived in Lydda. a’ 33 There he met a man named Aeneas, b’ who was paralysed and had not been able to get out of bed for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ makes you well. Get up and make your bed.” c’ At once Aeneas got up. 35 All the people living in Lydda and Sharon d’ saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa e’ there was a woman named Tabitha, who was a believer. (Her name in Greek is Dorcas, meaning “a deer.”) She spent all her time doing good and helping the poor. 37 At that time she got sick and died. Her body was washed f’ and laid in a room upstairs. 38 Joppa was not very far from Lydda, and when the believers in Joppa heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him with the message, “Please hurry g’ and come to us.” 39 So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, he was taken to the room upstairs, where all the widows crowded around him, crying and showing him all the shirts and coats that Dorcas had made while she was alive. 40 Peter put them all out of the room, h’ and knelt down and prayed; then he turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 Peter reached over and helped her get up. Then he called all the believers, including the widows, and presented her alive to them. 42 The news about this spread all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed on in Joppa for many days with a tanner i’ of leather named Simon.
Interesting Stuff:
a’ Lydda lay on the route from Jerusalem to the coast, a distance of about 40 km (25 miles) apart. Peter was probably travelling among the churches outside Jerusalem in order to give them apostolic teaching. His activities also included evangelism as well.
b’ Since Peter was there to visit believers, it is most likely that Aeneas was a believer.
c’ Peter’s words here about ‘getting up and making his bed’ expressed in Greek the idea that ‘this moment Jesus heals you.’
d’ Sharon was the name of the coastal plain that stretched northwards from Joppa to Caesarea.
e’ Joppa lay some 19 km (12 miles) from Lydda on the coast. It was the main seaport of Judea. Lydda was a few km north of the
road connecting Joppa and Jerusalem.
f’ This custom was common to both Jews and Greeks as a preparation for burial. If burial was delayed, it was customary to lay the body in an upper room. In Jerusalem, the body had to be buried the day the person died. But outside Jerusalem, up to three days might be allowed before burial.
g’ Whether it was to comfort them or that they were hoping for a miracle is not known. Regardless, they urged Peter to hurry in order to arrive before the burial.
h’ Peter had been present on all three occasions when Jesus raised individuals from the dead (Mt 9:25; Lk 7:11-17; Jn 11:1-44). As he had seen Jesus do in the case of Jairus’ daughter, he ordered the mourners out of the room.
i’ Occupations were frequently used with personal names in order to identify individuals further. A tanner was involved in treating the skins of dead animals, thus becoming unclean by Jewish Law. Thus he was despised by many.Peter’s willingness to stay with Simon shows that he was already willing to lay aside Jewish prejudice. This prepared the way for his coming vision and mission to the Gentiles in the person of Cornelius (Ac 10).
Questions:
Describe the missionary work undertaken by Peter in Lydda (vv. 32-35).
2. Give an account of what Peter did in Joppa (vv. 36-42).
Why was Dorcas much loved by the disciples in Joppa (v. 36)?
What effect did Peter’s actions have on the people in Joppa (v. 42)?
3. Who did Peter stay with in Joppa (v. 43)?
Summary of Section:
- Peter travelled everywhere and on one occasion he went to visit God’s people in Lydda.
- He met a man named Aeneas who had been paralysed and had not got out of bed for eight years.
- Peter told him that Jesus made him well and asked him to get up and make his bed. At once Aeneas got up.
- All the people living in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
- In Joppa, there was a woman named Tabitha or Dorcas who spent all her time doing good and helping the poor.
- She got sick and died and her body was laid in a room upstairs.
- When the believers in Joppa heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to ask him to come quickly to them.
- Peter came and they took him to the room where all the widows crowded around him, showing him all the clothes that Dorcas had made.
- Peter put them all out of the room, knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the body and told Dorcas to get up.
- She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
- Peter helped her up, called everyone and presented her alive to them.
- News about this spread all over Joppa and many people believed in the Lord.
- Peter stayed on in Joppa for many days with a tanner of leather named Simon.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- The stage is now set for another step forward in the mission of the church which would take it to the Gentiles in the person of Cornelius (chap 10). A new phase in the work and expansion of the church began when it found itself forced to decide about its atti- tude to those who were not Jews. Although the Ethiopian official was probably a Gentile, it was not an issue as yet. Later when converts were made who formed a permanent part of the life of the church, the question of their acceptability had to be dealt with.
- It began with the conversion of Cornelius in chap 10 but this event belonged together with Peter’s trip to Joppa because it was the presence of Peter in Joppa that the call came for Peter to go to Cornelius’ home.
- Both miracles followed the examples of Jesus. Aeneas is reminiscent of the paralytic to whom Jesus had asked to get up, pick up his mat and go home (Lk 5:17-26). And the raising of Dorcas recalls the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Lk 8:49-56). Both were performed by the power of Jesus and were signs of the salvation of Jesus. Both also brought glory to Jesus as many turned to him as a result of the miracles.
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