Acts 9:1-22 "Saul's Come to Jesus Story"

How did you end up believing in Jesus? Some people are like, “I’ve always believed. Parents took me to church, I was just kind of raised in it.” Sure. But you wouldn’t be here if it didn’t become your own faith at some point. So, how did YOU end up believing in Jesus? 

I think it’s always some version of: God shows us that He exists and we need Him, then sends someone to tell us about Jesus.

I wasn’t brought up in church, so for me it was looking at the stars one night and all of a sudden not being able to believe it all just happened randomly, something doesn’t come from nothing, the universe seemed too complex and interconnected to have just spontaneously come into existence. So, all of a sudden I believed in God, and felt really small but I came to know Jesus through reading the Bible and going to church.

What about you?

I know some of your stories. A lot of you grew up going to church but it never really meant that much until it came alive for you when you started going to a specific church—a bunch of you have told me this was that church for you—which is awesome and humbling.

When did God turn you around? What’s your “come to Jesus” story? When did your parents faith, or grandparent’s faith, or your nominal semi-faith become your own? When did it become a real, meaningful, life-changing faith in Jesus? 

I’m not talking about a story that ends with, “and that’s when I really starting getting into going to church”—that’s great, I love that, but I’m talking about a story that ends with something about Jesus, not just going to church.

Have you had that moment yet? 

As we continue going through the Book of Acts, today we come back to a guy we met at the end of chapter seven. Stephen was being stoned by the Sanhedrin (the Jewish leaders) and it was witnessed and approved by a young leader named Saul. After the execution of Stephen, Saul was put in charge of a special task force to shut the entire Jerusalem church down. He went house to house, dragging men and women to prison for being Christian. Many of those people were then executed. He thought it was a righteous crusade against those heretics who thought Jesus was the divine Messiah. A lot of Christians got out of town before getting arrested—and the very thought of this wretched Christian disease spreading to other cities infuriated Saul.

Chapter nine… 

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  Acts 9:1-2

Breathing threats and murder—anger issues much dude? Intoxicated with hatred. So much misguided zeal. It’s always a danger with religious people—this is why Jesus told us to love our enemies—which is a good gut check when we think we have God on our side to mess people up. Jesus is like, Yah, how can we love them?

Saul goes to Caiphas, the high priest, and asks for the jurisdiction of his task force to go beyond Jerusalem. Damascus is 150 miles north of Jerusalem. Our boy, Saul, wants his wrath to be felt as far as possible, he doesn’t want any of these nasty Christian scum to feel safe no matter how far they run.

They weren’t called Christians yet. They were called people of The Way—which I rather like. People who taught that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That He’s the only way to the Father. But as far as Saul was concerned, it should be called “No Freakin’ Way!”

It was going to take several days to travel to Damascus, him and his small team of armed guards to help round up those dirty, rotten Christians.

As he gets close to the city, something strange happens. You know, God’s timing tends to be at the last possible moment. You know that?

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 
Acts 9:3-5

Saul, Saul, he’s about to have a drastic change of plans. 

When Jesus says your name twice, you know He means business. It doesn’t mean He’s mad, it’s worse than mad or sad—it means He’s disappointed. 

This has to be one of the manliest conversions, though. I mean Jesus Himself shows up, knocks Saul on the ground—shines with a light brighter than the sun. A voice coming out of the light says, “Why are you persecuting me?”

Saul’s like, “Persecuting you? I don’t even know who you are?” His use of the title “Lord” is more like a term of respect, “Sir, who are you?” If he thought it was the Lord God, he wouldn’t have asked who it was.

The answer had to be a shock. “Who am I? I’m Jesus. The One you’ve been trying to shut down.”

Saul could have been like, “I beg to differ, sir, I’m not persecuting you! I’m persecuting your creepy followers.” But I think in that moment, Saul realized he was on the wrong side of this thing. I think he realized a lot of things in that moment.

If you mess with Jesus’ church, you’re messing with Jesus. You mess with the body, you’re messing with the head. Which is something we should all keep in mind when we find ourselves attacking other Christians—especially when we have theological steam coming out of our ears.

All of a sudden, Saul didn’t feel like his crusade was such a good idea.

But Jesus has other plans for Saul… 

(Jesus says) But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” Acts 9:6

Get up off your behind and go into Damascus, I have a new assignment for you—doesn’t give him too many details. You don’t need to understand everything about what God tells you to do, you just need to do it. God doesn’t usually explain Himself. He also doesn’t steer parked cars, so when God says to get up and go, you need to get moving.

The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Acts 9:7

They were probably all knocked to the ground, too. They saw the light, they heard a voice, but they didn’t actually see Jesus like Saul did—they were probably afraid to look. They didn’t understand what the voice said either—they just knew that someone was speaking. 

Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Acts 9:8-9

He gets up, blinded by the light, waits for his eyes to adjust, blinks, rubs his eyes—but nope—vision doesn’t come back. His blindness is both a physical reality and a spiritual metaphor. He’s really blind but God is also teaching him about spiritual darkness. So far, the lesson only includes the part where God pokes him in the eyes though.  I told you, this is a hard core conversion. 

But he’s not quite converted yet. He’s had the light of God shined on his sin, he’s been knocked to the ground, blinded by the holiness of the Son of God—but he hasn’t heard the good news about Jesus yet. He’s just been crushed under the weight of his sin and failure. Everything he thought he knew was just a bunch of misguided lies. He’s deflated. In shock. 

His companions lead him to the place they had arranged to stay in town—the house of a guy named Judas. Saul wasn’t a great house guest. He just kind of sits there thinking about what a wretch he is for three days—praying for God to have mercy on him. I guess that’s what he would be praying, I don’t know. God sometimes puts us in timeout so we have time to think.

Meanwhile, across town Verse 10

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”  Acts 9:10-12

Probably one of those disciples who had run away from persecution in Jerusalem, he’s a leader in the newly established church in Damascus. Jesus comes to him in a vision, “Hey Ananias!” And Ananias answers like Samuel in the Old Testament, did you catch that, “Here I am, Lord!” 

He’s ready for whatever God wants him to do. At least he thinks he is.

The street called “Straight” is still there to this day. I looked it up. I also wondered if there was a street called “Narrow” and if there might be an intersection in Damascus called the “corner of Straight and Narrow.” There’s not but it would have been cool.

He tells Ananias to go down Straight street and find the house of a man named Judas (not the Judas who betrayed Jesus, just another guy with an unfortunate name). Probably not a Christian though, since it was the place Saul had set up lodging while he was in town to murder the church.

Jesus wants Ananias to go knock on the door of special task force headquarters asking for Saul the Bounty Hunter. Says, “He’ll be expecting you because I also gave him a vision of you laying your hands on him and healing his vision.”

Ananias is like, “Oh good, he’s expecting me.” He’s up for whatever God tells him to do but he has questions… 

But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”  Acts 9:13-14

He’s like, “You’re talking about THE Saul, the guy that’s been murderously tearing up Christians in Jerusalem, right? The guy who has a license to hunt and kill people like me? You want me to go to him?” Seems risky, right? The thing is trusting God’s plan is never easy, it usually involves risk, difficult situations, and showing grace to people we’d rather not show grace to.

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”  Acts 9:15-6

God chose Saul to be the perfectly suited tool for His purposes. God doesn’t only save us and redeem us, He also gives us a new assignment—to do the works He prepared in advance for us to do. You might think you’re the wrong person for the job but God has prepared you especially for a job that only you can do. Just like He did with Saul.

It says Ananias is having a vision but it’s a pretty conversational vision. Jesus says, “Yes, I want you to go to Saul. I have a job for him—he’s going to tell the Gentiles about me. He’s going to take all that stubborn zeal he’s been using against Me, and put it to use for Me—take the Gospel to Gentiles, kings, other Jews.”

Ananias is like, “I mean, I’ll go if You want me to.”

So Jesus sweetens the deal, did you catch that, “I’ll make sure he suffers.”

Then Ananias is all in, “Well, Thy will be done—show me the way.”

Saul is definitely going to suffer. In 2nd Corinthians 11 he gives us a little sample of what his “best life now” that Jesus called him to live looked like. Imprisonments, countless beatings, often near to death, attempted stoning, three shipwrecks, robbers, sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure—eventually his head will be chopped off—all for the Gospel. You know, Jesus never promised any of us that life would be easy, but He did promise it was going somewhere good, that it will all be worth it.

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.  Acts 9:17-18

This is the moment when Saul is saved. Some would say it was when he got knocked to the ground and blinded but I think that was just how God got his attention. It seems to me his actual conversion happened when God sent a preacher to heal him, tell him the Gospel, and baptize him. There’s baptism again—the early church is all about it. No membership classes, no waiting for special services, just find some water and get it done. God uses means. He sends people to be instruments of His grace. To administer the sacraments and preach the Gospel. 

You might wonder, “What Gospel? When did Ananias preach the Gospel?”

Well, first of all he calls him “brother Saul” and explains that it was the Lord Jesus who sent him so he could heal his sight and fill him with the Holy Spirit. 

Also, Paul tells this story again in Acts chapter 22 and he says that after Ananias heals him and tells him that God is calling him to be an apostle to the Gentiles he says, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

Having his murderous sins washed away was definitely good news. Calling on the name of Jesus—That’s the Gospel.

He had traveled to Damascus breathing threats and murder against the disciples of Jesus. Smash those dang Christians. Now he is one. Oops. 

I’ll bet it was awkward when Ananias introduced Saul to his friends. “Yeah, I remember you. You got my uncle Levi killed. Nice to meet you.”

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 
Acts 9:19-20

Saul didn’t waste any time. Newbie Christian or not. He was one of the most educated people in the world, a leader in the Sanhedrin, a star pupil of Gamaliel. All of a sudden his vast theological education was getting a firmware upgrade. A new operating system has been installed. It all meant something different now. Everything that had pointed his rage at the followers of The Way for saying Jesus is the Messiah—now it was driving him with compassion and love and urgency to let people know about the life, hope, and salvation that’s only found in Jesus, the divine Son of God.

The drastic change and it definitely got people’s attention.

And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. Acts 9:21-22

So he hit the ground running. He also put himself in the crosshairs of other zealous Jews looking to eradicate those pesky Christians—they’d be coming for him now. 

This is a story of a radical change. A 180. Ought to make us think about our own testimony—what extreme changes happened to us when Jesus found us, opened our eyes?

Even now, with your eyes open, maybe there’s still some areas of your life that you’re blind to seeing God’s will. Maybe relying on your own abilities, your intellect, your success—anything that keeps you from seeking God’s will with humility. 

The Christian life is to be lived for other people. Love is always sacrifice. Love is risky. Love requires forgiveness. Sometimes we say things like, “Oh, I forgive them but I don’t want to have anything to do with them.” Sometimes that might be wise, if they’re violent or dangerous. But when we pray, “Forgive us as we forgive others,” that means we’re asking God to forgive us the same way we forgive other people. I don’t think we want God to have nothing to do with us. We can’t focus on our hurt and how we’ve been done wrong and at the same time say we’ve forgiven someone.

Or maybe we’re blinded by comfort. We don’t want to do anything that gets us out of our comfort zone. But God calls us to step out in faith, walk by faith, and faithfulness is usually going to be uncomfortable.

It’s also easy to be blinded by pain and suffering. To feel sorry for ourselves, to question God’s goodness, and to miss how He’s teaching us to rely on Him and deepen our faith and trust Him more because he does those things through pain and suffering. Also, show everyone around us what Christian faith looks like in bad situations.

Habitual sin can lead to blindness for sure. When we try to justify the things we’ve done, or pretend there’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing—that’s always a one way ticket away from God’s will. God always desires humble repentance from us, to turn away from our sin and turn toward His grace and renewal that’s only found in Jesus. There are a lot of ways we can still be blind, even when we say we’re following Jesus.

Pray that God opens your eyes. He desires to turn you around. He wants you to not only have a “come to Jesus” story—He wants you to live that story, to be ready to share it. Tell people about that moment when your parent’s faith, or grandparent’s faith, or your nominal semi-faith became your own and when came alive in you. 

I think it’s always some version of: God shows us that He exists and we need Him—might knock us to the ground and put us in a timeout—then He sends someone to tell us about Jesus.

Have you had that moment yet? A real, meaningful, life-changing faith in Jesus moment? When it became your faith? Brother, sister, the Lord sent me here to restore your sight and tell you your sins are washed away because of what Jesus has done for you. AMEN.