Scripture: Acts 9: 1 - 3.
The Road to Damascus
Such a simple story. The story of Paul’s conversion. Nine verses, out of thousands that are in the Bible. Yet, these are very significant verses. Why? Because, it tells us so much about ourselves.
Saul arrives in Jerusalem, an angry and determined man. He goes directly to the Sanhedrin and speaks with the high priest.
It had come to Paul’s attention that many Christians had escaped from Jerusalem and were hiding out in Damascus. So he asks the high priest for warrants that would allow him to travel to Damascus and arrest the Christians seeking sanctuary there.
Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It was already an old city in Paul’s time. It lies in a green plain below Mount Hermon. There is a phenomenon in the weather around Damascus. When the hot air on the plains meets the cool air on Mount Hermon thunderstorms are suddenly formed with much electrical activity resulting in lightening.
Now, Damascus is almost 140 miles distant from Jerusalem. Today we can travel that distance in about 30 minutes by air. Three hours by car. Of course, Paul did not have these modern conveyances. Neither did he have a horse or donkey. Nor, could he take a boat since Damascus was almost fifty miles inland from the coast. Paul had to walk. A man in good health probably would take about a week at a quick pace to cover that distance. Incidentally, the way to Damascus from Jerusalem goes through Galilee.
Paul also had several men with him. They were to act as a sort of police force to
escort any prisoners that Paul may apprehend in his vendetta against the Christians in Damascus. Yet, these men were not Pharisees or members of the Sanhedrin. That meant that they were not Pauls’ equals. They could neither talk with him or walk alongside him. Paul had to walk alone ahead of these men.
Now when I was a child my family and I would take a three week vacation every summer. We would hitch our travel trailer (RV in todays lexicon) to the car and take off. During those years of growing up we traveled all over the west. Up to Washington state, Montana, South Dakota, east to Arizona, New Mexico and Iowa. I saw the majesty of Mount Rainier, and the Grand Tetons. I back packed to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I walked among the geysers of Yellowstone and stared at the faces on Mount Rushmore and witnessed the miles of emptiness in the Mojave Desert.
But in between these wonderful works of God’s nature there was endless miles of asphalt. My sister and I would stare out the windows for awhile and then read the books we bought along the way or nap or play games to pass away the boredom of traveling.
You see, there is only so much scenery that one can enjoy during the course of a day or week. After that your brain sort of goes numb while it is digesting what you have witnessed.
But, Paul did not have the luxury of a chauffeur to do the driving. He did not have books to read or games to play. He couldn’t take a nap while someone drove him. And he didn’t have anyone to talk too while walking.
No, all Paul could do while walking all those dusty miles was think. And a man can do a whole lot of thinking while walking 140 miles! The Bible does not tell us what Paul thought about while he walked. But, we certainly can take a guess based on what happened to him when he arrived at the gates of Damascus.
We need to remember the background of this man we now know as Paul. He was born in Tarsus in the province of Cilicia approximately 5 to 10 years after Christ’s birth. Cilicia, located near Antioch in Asia Minor, was known as a center of science and art. At one time its universities rivaled Alexandria and Athens. He was the son of a very prominent and wealthy Jewish family. We know the family was prominent and wealthy because Paul was a Roman citizen which is significant because Rome did not grant citizenship to every person from a conquered country. Especially so of the troublesome Jews.
Paul was a bright child and was eventually sent to Jerusalem to study under the notable Rabbi Gamaliel. Gamaliel was a very prominent Pharisee and head of the Sanhedrin. Diligently Paul was instructed in all the laws and traditions of the Jewish faith. Under Gamaliel’s tutelage Paul excelled in his learning. Indeed, in Galations Paul states he was the best and the brightest, rising higher than any student in his age bracket.
So this means that Paul by birth was a Jew, by citizenship a Roman, and by education a Greek. And later, by the grace of God, a Christian. A very unique man indeed.
This means that Paul was living in Jerusalem during the period that Jesus was teaching. Undoubtedly, Paul knew of Christ. He most likely had been one of the Pharisee’s that tried to trip Christ up in questions of the law. He may even had talked to the Apostles. Yet, he was so confident of his own knowledge that Christ’s teaching could not get past the pride that Paul had.
Like many of the Pharisee’s he had expected that the enthusiasm of the Apostles and the teachings of Christ would die with Christ on the hill known as Calvary. He believed, along with the other members of the Sanhedrin that these members of the Way would return to the teachings and the doctrines of the Jewish faith. Instead, the enthusiasm increased. The numbers skyrocketed. These people became dangerous and a threat to all that Paul held dear. These people were guilty of heresy as far as Paul was concerned and he was determined to crush the Christians. Turn with me to Acts 26:9 to 11 and lets hear what Paul says that he did.
This means that the act of persecuting Christians consumed him, it had become his very life. Nothing else mattered to him or was more important.
Paul became the Sanhedrin’s bulldog. It was his job to ferret out the believer’s of Christ He stood by as Stephen was stoned. In fact he held the garments of the men who actually stoned Stephen.
But, as he terrorized and persecuted the Christians , he was also being subtly influenced by them.
Now we meet Paul on the road to Damascus. His success at persecuting the disciples of Christ had been so great that they had fled Jerusalem and moved to other cities and towns. Paul was very proud of his success. He was at the very apex of his career and he was not content to let these people escape from his wrath.
Paul, a man very confident in his knowledge of the law.
Paul, the bulldog of the Sanhedrin.
Paul, a man wanting to stamp out all opposition to his way of life. Paul was also a man confused about what he had witnessed when Stephen was stoned.
Confusing thoughts.
Dangerous thoughts.
Thoughts that went against everything he believed.
He had become very tormented by what he had seen and heard.
How could these people that he was bringing to justice go so quietly and willingly? They didn’t fight him. They didn’t curse him. In fact, some even prayed for him. Him, not for themselves. Not for deliverance from a painful death. No, they prayed for him to see the light, to see what he was doing wrong.
How could he be wrong. He was a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin. He knew the law. He knew what was right and what was wrong. He was a very stubborn and determined man.
Yet, there was something about these . . . These . . so called Christians. They had something different. He had come across hundreds if not thousands of people in his lifetime. Not very many were truly happy with their life. But, these Christians, well they seemed so peaceful.
Such confusing thoughts.
So, when the bright light from heaven shone down on Paul, perhaps the ground had already been ploughed in his mind. When the clarity of the light lit up his soul and reached the darkest recesses of his mind, Paul saw that he had been wrong in his conviction. The light revealed his ignorance and his error. He was appalled at what he had done to Christ and His followers.
All this time he thought that he was zealously serving God while persecuting the followers of Christ. Now he learned that instead of serving God he had in actual fact been serving Satan.
Turn with me to Proverbs 16:8
You see, Paul had been a very proud man. Now, suddenly all of the education, the hatred and condemnation that had ruled his life did not mean anything anymore. All the confidence and determination he harbored was useless now. In one quick flash, in the blink of an eye, Paul no longer knew what to do.
The hunter now became the hunted.
The accuser was now one of the accused.
The lion has become the lamb.
He thought that he spoke with power. He thought he served the authorities. He learned instead that he was powerless. He heard the true Voice of Authority. Acts 22:and verses 9, 14, and 17 tells that Paul not only saw Christ but also heard Him.
He heard the Voice that spoke in the dark and created the earth.
He heard the Voice that spoke with Adam and Eve in the Garden.
He heard the Voice that spoke out of the burning bush to Moses.
He heard the Voice that raised up Lazarus and later said “It is finished” from the cross at Calvary.
You see, Paul had no choice but to fall onto his knees. He knew that his only recourse was to yield his life and to give his very being to the true authority. When the Voice spoke Paul listened.
Many of us remember Muhammed Ali in the days of his prime when he was the Champion of the World as a boxer. He often would go around saying very pridefully and with arrogance that he “was the greatest.” Truthfully, during his prime he was the greatest boxer.
One day, he was on an airplane and the plane was getting ready to take off. As many of you know, the little lights start blinking to buckle your seatbelt and to not smoke. The flight attendant was walking down the aisle and noticed that Muhammed Ali had not buckled his seatbelt and told him that he needed to.
Muhammed Ali said to her, “I’m superman and superman don’t need no seatbelt.”
The flight attendant shot back with, “Superman don’t need no airplane either, now buckle up!”
On the road to Damascus God took care of Paul’s pride. It is very hard for humans to admit when they are wrong. It took a bright light searing into Paul’s eyes, to the very core of his being to show him that he was wrong.
Paul was a very strong, very confident man. It takes a very confident man to walk a hundred or more miles into a strange city to seek out certain people and to apprehend them. This very confident man was now humbled by blindness. He who had led others with confidence now had to rely on others to lead him. Humbleness does not leave much room for pride.
Paul’s traveling companions had witnessed the bright light, had heard the rumblings in the air, and had seen Paul fall prostrate on the ground. But they thought that it was just the lightening that was common in this area. They did not know that Paul had seen Christ and conversed with Him. However, they did know that Paul now appeared to be blind and needed to be taken in hand and guided into Damascus. The guards who had walked behind Paul all the way from Jerusalem now needed to walk beside Paul and guide him by hand and voice into Damascus.
How different was his entrance into Damascus! He believed that he was going to enter Damascus as the avenging angel for the Sanhedrin. Instead, he was led into the city like a common beggar, punished by God because of his persecution of His followers. He had expected to be greeted with applause and honor by the local high priest. Instead he was groping about in darkness and being led by the hand as he sought out those that he was originally going to persecute.
And what must have gone through Paul’s mind. Sneaking around town like a thief. Trying to avoid the local Pharisee’s while at the same time looking for shelter in the home of his enemies. How would they receive him? In peace or in anger? Would they give him comfort or would they stone him?
Eventually, Paul and his men found the home of a disciple of Christ named Judas. There, he was received in peace but remained in seclusion. The church of believers had been warned that he was coming. They did not believe that he had changed the purpose of his visit to the city.
Imagine the fear that was in Judas when he learned that he was going to harbor the famous persecutor within the walls of his house. Can you imagine what faith it took to do as Christ requested. This blind man was the same man that had arrested hundreds. Now, he was in his house. How he must have feared for his children and his wife. Completely broken and repentant in spirit he immersed himself in reflection and heartfelt prayer.
He was secluded from human company and he understood why. He had not expected any sympathy and he received none. He was completely helpless and dependent on others. Quite a difference from just a few days ago when he was bathed in honor and power. Over and over in his mind he replayed the scenes that had transpired during the time he was persecuting the Christians. Now he understood their attitude of peace. Now he knew why they had prayed for him. Now he knew why Stephen gladly suffered all the pain from the stones thrown at him.
He further replayed in his mind all the lessons given to him by Gamaliel. He reviewed in his mind all the scriptures that he had learned. Now he began to see where he gone wrong. Paul, though physically blinded, was now spiritually bathed in the true light. He was amazed at how blind he had been to the truth. He was sickened at his own prejudice and unbelief that had clouded his understanding of the scriptures. Now he was able to trace the history of his people and fully understand the prophecies with a mind sharpened by the indwelling spirit of the Lord. He now understood that the Messiah that he and many Jews were waiting for, had already arrived and his name was Jesus Christ.
For three days the spirit of Paul was tested. He did not know what fate awaited him. In his distress he cried out to the Lord and asked what he was to do. For three days he fasted and prayed and reflected. He was in complete darkness. At the end of his period of trial, the Lord answered him and directed him to His church so that the church could show him his new course.
The very men in Damascus that Paul had come to destroy were now going to be his teachers. One of these men, Ananias, was to be Paul’s sounding board answering all of his questions. Guiding Paul through the confusion that bathed his mind and soul.
The man once known as Saul the Sanhedrin’s bulldog and the persecutor of Christians,/ became Paul a disciple of the Lord and His most powerful evangelist.
Paul embarked on a new mission in life. A life that was to be filled with much physical danger, but also a life of joy and peace in his soul. Paul relished the excitement and the adventure. He looked forward to the challenges. He turned his stubborn hard-heartedness against Christians into a zealousness to serve the Lord. The persecutions he waged against the Christians he now received with joy. During his time as a a disciple of Christ Paul traveled almost 18,000 miles. His writings make up almost 1/3 of the New Testament.
So how does the story of Paul apply to us today?
Are we hard-hearted and stubborn? Are we totally confident in what we know? Are we unwilling to be receptive to more teaching? We need to search our soul today and find the answer.
The conversion of Paul was very dramatic. Christ took a man that was determined to stamp out Christianity and turned him into a warrior for Christianity. This is a story that should give each and every person hope. Your sins, my sins are not unredeemable. We are not so bad that we cannot be turned into an emblem of good.
And this conversion is very important, so important that it is repeated two more times in Acts; chapters 22 and again in 26.
Certainly, Christ took a very large 2 x 4 to get Paul’s attention. And it may take a similar dramatic event to get our attention.
Indeed, at 2 x 4 was taken to John Newton, once a slave ship captain and later an evangelist during 18th century England along with the likes of John and Charles Wesley.
He also took a 2 x 4 to Augustine one of the greatest theologians during the Middle Ages. Augustine was a man that revelled in drunkeness and womanizing. Then one day a young child sang a hymn that changed him forever.
Most of us consider ourselves intelligent people. So, why do we fight against someone that is more intelligent and much more powerful than we? We should acknowledge the folly of our ways and submit ourselves to the Lord. If we continue to fight against the Lord we do so at our own peril and will forfeit an eternity of peace and joy. We will lose the honor and the clean white garment and golden crown that awaits us.
Just as Paul did we need to immerse ourselves in prayer and let the one true light penetrate the darkest recesses of our mind and soul. We need the Voice of authority to lead us and empower us.
In closing let me suggest that we become a more willing vessel of the Lord, then He will touch our eyes to give us sight. He will bathe us in his light and guide us through the vast wasteland that belongs to Satan. And just as Ananias willingly went where the Lord directed so too must we be willing to go where directed by the Lord.
