The Conversion Of Saul
THE CONVERSION OF SAUL
ACTS 9:1-9
Paul saw the truth for the first time in his life.
Saul of Tarsus, briefly introduced at 7:58, now re-appears in what is a turning-point in the narrative of Acts. Indeed, what this section describes is the turning-point in the life of this man, destined to become the dominant character in the remainder of Luke’s history as the divinely chosen apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:16). The Lord’s intention in 9:15 is the key to what is written in today’s portion. And it is indisputable that “What happened on the Damascus road is the most important event in the history of Christianity from Pentecost to our own day” (F.F. Bruce).
The right of extradition was given to the high priest by the Roman authorities; and Saul had already shown promise as an able persecutor of the Christians (8:3).
The encounter with the living Christ is told with a simplicity and naturalness of any reported conversation (9:4-6) but the circumstance of both the vision and the voice are altogether remarkable. Which Old Testament prophet(s) received a heavenly summons by what they saw of God’s glory and what they heard from the heavenly throne?
The “light from heaven” (9:3) outshone the noon sun (22:6; 26:13) and is a frequent Old Testament symbol of the divine presence. The voice (9:4) has a counterpart in the rabbinic bath qol (lit. the daughter of voice) by which when God speaks in heaven an echo of his voice is heard on earth. The supernaturalness of what Saul saw and heard is clear. His companions were arrested (9:7), but only Saul was able to understand the meaning of what the voice said (9:7 is expanded in 22:9) and whom the vision represented. Moreover, only he was affected by the excess of light (22:11).
Not much was revealed at that time to the future apostle (9:6); but he was “a new man in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17) from that moment. In that brief encounter his past life flashed before him—a thought he could never efface (1 Timothy 1:12-14); and his terrible crime of wounding the Christ in his people appeared in a heinous light—which again he always remembered (1 Corinthians 8:12). Above all, this was his moment with the living Lord who called him by name (John 10:3,14) and was answered “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (9:6 in KJV which translates an inferior text, but the thought is found in 22:10).