Acts 9:1-19
Saul's Conversion
1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord," he answered.
11The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
13"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
15But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul meets Jesus during his conversion on the road to Damascus...The conversion of Saul (later Saul takes the Gentile name, Paul), is one of the most important historical facts in the history of mankind...It comes at a critical time in Christian history...The author, St. Luke, was very impressed with the conversion of St. Paul...Luke includes the conversion in chapter nine, then in chapter twenty two, and then again in chapter twenty six...Paul, the Saul, helps advance Jesus' gospel across the world, through his travels and missions...
Many nonbelievers dismiss the resurrection as fact, but the authors, Luke and Paul, write about Paul seeing Jesus after the His death...Many question who wrote the New Testament books and when the books were written...But St. Paul writes thirteen books of the New Testament, so his story is well told...And we know that Paul's writings and testimony is shortly after the death of Jesus, as written by Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles...
Paul was very hostile toward those who believed in Jesus...In fact, he was their when the first Christian martyr Stephen died...Paul was watching the coats of those stoning Stephen...Paul, a Pharisee, was a strong believer, in the Old Testament and at first did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah...But on his way to Damascus he meets Jesus through a light from heaven...Paul and those traveling with him, saw the light and heard the sounds from heaven...
Jesus is now there with Saul, on the road to Damascus...Jesus asks why he is persecuting Him...Jesus tells Paul to go Damascus and He would tell him what to do later...Jesus gets Paul's attention by blinding him...Paul would be blind for three days...Paul would experience this darkness for this time and probably thought about his life as a Pharisee, and how and what the stoning of Stephen meant...He no doubt would see all the sins that had happened in his life...Paul's life would be forever changed...He had personally met Jesus...Paul also would not eat or drink anything for three days...Paul would be in constant prayer...
Jesus has also communicated to Paul (in a vision) that a man named, Ananias, would heal his blindness...Jesus had also communicated to Ananias, in another vision, that he would restore Paul's sight on Straight Street...Jesus tells Ananias that Paul would be the chosen instrument to carry His name to the Gentiles, their kings, and to the people of Israel...Jesus also tells Ananias that He would show Paul how much he would have to suffer for His name...
Ananias goes to Straight Street and places his hands on Paul...Scales fall from Paul's eyes...When the scales fell from Paul's eyes, he could see the Light...Paul could see, for the first time in four days...Paul also was weak from his fasting and would eat and drink as quickly regain his strength...The Light had strengthened him...
No doubt Ananias and Paul would have a lifelong connection...Both would feel the Presence of God...Both had visions of Jesus...God could have used any of the disciples or any other to take His message to the Gentiles, but He wanted Paul...God would forgive Paul of his sins...Paul, once a chief adversary of Jesus, would now be one of His biggest proponents in teaching others about our LORD...When the scales fell from Paul's eyes he could see...