Acts 9:1-6
The Conversion of Saul
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."
Saul a devoted Pharisee was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians...Saul, up to this point, was a zealous believer in the Mosaic law...He was not a teacher of Gentiles...
When Jesus fell to the ground and talked to Jesus, Saul would be converted to the Way...Jesus tells Ananias that Saul would carry His name to the Gentiles and their kings...
This one meeting with Jesus would change Saul (his Hebrew name), who was Paul (his Greek name) to the Gentiles forever... St. Paul would teach and carry Jesus' name to the Gentiles for twenty five years and die a martyr's death because of his belief in Jesus...
We, like Saul, can take hope in this for two reasons...One Saul now knows Jesus is divine and now (knows Him) more personally...But, when Jesus says why do you persecute me, He is telling Saul something very important...Up to this point Saul thought Jesus did not exist, so in that sense Saul was not persecuting Him...Well then who was Saul persecuting...Saul was persecuting the followers of Jesus...When Saul and others are persecuting Jesus followers (His neighbors and ours), we are persecuting Jesus...Saul now knew (or at least a short time later know) we are to love thy neighbor...Let us remember, persecuting our neighbors is persecuting Jesus...