“As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’” (Acts 9:3–4 NLT)

 

The story of Stephen’s stoning contains a curious footnote: “His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58 NLT). That would be Saul of Tarsus. After participating in the stoning of Stephen, Saul gained notoriety as a persecutor of Christians.

Saul was proud of his Jewish heritage and zealous in his Jewish faith. When he saw the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, a dead revolutionary, challenging Jewish beliefs, he determined to put an end to their movement. Acts 8:3 says, “But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison” (NLT).

Acts 9:1 says, “Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers” (NLT).

This was a man fueled by religious extremism. Saul found his identity in his Jewish religion. He was rigid in his beliefs and unlikely to change.

Until he encountered the risen Christ.

While Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, Jesus appeared to him, as explained in the passage above. Saul’s life was never the same again.

Temporarily blinded after his encounter, Saul was led to the home of Ananias, a believer who knew of Saul’s reputation and was understandably suspicious of him. But the Lord revealed to Ananias that He had important plans for Saul.

Saul regained his sight, was filled by the Holy Spirit, and then baptized. As zealous as ever, he went straight to the local synagogue and proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God. The Jewish people who had been his former allies were confounded by the power of his teaching.

As was the case with Ananias, the apostles and church leaders viewed Saul with skepticism. Eventually he won them over with the power of his testimony, his teaching, and his zeal to share the Good News.

Saul embarked on three major missionary journeys that took him to Gentile regions throughout the land. Perhaps to give himself more credibility in those places, he started using his Roman name, Paul.

He was imprisoned, stoned, and beaten for preaching the truth of Christ. But he never wavered. He considered it an honor to suffer for the Lord’s sake. He was beheaded in Rome around AD 66. But not before God had used him to change the world.

The life of Saul/Paul is a testimony to the power of Jesus’ resurrection. The risen Christ can transform any life. He offers forgiveness and healing. He gives us new purpose, new meaning, and new hope. Through the Holy Spirit, He guides us, comforts us, convicts us when we do wrong, and challenges us to maximize our God-given gifts.

Jesus lets us start again.

 

Reflection question: How has Jesus transformed your life or the lives of people you know?

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