As [Saul] neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

Devotion based on Acts 9:3-5

To say that Saul of Tarsus was a religious man would be an understatement. As an up-and-coming Pharisee, he had been a disciple of Gamaliel himself, a highly regarded teacher of the law. When, in later years, Saul described himself as having been “faultless” in his obedience to Jewish religious laws, no one could deny it. He joined his fellow Pharisees in condemning Jesus of Nazareth as a blasphemer, falsely claiming to be the Son of God. How dare this carpenter’s son criticize their righteousness and teach that strict obedience to the law is not what makes a person right with God! Now that this Jesus had been justly executed on a cross, Saul would not stop until the last voice praising him as the Messiah had been silenced. And everyone would know that it was Saul’s zealousness for the Lord that brought them down.

But Saul’s self-confidence came crashing down around him suddenly when Jesus himself interrupted his journey. Not only was the crucified Jesus very much alive but with a radiant glory that blinded Saul for days. The resurrected Christ spoke to Saul, turning his world upside down. All the while that he believed he had been serving God; Saul had been doing the opposite: he was persecuting the living Son of God himself when he persecuted God’s people. Later, going by the name of Paul, he would write that God showed him mercy that day. He learned to cling to the truth that Christ Jesus came to save sinners, of whom he considered himself the worst.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus preached that all must repent of sin. We too must stop believing the lie that God will accept us based on our own “goodness.” As long as we put our faith in ourselves, we are at odds with Jesus who calls us to repent and believe in him for forgiveness. Because he lives, he cannot be ignored.

Prayer:

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