GOD'S NEW WORLD, DAY 6 (...every sinner has a future)
As we said last time, the letter to the Romans
was written by a man whose world had been turned upside down by Jesus (more
than once!). After attempting to destroy
the church, Saul of Tarsus had an experience that set him on the path which
would eventually lead him to write a letter to the Christians of Rome. Here’s what happened.
Not satisfied with his attempts to root
out the Nazarene heresy in Jerusalem, Saul approached the High Priest and requested
letters of introduction so that he could expand his “inquisition” to
Damascus. His request was granted and
Saul set out towards Syria with the intent of ferreting out “any who belonged
to the Way” and extraditing them to Jerusalem to, presumably, stand trial. The story is well known – a light “from
heaven” flashed around him and Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice calling
him by name and asking “Why do you persecute me?” Saul asks a question of his own, to which the
reply comes “I am Jesus” (Ac. 9.5). Once
Saul gets back to his feet, he realizes that he has been struck blind. His companions lead him by the hand into the
city and he remains in the dark, without eating, for three days (9.8-9). Jesus appears to a disciple in Damascus by
the name of Ananias, and tells him that the man they fear the most, Saul of
Tarsus, is in town and is in need of prayer (9.10-16)! Though understandably reluctant to accept this
mission, Ananias obeys and goes to the address given him by Jesus and finds
Saul and lays his hands on him, upon which Saul recovers his sight and is
immediately baptized, thus becoming a disciple of Jesus (9.17-19). Right away, Saul – who had come to arrest
those followers of Jesus who frequented the synagogues of Damascus – begins to
preach in those very synagogues that Jesus is indeed the Messiah of Israel
(9.20-22)!
This is a key point. Notice that Saul does not share a “testimony”
of having become a believer in God – of course not! Saul had been raised as an observant Jew;
that is to say, he had always believed in Yahweh, the God of Israel. Indeed, it was his (ill-informed) loyalty to
God which had motivated his persecution of the disciples in Jerusalem. So, what happened on the road to
Damascus? Well, as we saw, the risen
Jesus appeared to Saul and this encounter convinced him that Jesus was indeed
the promised Messiah of Israel, the Christ, the Son of God. Saul had become convinced that Yahweh’s plan
of salvation for Israel and the world had been fulfilled, and that the Messiah,
shockingly enough, had been crucified but was now alive again. Ever the man of action, Saul wastes no time
but begins to preach Jesus in the synagogues of Damascus.
What is commonly referred to as Saul’s “conversion”
is actually more of a “call narrative”.
Jesus tells Ananias that Saul is a “chosen instrument” to proclaim the
name of Jesus “before the nations, before kings and the people of Israel” (Ac. 9.15;
cf. Gal. 1.16, where Paul shares his understanding that he had actually been
chosen to be an apostle before he was born!).
Seen in this light, what happened on the road to Damascus was more akin
to Moses’ experience at the burning bush (cf. Ex. 3) or Isaiah’s experience in
the Temple (cf. Is. 6) than that of the Philippian jailer, for example (cf. Ac.
16.27-34). So, on the road, Saul both realized
that Jesus was the Messiah and was called to become a servant of Israel’s king,
charged with the task of announcing his kingdom to all nations. As Jesus had told Ananias, “I will show Saul
how much he will suffer for my name” (Ac. 9.16). Indeed, Saul’s life of privilege and prestige
was now over; the adventure of a lifetime would now begin, and would often prove
to be (almost) unbearably difficult (cf. e.g. 2 Corinthians 11-12). Despite the inevitable challenges that
awaited him, Saul is already displaying that “zeal” and drive that he will evidence
once again when he writes to the Romans about his plans to travel to Spain (cf.
Rom. 15.22-29).
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