1Meanwhile, Saul was still spewing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest, 2 seeking letters to the synagogues in Damascus. If he found persons who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, these letters would authorize him to take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 During the journey, as he approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven encircled him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him, “Saul, Saul, why are you harassing me?”
5 Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?”
“I am Jesus, whom you are harassing,” came the reply. 6 “Now get up and enter the city. You will be told what you must do.”
Reflection
What do you think Saul thought about for those three days in darkness when he “neither ate nor drank anything?” Saul had been blinded by the appearance of the power of God in the risen Christ. In reality, Saul had been spiritually blind all along. Saul, the apostle Paul’s name before his conversion experience, believed he was “blameless” as a Pharisee under the law.
Saul persecuted the early church and arrested people in their homes. Saul was present at the stoning of Stephen and was on his way to Damascus to arrest followers of Jesus. All this he did while “spewing murderous threats” in his zeal to protect the letter of the law. Shock, anger and confusion must have been his first thoughts, followed by fear. Fear because Saul was helpless and dependent, and worse because he became aware of all the wrong he had done. He could only imagine what might happen to him now.
Paul was at a pivotal moment in his faith journey, where everything he, in his own self righteousness, believed to be true, turned out to be wrong. He needed to learn that fulfilling the letter of the law is all about loving God and others, not causing others harm.
God’s love and grace transformed Saul’s life in ways he never could have imagined. The power of God in the risen Christ would not only reshape Saul’s soul, but enable the spread the good news of Jesus into all the world, even into the lives of those Saul despised. God used one man’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road to create communities of believers that would continue to change the world.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering & Prayer
Saul sat in darkness so he could be loved and forgiven, experiencing the hope and joy of being resurrected in Christ to new life. In the same way, God’s love and grace transforms our lives in ways we never could have imagined. Saul told his story of meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road over and over and this powerful story of his encounter with Jesus moved others to faith. What is the story you tell others about how God has changed your life? Do you share your story with others? When have you believed you were totally right about something, only to have Jesus open your eyes to see a new truth about yourself or others?
Prayer: Holy and loving God, open our eyes to see others as Jesus sees them, with eyes of love. Help us to tell our own stories of all that you have done for us through the risen Christ. Amen.
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