Welcome back and
glad you could visit for another slice of Daily Bread. This chapter of Acts
is about the man Saul that I told you to keep an eye out for, because you’d
be hearing more about him.
Saul was going
around making threats about slaughter against the disciples of Jesus. He
went to the high priest and asked him to write letters to the synagogues of
Damascus, allowing him if he found anyone preaching about Jesus Christ,
whether man or woman, to bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. The high
priests agreed to his request.
On his way to
Damascus, when he was near the city, suddenly a light from heaven shined
around Saul, and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice say to him, Saul,
Saul, why do you persecute me? He answered, Who are you Lord? And the Lord
said, I am Jesus, whom you persecute, it’s hard for you to kick against the
goads. Time for a Daily Bread Crumb here. What is a goad? It’s something
sharp, and kicking something sharp is . . . well, why do it? So here’s Jesus
saying in His unique way, Saul, Saul, it’s silly for you to try to be
something you’re really not. Why are you fighting against what’s
right?
Saul, trembling
and astonished said, Lord, what do you want me to do? Jesus said, Get up and
go into the city and you’ll be told what you must do. The men who traveled
with Saul, stood speechless, seeing nobody. Saul stood up and opened his
eyes, but he was blinded, so they led him by the hand into Damascus.
For three days,
Saul was without sight, and he didn’t eat or drink anything either. There
was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a
vision, Ananias. And he answered, I’m here Lord. And the Lord said, Get up
and go into the street named Straight, and ask in the house of Judas for a
man named Saul, of Tarsus. He’s praying and has seen a man named Ananias in
a vision coming in and putting his hand on him, so he can see again.
Ananias answered,
Lord, I’ve heard about this man from many people and how much evil he’s done
to your saints at Jerusalem, and here in Damascus he has permission from the
chief priests to bind anyone who calls on your name. But the Lord said to
him, Be on your way, because he is a chosen vessel to me, to carry my name
before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. I’ll show him
what great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. Ananias went his way,
and entered into the house of Judas, and putting his hands on Saul said,
Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way to Damascus,
has sent me, so that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy
Spirit.
Immediately, as if
they were scales, fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see, and he stood up
and was baptized. And when he ate, he was strengthened, and he stayed with
the disciples who were in Damascus for several days. Without hesitation,
Saul preached in the synagogues, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Everyone who heard him was amazed, saying, Isn’t this the man who destroyed
all who called on Jesus name in Jerusalem, and came here with that intent,
so he could bind them and bring them to the chief priests?
Why would the Lord
choose someone like Saul to convert? Why would He choose His enemy to spread
His word? The question is . . . Why wouldn’t He? Who would better prove the
salvation of the Lord, than the most unlikely candidate?
Saul increased more in strength, and confused the Jewish people who lived in
Damascus, proving that this truly is Christ. The Jewish people made plans to
kill Saul, but their plot was known to him, and they watched the city gates
day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him in the middle of the
night, and let him down by the wall, to get out of the city, in a basket.
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they
were all afraid of him, and didn’t believe that he was a disciple. But
Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and told them how he had
seen the Lord and that He had spoken to him, and how Saul had preached
boldly in Damascus in the name of Jesus. (Remember Barnabas was the Levite
from Cyprus who sold his land and brought the money to the apostles when the
Christians first started living in commonwealth.)
They then accepted
Saul, and he was with them in their ministry both in and out of Jerusalem.
He spoke boldly in the name of Jesus and disputed against the Grecians, but
they wanted to kill him. When the other disciples found out, they brought
Saul down to Cæsarea, and sent him out
to Tarsus (where Saul was from). Then there was peace in the churches
throughout all Judæ a and Galilee and
Samaria, and people were enlightened, and walking in the fear of the Lord,
and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and Christians were increased in
number.
Now, it came to pass,
that as Peter traveled throughout the region, he went down also to the
saints who lived in Lydda. There was a man named
Æneas, who was bedridden for eight
years, and paralyzed. Peter said to him, Æneas,
Jesus Christ heals you, stand up and make your bed. And he stood up
immediately. Everyone who lived in Lydda and Saron saw him and believed in
the Lord.
And there was a disciple
in Joppa named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas, which
means, Clear-sighted; A roe-deer. She was full of good works and works of
mercy that she did. She was sick and died, and they prepared her body and
laid her in an upper room. As Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had
heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, asking him if he would
hurry and come to them.
Peter went with
them, and when they got to Joppa, they brought him into the upper room, and
all the widows stood by him weeping and showing him the coats and garments
that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter sent them all out,
kneeled down and prayed, and turning toward her, said, Tabitha, arise. And
she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. He held out his
hand and lifted her up, and then brought her out alive to the saints and
widows.
It was heard about
all through Joppa, and many believed in the Lord, and it came to pass that
Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a man named Simon who was a tanner.
Some pretty amazing acts of the apostles, wouldn’t you say? Just a couple of
little things to note. Luke refers to the Christians as saints. That’s just
SO cool. And also, we’ve just learned that disciples are women as well as
men. Discipleship has no gender, so keep that in mind. There’s still more
about Saul coming up in future chapters, but don’t miss our study tomorrow,
when Peter has an important vision. We’ll look into that in our next Daily
Bread.
