The story of Saul’s conversion is probably one of the most startling and simultaneously encouraging stories in the entire Bible. It is startling because in this story, God executes his eternal plan of redemption in the life of a man who went from being a blood – thirsty terrorist to a blood – bought evangelist. The hunter and persecutor of early Christians became a radically transformed apostle of Jesus Christ as the Hound of Heaven (God himself) hunted this hunter down on the road to Damascus.2
It is a startling story for sure. But it is also a deeply encouraging story because in this story we are reminded that no one is beyond the power of the gospel; no matter what you have done, no matter how far you have fallen, God can still save you, he can still make you his own, and he can still use you for things that are beyond your wildest dreams.
This story is startling and encouraging because it is a visual reminder that shows us that just when it seems like all hope is lost, just when it seems like the church is about to crumble under the pressure of the culture and the heat of persecution, just when it seems like God’s promise to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) is going to be cut short, just when it seems like all the powers of Satan, Sin, and Death are about to win, this is when God does the unthinkable by taking his worst enemy and transforming him into a blood – bought family member.
1But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So, they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19and taking food, he was strengthened.
This really is the story of a blood thirsty terrorist who becomes a blood – bought believer. Think with me about Saul, the blood – thirsty terrorist.
#1: SAUL THE BLOOD THIRSTY TERRORIST (VV. 1 – 2)
Luke’s description of Saul in verses 1 – 2 of our text, paints the picture of a man who is “breathing threats and murder against the disciples” who actually takes it upon himself to ask the high-ranking religious officials in the land to authorize him to continue his murderous campaign against the church beyond the city of Jerusalem.
The gospel has advanced beyond Jerusalem, so Saul wants to advance his murderous campaign beyond the walls of Jerusalem too because he wants to stamp out the cult of Christianity before it can grow any further.
In Acts 22:3 – 5, Saul who became known as Paul by that time and had been arrested for preaching the gospel, described himself as “a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia… brought up in this city [the city of Jerusalem], educated at the feet of Gamaliel [an infamous professor of religion in Paul’s day similar to a John Piper of Timothy Keller of our day] according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way [as early Christians were known] to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.” Even many years later, Saul did not shrink back from admitting that he was a blood thirsty terrorist before Jesus saved him.
Later on in Acts 26:9 – 11, Saul again refers to himself as a blood – thirsty terrorist when he says “I… was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.”
What Saul is admitting here is that he once was a blood – thirsty terrorist who believed he was fighting a God – honoring holy war against Jesus and his followers even to the extent that he approved of the slaughter of Christians beginning with Stephen back in Acts chapter 7.
I do not know what kinds of sins haunt your mind when you lay your head down on your pillow at night, but I do know that Saul never forgot the blood – thirsty terrorist that he once was. He never forgot the horrific images of his sinful behavior. I imagine that Stephen’s face and the faces of many other believers who were murdered on Saul’s watch probably never left his mind.
But I also know this, those terrifying, shame – filled, guilt ridden memories of Saul’s violent, blood – thirsty, rage – filled, terroristic attacks, they only served to remind Saul – and to remind us – that no one is beyond the power of the gospel when the Hound of Heaven decides to hunt down the hunter.3
There is no sin that makes you beyond the reach of our sovereign God. God does not go hunting for those whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life since before the foundations of the earth (Eph. 2) to come home empty handed. God does not walk into the orphanage of Satan, Sin, and Death to adopt an orphan without walking out those doors with a new blood – bought son or daughter. When God says “you are mine now” there is nothing that can change His proclamation of redemption over you.
There is nothing that Saul did to deserve what happens next. God by his very own free – will (and I might add that God is the only being who has possessed a will that is free from the shackles of Satan, Sin, and Death for all of eternity) this God, by his own free – will waited for the precise moment when he would save Saul and adopt him as his very own at a moment when there could be no doubt in anyone’s mind that it was God who elected to save a blood – thirsty terrorist so that he could become a blood – bought believer.
Jesus is our sovereign Savior who is absolutely free to save those whom he chooses despite the fact that those whom he chooses to save do not deserve saving.
#2: JESUS THE SOVEREIGN SAVIOR OF SINNERS (VV. 3 – 19)
In verses 3 – 19, the hero of our story and the hero of the entire biblical story from the Garden of Eden to the end of Revelation, steps into the life of a blood – thirsty terrorist, he knocks him off high horse of his self – righteous holy war, he confronts him for his horrific sin, he employs one of Saul’s would – be victims to minister to him, he radically saves him from continuing his life of sin – filled war against God and then he finally saddles him with a calling to proclaim the name of Jesus – the real one whom he had been persecuting – to the ends of the earth.
Only Jesus does this kind of saving; every other so – called god throughout history makes his subjects jump through hoops to deserve or earn his blessings. Not Jesus! Jesus sovereignly saves sinners who deserve death for their warfare against him.
When you look at verses 3 – 9 you can see Saul happily making his way towards Damascus as he anticipates the murderous rampage he is about to embark upon when Jesus shows up, knocks him off his high horse in a blinding flash of bright light and he asks Saul “why are you persecuting me” and then he informs Saul that he is “Jesus, whom you are persecuting” as he reveals the intimate nature of what it means to be united to Jesus in his life, his death, and his resurrection as Saul would later proclaim in Romans 6. To be united to Jesus is to not only be united to him in eternal life through the victory of his crucifixion and his resurrection but it is also to be united to him in suffering as we carry our crosses down the winding roads of this life as we journey towards Heaven.
In these moments, Saul was so blinded by the light of Jesus’ presence that the men who were with him had to lead him into Damascus by the hand where he waited “for three days” unable to see while most likely pondering his own spiritual blindness until that fateful day on the road to Damascus. I often wonder how often the Apostle Paul would relive those three days of blindness remembering that Jesus was in a dark tomb for three days after his crucifixion. I imagine that those three days of absolute darkness without food or water, must have impacted the Apostle Paul to the darkest depths of his sin – filled soul that was now being set free without him ever lifting a finger to save himself!
Unbeknownst to Saul (who later becomes the Apostle Paul) God was still working on his behalf; God had no plan to leave Saul in the darkness where he was being saved. When God saves you, he does not leave you in the dark pit of your sin and rebellion against him. God was out and about orchestrating a meetup between Saul and one of his would – be victims named Ananias. In verses 10 – 16 we get to see what God was up to as Saul waited in the darkness of his sin, his shame, and his guilt.
The conversation between Jesus the sovereign Savior of sinners and the man of his choosing named Ananias, is actually a little comical. I say the conversation is comical because it goes exactly as you might expect from one point of view, but it also has a little twist thrown in there. You and I would expect Ananias to question God about being sent to pray for Saul; Saul is after all the blood – thirsty terrorist that everyone has been talking about (vv. 13 – 14).
But after Jesus lets Ananias know that he has been feeding Saul some visions of Ananias’ soon – to – happen visit, he also informs Ananias in verses 15 – 16 that he must “Go, for he [Saul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I [Jesus] will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” did you catch it? Can you imagine being Ananias in these moments?
Can you imagine hearing these words “I [Jesus] chose Saul the blood – thirsty terrorist” and not only that but he also says “Saul is the ‘chosen instrument of mine’” which gives us the image of Jesus rummaging around in his toolbox searching for the most unlikely of tools to use for a job that in Ananias’ view would have been the wrong tool for the job. You do not search for blood – thirsty terrorists to use as instruments to advance the message of the cross of Jesus whom that terrorist had been persecuting.
You and I (and probably Ananias too) would be looking for a dude with the best theological degree and the most letters of commendation from other faithful Christians. We would not think of using a blunt hammer to spread icing on the cake of the gospel! But not Jesus! Because Jesus is the sovereign savior of sinners, and his plan is to take the most unlikely of tools out of the toolbox so that he can use them to do miraculously impossible things!
Once Ananias gets it, he stops his questioning, and he obediently goes. This is a good lesson for those of us who allow fear to control us instead of a desire to please our crucified, risen, and returning Savior. You never know what one obedient conversation will produce. We never hear of Ananias again after this (just as you do not hear much about the person who shared the gospel with Billy Graham) but Ananias’ obedience in going to Saul was one small part of Jesus’ sovereign plan of redemption in Saul’s life.4 Never underestimate what one obedient conversation may produce.
When Ananias shows up at Saul’s bedside, he lays his hands on him in brotherly affection and even refers to him as “Brother Saul” (v. 17) as he prays for him and watches him regain his sight for the first time as a new believer who could openly proclaim “Amazing grace! How can it be? I once was blind but now I see!” Saul, the blood – thirsty terrorist has now become a blood – bought, adopted, child of God, because Jesus our sovereign Savior stepped in and transformed a sinner into a saint!
CONCLUSION…
There you have it! The story of Saul’s conversion. It is both startling and encouraging because in this story, God does the unexpected as he takes his mortal enemy and transforms him into family. Here are a few questions for us to think about as we conclude our time together. What is your story? What has Jesus been using to speak to you lately?
First: What is your story? I think it is easy for us to be awed by the story; especially if you come from a real dark and dirty or broken background. But I also think it can be easy for some of us who may not come from a real dark and dirty background – who do not have a story with the bells and whistles of a Damascus Road – to feel some disconnection, like somehow you must have a ringer of a testimony to be useful to God.
Whatever your story is today, if Jesus has saved you and made you his own, then you are now his “chosen instrument” to be his witness to the ends of the earth. You belong to Jesus and as we have seen in this story, he loves to use unexpected instruments for his own purposes of extending the glory of his name to the ends of the earth. Why can he not use you with your vanilla testimony?
It is spiritual pride to believe that only someone with a dark and dirty testimony can be used by God. It is also spiritual pride to believe that someone who has walked with Jesus since an early age cannot be effective in sharing the power of the gospel with others (think about how effective Ananias was). Why would spiritual pride not be as offensive to God as the murder of his children?
Let me also ask you this: If Jesus is this relentless at chasing down a blood – thirsty terrorist like Saul, even to the extent that he would use Saul’s prior education (ill-informed and misunderstood as it was) as well as images of the saints he was responsible for murdering, if Jesus in his sovereign plan of salvation used these things to get ahold of Saul… what has he been using lately to get ahold of you?
What has Jesus been using to speak to you lately? I do not think there is any place that Jesus is unwilling to go to (without sinning of course) to get to you if he has your picture in his pocket. The cross was not too much for him. The only question left is, are you still spiritually blind or have your eyes been opened by the gracious work of our crucified, risen, and returning Savior?
That is my prayer for all of us: That our eyes would be opened to the sovereign Savior who loves to save sinners. My prayer is that each of us would experience – for the first time or the millionth time today – the radical transforming grace of a sovereign Savior who took a blood – thirsty terrorist like Saul and saved him so that he would become the blood – bought believer known as the Apostle Paul!
My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would lead you to the foot of the bloody cross, to the doorway of the empty tomb, to a new or renewed vision of the hope of Heaven and that from that place you would be energized and empowered to be a witness to the ends of the earth of the power of the gospel and that you would see Jesus speaking this over you: “You are a chosen instrument of mine!” – Amen!
1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).
2 Kent, Hughes, Acts: The Church Afire, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 1996), 125 – 132.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid., 131.