Saul's First Threat - Acts 9:23-30

The Jews in Damascus conspire to kill him - Verse 23-25

Acts 9:23–25 KJV 1900

23 And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: 24 But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. 25 Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.

The Jews who had controlled Damascus for so long realized this sudden change in the heart of Saul was not going to be undone

his conversion was complete

his conversion was real

his influence was great

they decided there was only one way to silence the man who had once been their Goliath, their champion of blasphemy against Jesus:

he must be murdered

so they took counsel to kill him: they conspired among themselves how best to assassinate him

the Jews laid wait for him, likely hired assassins, perhaps even Zealots who were so proficient at slaying Romans and their conspirators

but Saul and the other disciples caught wind of the plot

they smuggled him into a house that had a window overlooking the city wall and lowered him down in a basket under cover of night

The Jews were - and to an extent still are - some of the fiercest persecutors and enemies of Jesus and those who follow Him

the pagan Romans were initially lenient to the Christians because they posed no threat: as long as they went the extra mile and turned the other cheek, they were okay. Later on, they were persecuted because they refused to bow to Caesar.

the Jews, however, were a bitter opponent of Jesus and then His followers because Jesus’ teachings usurped their authority and challenged their long-standing traditions

Nowadays, it has fallen out of favor to say anything negative about the Jews, but we must look at Scripture and Truth as our Judge

Jesus and Paul both chastised the Jews repeatedly for their unbelief, and the Apostle John accurately described them as living in darkness.

John 1:5 KJV 1900

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John went on to say

John 1:11 KJV 1900

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

the reason they were such ardent opponents of Jesus was because they had been tasked with safeguarding the truth.

They were chosen by God from among the people of the earth.

they were a nation of priests

through Abraham, God had promised to bless the whole earth

they had meticulously copied and preserved the writings and teachings of the prophets, patriarchs, and kings, which they and we also acknowledge as the holy scriptures

however, despite all of this, they had strayed from the truth and changed the truth into a lie (Romans 1:25)

Christ came to those whom He had first called and chosen, but they rejected the Truth

they had rejected Him and in their blindness, they hated Him

the Jews transitioned from safekeeping to gatekeeping, and in doing so they shut out the very Messiah whom they claimed to be waiting for

There is no such thing as “Judeo-Christian religion”

The Jews have their own religion (Galatians 1:1-14)

it is based loosely on the Torah, but the Talmud is a collection of traditions and theories of philosophy and theology that dates to the 3rd century at the earliest

it makes fun of Jesus and contains many blasphemous references to Him that cannot be uttered from the pulpit

when Jesus was alive there were Jews who accused Him of being the son of prostitution or adultery

they also accused Him of being a practitioner of dark magic

those 1st century Jews did not have the written Talmud, but much of it was orally relayed up until it was written and compiled

Christians have our own religion

we do not adhere to the Torah, because we understand that Jesus fulfilled the Law, and not only that, but he sealed a New Covenant with His people

our hope and trust is not in keeping the Law, but in the One who kept the Law and fulfilled it to the smallest detail

because He kept the Law, and was slain as the final fulfillment of the blood sacrifice and became our penal substitutionary atonement, we have eternal life through Him

To combine Judaism and Christianity is an unholy alliance

we may share a common brotherhood in Abraham, but all those who reject Christ are doing the will of their father, the Devil (John 8:41-44)

our Father is the One True and Almighty God, and our sonship is secured through adoption (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:14-17)

there are some who by birth or by conversion practice the traditions and customs of the Jews while also being true believers in Christ

Truth must be the basis for our understanding

as Christians, we have also been entrusted with the truth

our charge is not to safekeep it, nor to gatekeep it, but to share it with the world!

Saul understood this almost overnight, as he changed from a persecutor to a preacher of the gospel

however, we are to share HIS truth, not what we perceive to be truth

this is where we often go astray

let God be true and every man a liar (Romans 3:4)

we must stand on truth, and the foundation for that truth is sola scriptura

we can glean wisdom and understanding from men and women who have learned much through faithful study

books

sermons

lectures

other writings

tradition forms from these things

but these things alone are not authoritative if they do not harmonize and point back to Scripture

Scripture is given to us to help us in every part of life

It is useful and necessary for (2 Timothy 3:16):

doctrine

reproof

correction

instruction

At some point, you may have rolled your eyes at someone saying “what does the Bible say?” but it is the source of Truth for it is the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation

Let us not ever let our tradition interfere with the truth!

Saul returns to Jerusalem...a changed man - Acts 9:26-30

after escaping death at the hands of the Damascean Jews, Saul made his way to Jerusalem in hopes of joining with the disciples

however, he was greeted there in much the same manner he was in Damascus; he was met with fear

no one would believe that he was truly born-again, fearing a trap

the only ones who would meet with him were Peter and James, the brother of Jesus

there seems to be a 3-year gap in between the conversion of Saul and his going to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:13-19

Galatians 1:13–19 KJV 1900

13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14 And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, 16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.

this section of Acts leaves out a portion of Saul’s life in the years immediately following his conversion

according to Saul’s own admission in Galatians, Jesus revealed to him that his ministry would be to the Gentiles, so he travelled down into Arabia where he preached Christ to the heathens

it is unknown if any of them converted

Saul seems to have operated alone, consulting with no other person and evidently not communicating with anyone (except perhaps Barnabas)

when he returned to Jerusalem (after having first gone back to Damascus and having to leave), the disciples there were afraid that his absence was indicative of his false conversion

but Barnabas vouched for him (verse 27)

Saul remained with the disciples and won them over (verse 28)

he spoke boldly of the Lord to the Hellenistic Jews, and proved Christ against their own beliefs over and over so they sought to kill him as well (verse 29)

Remember: this is the same group of people that Stephen, Philip, the other deacons, Barnabas, and even Saul were a part of

but they proved to be some of the most ardent opponents of Saul in Jerusalem and in the synagogues

remember what Jesus said?

a prophet is without honor in his own country

Things to Remember

Trust only in Jesus Christ

Train from the Scriptures

Traditions must be discarded if they are false or unhealthy

sometimes we get tunnel vision and cannot see this

it may take others to point it out - don’t kill them!