Blinded Faith

Who is Saul?

History of Saul

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Biographical Data

Biographical Data

Paul’s biographical data includes:

• Born as Saul in Tarsus (on the southern coast of modern-day Turkey). The exact date of his birth is unknown.

• Schooled as a Pharisee under the Jerusalem religious leader Gamaliel.

• Became a traveling missionary and preacher for the early church; renamed Paul.

• Worked as an artisan who made tents.

• Was imprisoned multiple times by the Roman authorities for his religious agitation.

• Wrote several theological letters (some of which are included in the New Testament).

• Died sometime between AD 62–64; Paul may have been martyred in Rome.

Here are some of Paul’s words to describe himself:

Philippians 3:4–7 NIV

though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

First mention of Saul in Bible

Acts 7:58 NIV

dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Acts 8:1–3 NIV

And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Saul had been going from Synagogue to Synagogue and house to house arresting followers of Jesus. He was an agent for the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders.

So, Saul was a devout Jew who was so convinced that the followers of Jesus were blasphemers, simply put, enemies of God, that he was one of the main persecutors of the early church. In fact, the passage today starts while he is on his way to do just that. We pick up right after Phillip had baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch and then was going all over Caesarea proclaiming the gospel.

He continued the persecution.

Acts 9:1–2 NIV

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

However, this trip to Damascus was different.

Acts 9:3–9 NIV

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Boom! A light so bright flashed that it put Saul on his knees stops them all in their tracks.

Saul falls to the ground, he hears a voice. The voice of Jesus.

Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?

What a question! Can you imagine if you were Saul. What thoughts must have been shooting through his mind?

Huh? God I am doing this for you! God you know my heart! God you know I am doing my best for you! What?!

His response....

Who are you Lord?

Clearly Saul knew this voice was from heaven, BUT he still did not know who was speaking to him. But he did have enough since to call him Lord!

Then Jesus replies

“I am Jesus, who you are persecuting!”

Can you imagine if you were Saul? He encountered the risen Jesus. Wait more than that Jesus, the risen savior, who Saul had been actively fighting, persecuting, arresting, even witnessing the killing of Jesus’ followers, just stopped him literally in his tracks, and is speaking to him.

I can’t help but wonder. Are there things in our lives that we have been zealous about but they may not have been at all of God? There are simple ones that probably did not do that much damage like Sports, or exercise but there may be some that were against God’s plan and caused damage. The American church for example, slavery, witch trials, politics. Why don’t you ask God to reveal areas in your life like that.

But back to Saul, I wonder how long this felt. Have you ever been in a situation where time seems to stand still. Even though it happens in a very short time, your mind has plenty of time to think, to be confused, to remember. We sometimes call that our life flashing before our eyes.

Do you think Saul’s life flashed before his eyes? He had to think it was over. He had been stopping God’s work. Remember he was a pharisee. The strictest of the strict followers of the Law. He knew what it meant to disobey God. It meant certain and immediate death. It is exactly what he deserved!

and he was right, but God had a different plan..

Because Jesus did not stop there....

“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Huh? What? You aren’t going to kill me. Ok maybe you are going to punish me severely. Maybe you are toying with me God. Can you just get it over with? Those are the thoughts that probably would have gone through my mind.

Can you imagine the humility Saul must have been feeling?

Can you imagine the shame, the guilt, the confusion?

We don’t actually know what Saul was thinking; we just know what he did next.

But wait there were other people. What were they doing? what were they thinking?

Acts 9:7 NIV

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.

The word for sound here literally means the sound of the voice. I don’t know why it was not translated that way, but they heard the sound of the voice. They must have heard what was said, but they did not see anyone. I bet that was weird.

But they kept on their purpose. They took him to Damascus.

Saul gets up off the ground, opens his eyes, but he can’t see anything. I wonder if he thought he had been blinded by the light. I wonder if he thought his eyesight would come back shortly. I wonder if he thought he would be blind for the rest of his life. If he did, he probably thought that would be pretty merciful of God to just blind him instead of killing him.

But again God had a different plan because God is gracious.

Saul gets to Damascus, we later find out he is at the house of Judas on Straight street. But he stays there fasting, blind and waiting. As far as we know he is waiting on God to tell him what he must do.

Can you imagine all the thoughts that must have been going through his head during these three days?

Confusion, Guilt, Shame, Anticipation, Fear, Gratitude.

I bet his prayer life was incredible. He was humble before the king. He knew he was unworthy, but God had a purpose for him. He just did not know what it was.

He waited on the Lord. He waited for God to show him what was next. He did not try to guess. He waited.

The Humble Zone

Saul was in the humble zone. He had no plans of his own. Only Gods.

Man, that is quite a place to be isn’t it? Maybe we need to find that zone more often. Heck, maybe we need to always live in that zone. The zone of Jesus in the garden. “Not my will but yours be done.”

I can have no plans but yours, God, zone. What if we lived in that zone as a church, as a person, as a Christian? Do you think we might be a little more able to hear God’s plan for us?

So he waits on God to tell him what to do next. We know from the rest of this passage that God is speaking with Saul and showing him visions, but still he did not know all that was yet to come.

On the other side of town, God is working on someone else as well.

Ananias.

God asks us to do some things out of our comfort zone

A disciple of Jesus. probably would have been at the synagogue if Saul had completed his original mission. Would have definitely been avoiding him. He knew who Saul was and he knew Saul’s human mission, but he did not know God’s mission.

Acts 9:10–16 NIV

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

So God tells Ananias to go and lay your hands on Saul so he can see again.

Ananias is like, “ are you kidding me, God? this guy is coming to arrest me and your followers just for being your follower.

But God said, “GO!”

God did not have to explain himself, but he did.

Acts 9:15–16 NIV

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Has God ever asked you to do something you did not want to do?

Is he asking you now?

We learn Saul’s mission here. Perhaps even before Saul did. We don’t know what all God told him in his 3 day prayer time, but we now know what Saul’s job will be.

He is chosen by God.

to proclaim his name. (By the way this is one of those passages where Jesus and God are proclaimed to be one. Saul, proclaimed the name of Jesus, and by doing that proclaimed the name of God.”

to Gentiles, Kings, and the people of Israel.

Basically the whole world. Which as we will see as we continue in Acts, he did.

But God said he would suffer for God’s name. We will see that as well, but Saul considered it an honor to suffer for God. Check out 2 Corinthians 11. The list of his sufferings are insane. But he knew God had delivered him and saved him and is gracious so Saul was thankful.

So, Ananias was obedient and God’s plan continued.

Acts 9:17–19 NIV

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

Ananias placed his hands on Saul, and his sight was restored.

More than just his physical sight, right? His spiritual sight was cleaned up. He could see clearly now. The scales were gone. He knew the first thing he needed to do was be Baptized. he needed to profess to the world he was now the Lord Jesus’s.

Can you imagine how fast he ran to that water? God, I am yours! That had to be his cry.

What a moment! He ate and then he spent time with the disciples. He continued to prepare for what was next.

The gospel.

I want to end with a powerful statement from Saul.

1 Timothy 1:13–15 NIV

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.