DAILY STUDY OF ACTS
MESSAGE SIXTY
THE PROPAGATION IN ASIA MINOR AND EUROPE
THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS (26)
WEEK 28 – MONDAY
Bible Reading: Mark 4:33; Acts 7:59-60; 9:11-17; 21; 1 Corinthians 14:2
Read and Pray: "So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’" (Acts 22:10)
He Persecuted This Way
In Acts 22:3-4, Paul continued: “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God, as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.” As we have seen, "this Way" refers to the full salvation of the Lord in the New Testament economy of God.
In verse 5 (VRC), he also stated that the high priest and all the council of elders could testify for him. The Greek word for "council" here is presbytérion, meaning the "presbytery" (from the Sanhedrin), thus referring to the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court, composed of the chief priests, elders, scribes, and teachers of the law.
Paul’s Experience on the Road to Damascus
In Acts 22:6-7, he says: “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’” Literally, the Greek term for "great" in verse 6 means considerable. As emphasized, the "Me" in verse 7 refers to a corporate "Me" that includes the Lord Jesus and all believers, members of His Body. From that moment, Paul began to realize that the Lord Jesus and His followers are one great person, a marvelous "Me."
In verse 8 we read: “So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’” Even though he did not know the Lord Jesus, Paul called Him Lord. Then the Lord indicated that, by persecuting His followers, united with Him in faith, Paul was actually persecuting Him.
In verse 9, Paul continues: “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.” Saying that they did not understand the voice means they did not comprehend it, as in Mark 4:33 and 1 Corinthians 14:2. They heard the voice (Acts 9:7), but did not understand it, just as they saw the light but did not see anyone. In verse 10, Paul continued: “So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’” Here we see that, right after Paul’s conversion, the Lord did not directly tell him what He wanted him to do, as He needed a member of the Body to initiate him into the identification with the Body.
Acts 22:11 says: “And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.” This was the way the Lord dealt with Paul, who, before his conversion, considered himself a know-it-all about men and God.
Initiated into the Identification with the Body of Christ
In verses 12-13, we read: “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him.” We know from Acts 9:11-17 that the Lord sent Ananias, a member of His Body, to introduce Paul to the identification with the Body. With this, Paul must have been impressed with the importance of the Body of Christ and helped to realize that a believer needs the members of the Body.
According to Acts 22:14-16, Ananias told him: “The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth; for you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” “Of Him” is significant here, as it denotes the name of the One whom Paul hated and persecuted (verse 8).
The Greek word translated as “calling” is epikaléo, composed of epi (on) and kaléo (to call by name); that is, to call audibly, even loudly, as Stephen did in Acts 7:59-60. Calling on the name of the Lord in Acts 22:16 was a way for Paul to wash away the sins of imprisoning so many believers who called on the Lord’s name. All believers knew that he considered calling on the name of the Lord a sign of those whom he should imprison (9:14, 21). Now he had turned to the Lord.
In order to wash away the sins of persecuting and imprisoning those who called on the name of the Lord, not just before God but also before all believers, Ananias ordered him to invoke the same name in his baptism that he had condemned, a public confession of the Lord whom he had persecuted.
Enjoy more: Hymn 183
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