Acts 9:1-9
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. 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. Acts 9:1-9 (NIV)
Have you ever been called out for doing something that hurt another person? If you are like me, it isn’t a pleasant experience but it can lead to greater and better relationships. Saul is a Jew on a mission to keep the Jewish faith pure, and eliminate any contenders. He had the support of the Jewish leaders to go house to house and haul to jail anyone who was connected with the new church following Jesus and his teachings. His name struck fear into the followers of Jesus, and his actions seem over the top to many of us. He sanctioned the stoning of Stephen, and loss of life for these new followers of Jesus did not seem to bother him or the Jewish leaders.
Jesus calls him out on the way to Damascus, and tells him to go on to the city and wait to be told what to do. To ensure his compliance, Saul is blinded. The men traveling with Saul were dumbfounded by hearing Jesus, but not seeing him, so they helped him to the city. He had three days to think about what Jesus said to him. God knows it can take time for us to realize just what we’ve done after being called out by someone! The good news is Saul converted to supporting Jesus and became the proclaimer of the Gospel to the Gentiles.
When someone hurts us, we are to express our disapproval in a loving manner. The next step is theirs, to repent, apologize and try to do better, or continue hurting us. If they repent, we are to forgive them, even if they do it again. Jesus did not scream about his pain, he just said Saul was persecuting him. Saul eventually embraced Jesus, and was forgiven. We can be forgiving and forgiven, depending on what side of the situation we are on. We are not to play the part of the victim, just be loving and accepting when others mess up. It’s probably a given that we will mess up, so there might be a better chance of being forgiven if we are forgiving.
Hold people close in God’s love, rather than being a law enforcer. We don’t want to be constantly corrected, so find a way to communicate paths to reconciliation. Jesus found such a way, and Saul became one of the foremost figures in the New Testament. Praise be to God!
Questions for Reflection:
- Has God ever talked to you about how you are persecuting Him?
- Have you ever had a “road to Damascus” moment where you felt totally turned around in your faith?
- Has another Christian ever called you out for something?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you chose Saul to represent you to the Gentiles, and we praise you for the message sent to us. Help us understand we are to accept when we are called out by others and when we need to call others out for things that they do that are hurtful. In your name we pray, Amen.
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