Commentary of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins
Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible
Bible Study Acts 9: 1-19
Text:
The Conversion of Saul
9 Now [a]Saul, still breathing [b]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 And as he was traveling, it happened that when he was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but rise up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” 7 And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the [c]voice but seeing no one. 8 And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he [d]could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen [e]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your [f]saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen [g]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And he laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord sent me—that is Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened.
Verse by verse commentary:
Verse 1: “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,”
The Apostle Paul was originally named Saul, after the first king of Israel. He was born a Jew, studied in Jerusalem under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel, and became a Pharisee. He was also a Roman citizen, a right he inherited from his father. The church is fleeing Jerusalem and Saul wants permission to chase after them. Saul hated Jesus Christ at this point in his life.
Verse 2: “and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”
“The Way” is a description of Christianity, derived from Jesus’ description of Himself being “the way.” Damascus was about 160 miles NE of Jerusalem. Apparently, a number of Jews had fled there to avoid persecution in Jerusalem.
Verse 3: “And as he was traveling, it happened that when he was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;”
“Light from heaven” was a supernatural light brighter than the sun. It would have had Saul’s attention immediately. It could have been the glory of the ascended Christ from heaven.
Verse 4: “and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’”
The repetition of Saul’s name twice signified an intimate personal address. To persecute the Lord Jesus’ disciples was to persecute the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Verse 5: “And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,”
“Lord” is the Greek word kyrios and means “lord, master or someone with a higher rank.” It is the New Testament word used to translate the Hebrew word YHVH, or LORD. Christ so identifies with His body that He considers Himself being persecuted when it is. What a comforting thought!
Verse 6: “but rise up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”
Saul is down in the dust on that road to Damascus. This is an amazing conversion. He immediately reveals his change of heart. This man who hated the Lord Jesus Christ, who did everything he could against Him, now calls Him “Lord.” And he asks what the Lord would have him do. He is surrendered completely to the Lord. He is a new creation.
Verse 7: “And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.”
The Greek word translated “voice” can mean “sound” or “voice.” Saul’s companions heard something but they could not understand what was being said. The entire event had labeled them speechless.
Verse 8: “And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.”
This man was blinded by the light that he had seen from heaven. Here was a man who was as confused as any man has ever been. I have heard the old time preachers state that conviction of sin creates confusion in the one under Holy Spirit conviction. People react differently when they are saved. Some shout for joy. Not Saul of Tarsus. There never was a man as confused as he was.
Verse 9: “And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
Had you met Saul during those three days in Damascus and had you asked him what had happened to him, his answer would have been, “I don’t know.” For three days, he was blind and fasting.
Verse 10: “Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’”
To put this in perspective, Ananias was one of the leaders of the Damascus church, and therefore, one of Saul’s targets. He will now be asked to go against his instincts.
Verse 11: “And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,’”
The street called “Straight”, still runs through Damascus from the E gate to the W, still exists. “Tarsus” was the birthplace of Paul and a key city in the Roman province of Cilicia, located on the banks of the Cydnus River near the border of Asia Minor and Syria. It served as both a financial and educational center. Saul of Tarsus, a brilliant young man, is sitting in darkness and confusion. The Holy Spirit comes to Ananias, and sends him over to Saul of Tarsus to help him in his confusion.
Verse 12: “and 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.”
Saul of Tarsus, is a brilliant young man, sitting in darkness and confusion. Some translations do not have the words “in a vision.” Ananias was a Jew of Damascus and a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit and go to Saul.
Verse 13: “But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem.”
Ananias wants to confirm the message he received from the Holy Spirit before he goes to Saul, the one persecuting the believers in Christ. There is nothing faithless about seeking confirmation before one undertakes a serious task for the Lord.
Verse 14: “And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
As a Jewish follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, who adhered to tenets of Judaism, Ananias was a perfect witness to the truth of Saul’s call and apostleship. It was fitting that Saul, the leading persecutor of the disciples, should be received into the fellowship by one of the despised believers in Damascus whom he had intended to arrest.
Verse 15: “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;’”
Paul considered himself to be an Apostle to the Gentiles as Peter was to the Jews, but Paul also preached many times to the Jews, particularly in their synagogues. It is just like our LORD to use the educated Jewish rabbi to preach to the Gentiles who had not the Law, and at the same time send the uneducated fisherman Peter to the educated Jews to hear the gospel.
Verse 16: “for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”
I don’t believe that there has ever been a Christ follower that has suffered as much as the Apostle Paul. None of us should say, “I’m suffering more than anyone else. Why does God let this happen to me?” We may think we are suffering more than we are. At any rate, none of us suffered as Paul the Apostle suffered for our Lord.
Verse 17: “So Ananias departed and entered the house. And he laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord sent me—that is Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Notice, Ananias calls Saul, his brother. There was a recognition of the change that had occurred within him. Saul had not had a dream or seen a vision, but he had seen the glorified Lord Jesus Christ Himself. “Be filled with the Holy Spirit” was for the purpose of enabling him to preach powerfully about the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, however, nothing was said about any supernatural gifts.
Verse 18: “And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized;”
Being a physician, Luke frequently calls attention to physical afflictions. Paul is baptized with water as a sign and seal of his conversion. The water had nothing to do with his salvation. He had been baptized by the Holy Spirit, i.e. saved, on the Damascus Road.
Verse 19: “and he took food and was strengthened.”
Paul is ready spiritually to preach the gospel, but his body needs strength to do so. We should never allow our bodies to become so fatigued that we have lost our ability to preach the gospel.
