Acts 9:10–19
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Main Idea
We all play a role in shining God’s light to the world.
Post Tenebras Lux. This is the Latin phrase for “After darkness, light.” This was the motto and rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation that began in 1517 with Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses and was even added to the printed coins in Geneva, Switzerland. To men like Martin Luther and John Calvin, this was an incredible moment in history where the light of the gospel would shine in all of its radiance after being held captive, distorted, and corrupted for centuries by the Catholic church. No longer would the light of the gospel remain solely with the clergy in a language unknown to most of the population. Now, it was available to all men and would be translated into common languages.
Though this motto was crafted in the 16th century, it is wholly relevant to our passage of scripture today. After witnessing Saul being blinded and humbled, we will now see his conversion… how he turned from darkness to light.
Passage
Acts 9:10–19 ESV
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 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.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your 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 instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
Outline
I – The Unsung Hero (vv. 10-14)
II – Jesus’ Plan for Saul (15-16)
III – Saul Restored (vv. 17-19)
I – The Unsung Hero
No, this isn’t Saul. He is always the hero of the story. Have you ever wondered who witnessed to some of the great names in church history? For instance, who was it that brought Charles Spurgeon to the Lord? Who introduces B.B. Warfield or Jonathan Edwards to the faith? Who led John Owens to Christ? Have you ever wondered?
We often put the heroes of the faith on a pedestal because they are the ones who are always in front of us, but what about the unsung heroes behind the curtains of history that quietly and unassumingly witnessed to, had conversations with, and led these heroes of the faith to the Lord?
That is where I want to begin today’s story, even though the focal point is Saul’s conversion. What I want to know is…
Who is Ananias?
Obviously, this isn’t the same Ananias from chapter five. If you think it is, I hate to break it to you, but he’s dead.
No, this isn’t Sapphira’s husband. Here, we are told he is a disciple, and in his second rendition of this event, Saul says Ananias is a devout man according to the law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there. He is a disciple of Jesus, but one who is still in good standing with the Jewish population there. He isn’t a troublemaker but doesn’t waiver in his newfound faith, either. This would lead us to assume that he is native to the area or has at least lived in Damascus long enough to earn this reputation. We don’t know exactly, nor do we know how he heard the gospel in the first place. Perhaps he was among the pilgrims to Jerusalem during Pentecost, became a believer, and then took the gospel back to Damascus. We don’t know the details. However, what matters is that he is faithful to Christ, as we will soon see.
What was he doing?
We have no idea! For all we know, he could have been cooking matza balls, weeding the garden, or playing catch with his kids. Whatever he was doing, he soon stopped because Jesus came to him in a vision and called him by name.
“Ananias.”
Wouldn’t you want to hear Jesus speak your name?
Ananias didn’t just reply to Jesus here. He gave a rich, biblical reply… and one I hope we would all say if and when God calls us to a specific task.
He answered in the same way Abraham answered in Gen. 22 when God called him to sacrifice Isaac; the same way Jacob answered God in a dream in Gen. 31; Samuel answered God when He woke him from his sleep in 1 Sam. 3; and the same way Isaiah answered God’s call after having his lips cleansed with a burning coal from the altar in Isaiah 6.
He answered, “Here I am.”
Don’t ever discount or minimize the power of that simple answer. God can do incredible things through a willing heart like this.
What was he asked to do?
The initiation of his mission mirrors Philip’s mission to the Ethiopian Eunuch in two ways.
1. He was commanded to “Rise and Go.” – These were the exact orders given to Philip.
2. He was commanded to leave his comforts and go toward danger. For Philip, this was the desert road toward Gaza. The road was dangerous because of robbers and thieves, and Gaza was a land of the Philistines… not exactly Israel’s golfing buddy to the south. For Ananias, Jesus was asking him to walk directly into the hands of the great Destroyer of The Way!
His marching orders were to go to Straight Street (a prominent and well-known street in the city) to Judas’ house. (This is not Judas Iscariot, by the way. If you think it is, then I have news for you… he’s dead). Jesus was asking him not only to meet Saul face-to-face but to pray healing over him! Could you imagine! Why don’t you just pry open a starving lion’s mouth and stick your head in?
But, of course, Jesus was already dealing with Saul’s spiritual blindness and misguided zeal. He confirmed this by informing Ananias that Saul was praying and even he had been given a vision. In this vision, Saul was expecting him by name to pray over him. This gives us some additional insight into Saul’s emotional state. Last week, we left Saul in a pitiful state, stripped of all sense of purpose and meaning. In this brief glimpse, humility begins to take root in Saul’s heart. He is praying (assumably for God’s mercy and sight) and has been told he will regain his sight, which would lead us to assume that he was open to this reality.
Even so, as you would imagine, that is just a tad intimidating. So, understandably, Ananias has some reservations about this venture, and we see it through a quick recap of who this guy is:
- He has done much evil to God’s saints
- He still has authority from Israel’s leadership to cart His people away.
It’s not that Ananias was reminding Jesus as if He had forgotten Saul’s egregious actions, nor was it a show of disrespect, far from it. He begins his reply by acknowledging Jesus as Lord (we know it is in this sense and not the respective sense like ‘sir’ because we are told he is a devout disciple). In his own way, I believe he is confirming that whom Jesus is talking about and whom he has in mind are actually the same person.
And in a gracious reply, Jesus reiterates his command in light of who Saul is.
- Go. He didn’t say I will protect you or that Saul would embrace you with open arms. What Jesus desired from Ananias was not peace or a sense of comfort but obedience.
We can learn a lot about following Jesus by studying Ananias. We all want confirmation, peace, and comforting words from God when we sense He is asking us to do something, but He doesn’t always give us those things. Sometimes, and may I say, the majority of the time, He asks for our obedience despite our level of comfort or clarity. He will always give us what we need, but in these moments, we need to let God be God and do His work from his vantage point because He sees it all. We don’t. Maybe, He is asking you to obey without seeing the whole picture because that is precisely what you need to grow in your faith.
Jesus did, however, reveal a few agenda items about Saul’s future mission.
II – Jesus’ Plan for Saul
So, what did Jesus have in store for Saul? According to our passage today, four aspects to Saul’s workmanship are revealed to Ananias. And in his own words, Saul would later summarize these things for himself and the reality for all believers that:
Ephesians 2:10 ESV
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
So, what did this look like for Saul?
Saul’s Workmanship
- He is chosen
- He is an instrument
- He is to carry Jesus’ name to the people
- He is to suffer for Jesus’ name
Let’s look at each of these in more depth.
He is Chosen
Remember last week’s hypothetical situation where we wouldn’t exist as believers today (those of us who aren’t Jewish, at least) if Saul had not been converted? Well, it is interesting to think about the what-ifs, but in reality, there is no possible way this wasn’t going to happen because God ordained this to take place.
God chose Saul for this mission. God planned it and desired it to be so. We call this God’s sovereign decree. What He wills to take place will indeed come to pass, and no human agency can thwart it. Nothing. No-one. If God chose Saul for a particular mission, it would happen.
Saul (then called Paul) made a big deal about this particular attribute of God in his letter to the Ephesian church. We just read about our workmanship, but let’s see what Paul says at the very beginning of the letter.
Ephesians 1:1–6 (ESV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
I know we don’t like to talk about this for various reasons, but I want to encourage you to have a grasp on the theology of predestination and election. We can debate its meaning and extent, but we cannot call it unbiblical because it is biblical language.
For Saul, it meant his purpose was designed and secured in the mind and heart of the Father from eternity past. That is supposed to be good news! His story was designed to be radical. God gave Saul his zeal, allowed him to misuse it for a time, then, in His grace, redeemed it to be an incredible instrument in His hands.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, your Father in Heaven had you in mind and set His sights on you from the very beginning of existence itself. Despite your shortcomings, He decided to adopt you according to His vast love and far-reaching grace and intertwined in that love and grace is a uniquely-crafted plan and purpose for your life. Praise His great name!
He is an instrument
This is a potent little phrase. Not only is Saul a chosen son of the Most High God, but he is also an instrument in His mighty hand. So why is this statement so powerful?
First, notice how it is possessive. Saul isn’t just a random tool on a store shelf. Jesus said, “He is an instrument of mine.” In Greek, the word for instrument shows a wide variety of use. It’s not just used for a tool, like a shovel or a hammer. It has a wide range of uses, from a container such as a jar that stores household utensils or agricultural tools like yokes, to military equipment, to nautical gear. It can even point to the vessel itself. We are God’s gear, designed to perform a specific function.
But this also rightly establishes a hierarchy. We need to hear this in our churches today. The gospel ultimately isn’t about us. It is about God. It is about the glory and praise He receives from humanity and even creation itself. That is what Ephesians 1:1-5 culminates into. The spiritual blessings, the choosing, and the adoption, all happen to the praise of His glorious grace. That is why we exist, and this one statement gives our minds the proper perspective.
We are the instrument. We are the gear that has been designed for a particular purpose. That is our place. We are gloriously His and adopted as sons and daughters, but we are still the creation. He is the Creator.
We have this almost backward today. We think that we have the ruling authority of the earth and that we must invite God into our plans. This verse refutes that idea and properly sets the order. God did the choosing. God wields the instrument. God writes what comes next, and by God’s grace, we get to participate in His unfolding story.
He is to carry Jesus’ name to the people
Now, as a chosen one… as an instrument, he will proclaim the very name he once despised. The name he hated will become the name he ultimately is martyred for. He is to carry the name of Jesus Christ everywhere, and this ‘everywhere’ is described in three diverse people groups:
To the Gentiles
At this point in the narrative, the gospel has extended beyond Jerusalem and the Jewish people to the Samaritans, who are 1/2 Jewish. Now, Jesus confirms that the gospel will go to those who are 0% Jewish… those who had no claim as God’s covenant people but will now be grafted into the vine. The Hebrew of Hebrews will be the apostle to non-Hebrews.
To Kings
Paul was on trial and got the opportunity to present his case to the visiting King Agrippa II. In fact, the third telling of his conversion is to King Agrippa II himself.
To Israel’s Children
During his missionary journeys, Paul made it a habit to visit the synagogues first and preach the gospel to the Jews before preaching to the Gentiles. He would bring the full weight of his studies and intellect to bear on the Old Testament, showing them that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. He would try to reason with them, but ultimately, they would reject his message (sometimes getting quite hostile), and so Paul would turn to those outside the Old Covenant people, who would receive the good news with joy.
In this summary, we see that Paul would preach the gospel to everyone he could, regardless of ethnic, economic, or social class. From prisoners to Kings and Jews to Gentiles, Paul preached to all.
He is to suffer for Jesus’ name
This incredible evangelistic reach came at a cost. The persecutor would become the persecuted. Jesus would also go on to confirm that Saul would not be exempt from reaping the harm he sowed into the early church. He would suffer greatly during his ministry:
2 Corinthians 11:23–29 ESV
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
And, as history records, Saul would eventually pay the ultimate price in Rome by being beheaded. Saul would suffer greatly, though the fruit of his ministry would be incalculable.
And the man who said these things would also go on to say:
Philippians 1:21 ESV
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
As we have seen in our studies, suffering and persecution are only fuel for the evangelistic fire, and Saul is a chief example.
My prayer is that we all love Christ like Saul. May God grant us the ability to put his glory above all else… above our own comforts, plans, desires, and wants.
That, of course, is a future glimpse of Saul’s life. For now, the man needs restoration, and Jesus is ready to give that to him freely.
III – Saul Restored
By the time Ananias arrived, Saul was ready and waiting.
Ananias’ incredible act of love
Love for Jesus
Again, in the likemindedness of Philip, Ananias obeyed without question. He immediately departed and went to Judas’ house. He loved his Lord and was willing to face the Destroyer himself if Christ wanted that.
Love for Saul
Upon entering the house, Ananias laid his hands on the enemy of the faith and called him brother. That is an amazing thing to do. Ananias had to put his own anger and bias aside for this mission. However much he might have detested this man, Jesus loved him, and Ananias had to align himself with that. And so he did. By calling Saul brother, he officially accepted him into the Christian fellowship.
Do you have a grievance against a brother or sister? Let this be an example that any situation is reconcilable.
After darkness, light
Once Ananias confirmed the Lord’s vision, he prayed for his sight and that Saul might be filled with the Holy Spirit. When Saul was prayed over, a scale-like substance fell from his eyes, and he could see again. We don’t know if this was physical or metaphorical, but since Luke was a physician, I would think it a bit strange to explain it this way if it wasn’t actually what happened. If Jesus can blind him by supernatural means, he can certainly heal him by supernatural means, even if it is as odd as shedding scale-like material from his eyes.
Upon his physical healing and spiritual rebirth, Saul was baptized and then ate to regain his strength. From this moment on, Saul is a new creation with a new purpose.
Conclusion
Today is a story of two heroic figures… one well-known and the other relatively obscure, but both were instruments in God’s hands to turn the known world upside down. Let this be an encouragement to you that no matter where you are or how visible your service is, you were lovingly crafted to serve an essential role in God’s grand plan and for His great glory.