Chapter 16 God Speaks to Paul
Have you had a dramatic encounter with God where he spoke to you so very clearly? Do you long for the kind of experience that Paul had on the road to Damascus that was to change his life forever? This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend of mine many, many years ago:
“You came to faith in such a dramatic way. I was brought up in a Christian home – brought up to love Jesus – as I have always done since I was a child. But you had that dramatic moment when it all changed, and I have never had that,” said Crawford.
“How I wish my story was more like your own. My parents were good people but without faith and so I was not brought up to hear the stories of Jesus you did and not with the example of faith you had. My “Damascus Road Experience”, as you call it was the culmination of God taking drastic action to stop me in my tracks and was the most painful experience of my life. I would not want that for anyone!” I replied.
Do you see how different our expressions of our experience of God might be? Peter encountered Jesus and immediately left everything to go and follow him. Paul encountered Christians and wanted to kill them:
“57 When the Sanhedrin heard this, they covered their ears. They yelled at the top of their voices. They all rushed at him. 58 They dragged him out of the city. They began to throw stones at him to kill him. The witnesses took off their coats. They placed them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While the members of the Sanhedrin were throwing stones at Stephen, he prayed. "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," he said. 60 Then he fell on his knees. He cried out, "Lord! Don't hold this sin against them!" When he had said this, he died.” Acts 7:57-60
Paul, at that time called Saul, was there and both heard and saw the faith of Stephen. He held the jackets for the men that stoned Stephen to death and then:
“ 1 Meanwhile, Saul continued to oppose the Lord's followers. He said they would be put to death. He went to the high priest. 2 He asked the priest for letters to the synagogues in Damascus. He wanted to find men and women who belonged to the Way of Jesus. The letters would allow him to take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3 On his journey, Saul approached Damascus. Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground. He heard a voice speak to him. "Saul! Saul!" the voice said. "Why are you opposing me?"
5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
"I am Jesus," he replied. "I am the one you are opposing. 6 Now get up and go into the city. There you will be told what you must do."
7 The men travelling with Saul stood there. They weren't able to speak. They had heard the sound. But they didn't see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground. He opened his eyes, but he couldn't see. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind. He didn't eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a believer named Ananias. The Lord called out to him in a vision. "Ananias!" he said.
"Yes, Lord," he answered.
11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street. Ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias. The man has come and placed his hands on him. Now he will be able to see again."
13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I've heard many reports about this man. They say he has done great harm to God's people in Jerusalem. 14 Now he has come here to arrest all those who worship you. The chief priests have given him authority to do this."
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! I have chosen this man to work for me. He will carry my name to those who aren't Jews and to their kings. He will bring my name to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for me."
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. He placed his hands on Saul. "Brother Saul," he said, "you saw the Lord Jesus. He appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He has sent me so that you will be able to see again. You will be filled with the Holy Spirit."
18 Right away something like scales fell from Saul's eyes. And he could see again. He got up and was baptized. 19 After eating some food, he got his strength back.” Acts 9:1-19
From these passages and from Paul’s own testimony in other parts of the New Testament we can see that he was a deeply religious man who had a zeal for the Jewish Faith. His zeal, though sincere, was misplaced and led him to condone and participate in violence towards others – very much like some anti-abortionists in the USA or Islamic fundamentalists in different parts of our world today. Zeal is essential to the health of our faith but only if it is properly orientated: Here was Bishop Ryle wrote in his wonderful book called “Holiness”:
“Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do his will, and to advance his glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature - which the Spirit puts in that heart of every believer when he is converted - but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called “zealous” men. . . . A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that this person is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thoroughgoing, wholehearted, fervent in spirit. He sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing, and that one thing is to please God.
Zeal should not be confused with emotionalism, extroversion, or even with frenetic activity. It is better described as an unwavering confidence that results in a steady application of the truth of God in life. The person with zeal frequently steps back for renewal and then steps out again in quiet boldness-to share their faith, to stand firm against the temptation to compromise and to go the extra mile – J. C. Ryle”
The zeal that the good bishop speaks of is one that is humbly centred on Christ and has love at its heart. Paul’s zeal was not governed by love – it was zeal for a cause. It is the kind of zeal we see in Jehovah Witnesses and some Presbyterian traditions that will condemn everyone but themselves. It is the kind of zeal that we witness in the Orange Walks and other similar walks – it is zeal without humility, grace, love or any knowledge of Christ.
Paul is brought to a halt on the road to Damascus – his immediate attention is gained by a bright light in the sky that had the effect of blinding him – this was more than just the sun but a supernatural event.
Let’s listen to that conversation between Jesus and Paul:
“Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
Does that not sound strange? Jesus is risen and Saul is persecuting the church. Yet, it is not so strange? Going back to the image of the parent and the child – “Love me, love my child” or, “Love my child and you love me.” The two are inseparable, and it does not matter how bad the child can be sometimes there is always a defensive love in the heart of the parent. I may not always admire all of my children all of the time, but if anyone wants to harm any of them there will be a male and female tiger in our house to contend with! Hurt anyone of our children physically or emotionally and you are doing the same to Linda and me as their parents – beware!
Saul, in persecuting the Church, the Body of Christ, was causing pain to Jesus, the Head of the Church. Think for a moment of the human body – the brain [Head] registers pain immediately when one of the parts of the body is hurt – only in the case of a desensitised or leprous body is it possible for the body to be hurt and for the brain not to register what is happening. As part of the body of Christ we are inseparably linked to Christ as our Head – he feels every reaction for good or with pain in his body – to damage or assault any part of his body is to launch an attack on Jesus himself. Saul, in persecuting the church was causing pain not only to Christ’s followers, but that pain was registering with Jesus!
Paul is stopped in his tracks by this voice that humbles him and has to ask the question, “Who are you Lord?” He is aware that this is an extraordinary being that is communicating with him but he cannot make the connection as yet.
The voice replies, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”
Paul does not debate or argue – this is an authentic experience and he obviously realises that it is Jesus who is speaking to him. He is immediately obedient to everything that Jesus asks him to do.
What grace we see in Jesus. He does not destroy Saul but rather seeks to save him and enlist him in His service. It is an act of the greatest mercy and love and Paul never forgot it. From this moment on Paul is filled with the most amazing sense of the grace, mercy and love of God in Jesus Christ and for the need to share his experience and understanding with other people. This dramatic experience was not for the benefit of Paul alone but was to be the foundation of his whole future ministry – to bring the good news of the goodness of the living Jesus to the people who were on the outside –namely the Gentiles.
As I indicated at the beginning of this study – this was far from a wonderful, dramatic encounter with Jesus. As far as Paul is concerned he might probably say this, “If only I had realised the truth of Jesus when I saw Stephen rather than go through this painful and humbling experience!” Whatever the case, God speaks through Jesus to Paul in such a fundamental way his life is never going to be the same again. For me, the mark of authenticity when someone has such a dramatic experience is the following:
It is humbling. The person concerned does not want to draw attention to themselves. Paul rarely speaks of this experience because he has moved on and he wants to encourage people to come to Christ and grow in Christ. Some people I know get stuck in their initial experience and speak of little else – constantly drawing attention to themselves and not to Christ. Paul’s experience is sobering because:
It is painful – it is a last resort and because of the hardness of heart with the individual concerned. Had Paul seen Jesus in the flesh – it is surely possible? Had he been at the trial of Jesus as a member of the Sanhedrin? Was he there at the Cross? We do know that he saw and heard Stephen and the other apostles. Was something stirring in his heart but he refused to give it a place? I remember how I used to go occasionally to church and always leave challenged to become a Christian, yet deeply troubled at the prospect. There was an inner turmoil as there is in Paul and I wonder if this is the reason why he capitulates immediately to this incredible encounter where he hears God’s voice.
It was further painful because Jesus accuses Paul – not just of harming his people but of actually harming Him! Paul hears the impassioned voice of Jesus speaking right into his conscience and speaking with such truth and conviction that Paul has no argument. Jesus’ intention is to humble, not humiliate Paul. Jesus wants Paul to come to his senses, feel his guilt, seek forgiveness and begin again.
Jesus wants to use the great potential of Paul. He wants to take that zeal he has and fill it with love and grace and a true understanding of who Jesus is. Jesus wants to get hold of that single-minded determination that Paul possesses and use it in a life-time of service in the spreading of the Christian faith and the founding of churches all over the known world. Jesus wants to take Paul’s intelligence and knowledge of the Old Testament and to use it in order to strengthen the church through his wonderful teaching, insight, and the letters that we are privileged to have as part of the New Testament.
The fact is that God does not work in people’s lives in an identical way – He knew Paul’s heart and what was needed to bring him to his senses. Despite all that Paul had done the Lord loved him and refused to give up on him. There are some people who come to faith in Jesus because they are heavy with guilt and know they need the assurance of forgiveness. Some people are driven to their knees in fear – the fear of going to a lost eternity when they die – a fear that drives them to find an answer to the dilemma of death. Other people are won over by the sheer love of Jesus – they meet in Him, someone whose love is pure and will never abuse. Jesus wisely knew the needs of the people he met and was able to speak to each one of them in an individual way. Paul’s experience might seem to us dramatic but it was necessary because of who Paul was and what Jesus had planned for his life.
What is God saying to us through how he dealt with Paul? Surely He is showing us that even the most aggressive opponents of the faith are not without hope? Surely He is showing us His great patience and grace – of a love that has no beginning and can never end? Surely He is speaking to us in such a way that we will never be the judge of any man, woman or child but that we will continue to witness, show love and pray for even the “hardest of cases”?