Saul's Radical Conversion — Acts 9:10-22 Daily Word

Discover how Saul’s dramatic conversion from persecutor to witness reveals God’s transforming power. Through Ananias’s obedience and divine vision, explore the certainty of God’s calling in Acts 9.

Saul’s Radical Conversion — Acts 9:10-22 Daily Word

[Scripture]

[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.” (Acts 9:10-14, ESV)

[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.” (Acts 9:15-17, ESV)

[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. [20] And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” [21] And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” [22] But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. (Acts 9:18-22, ESV)

[Daily Word]

God calls Ananias a ‘disciple.’

The reason there were disciples as far as Damascus can be traced to the persecution of the Jerusalem church that began with the martyrdom of Stephen, which scattered the disciples and brought some of them all the way to Damascus. Notably, in chapter 22, Paul gives his personal testimony of his conversion and introduces Ananias as a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews (22:12).

This is also reflected in verses 13–14. Ananias is the first in Acts to refer to those who follow the Lord as ‘the saints of the Lord’ (13). And in verse 14, those who are disciples of the Lord are called ‘those who call upon the Lord’s name’. The word ‘saints’ was used in the Old Testament exclusively for the people of Israel, but in Acts it is applied to the disciples who follow Jesus (13).

When the Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision, Ananias answered, “Here I am, Lord.” This response is a classic picture of the willing obedience with which God’s people answer when the Lord calls them (1 Sam 3:4, 10).

The Lord gives Ananias detailed information about Saul. Saul of Tarsus is currently staying at the house of Judas on Straight Street (11).

Tarsus in particular was a major city in the region of Cilicia — a center of commerce and renowned as a city of learning, widely known as an educational hub on par with Athens and Alexandria. It was also a center of Stoic philosophy, and tentmaking, which was Saul’s trade, was one of the important industries of Cilicia.

After the Damascus Road experience, Saul was fasting and praying.

During his prayer, he had a vision of a man named Ananias coming to him and restoring his sight.(12) Yet Ananias himself resisted this will of God, because he had heard reports that Saul had been persecuting believers and causing great harm. In response, God declared, “He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”(15)

Saul did in fact preach to the Gentiles¹and to kings such as Agrippa and Caesar.²The reason God mentions the Gentiles before kings is that He is prophetically declaring that Saul would become the apostle to the Gentiles.³

As Saul proclaimed the gospel, he would suffer for the name of the Lord — continuing in the very pattern of suffering that Jesus himself had endured. Like Moses and Stephen in the Old and New Testaments, he would be rejected and persecuted by the people.⁴

Ananias therefore obeyed the Lord’s word and went to meet Saul. He laid his hands on him and addressed him as “Brother Saul.” Calling him “brother” signified that Saul was no longer regarded as an adversary, but was now welcomed as a fellow member of the community of disciples.

When Ananias laid his hands on him, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes—just as had been shown in the vision—and he regained his sight. Saul then rose and was baptized. The three days during which the sightless Saul fasted were a condition arranged by God. He experienced a complete break from the world while remaining under God’s protection. And now, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he experienced a resurrection of both spirit and body that had been as if dead. As he ate food alongside the nourishment of the Spirit, he was strengthened once more.(19) Saul’s soul and body were reborn anew in the Lord.

After his conversion, Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

Before long, he went into the synagogues and proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of God. Saul had gone to Damascus with official letters from the high priest to arrest those who believed in Jesus—yet he himself had begun to proclaim that very Jesus. Notably, the first place Saul preached the gospel was ‘the synagogues’ (20). The synagogue would become the place where Saul consistently began his gospel proclamation first. Saul testified that Jesus is the Son of God.

For the Jewish people, the “Son of God” referred to the king of Israel who had been granted authority by God, or perhaps an angel, or the Messiah. Therefore, upon hearing this, verse 21, all who heard him were amazed. Saul then went a step further and testified that Jesus is the Christ. The Jesus Saul had encountered was not an angel but a divine being. Therefore, he testified to Jesus as the Christ.

To testify that Jesus is the Christ meant to declare that Jesus is the Messiah. Through Saul’s preaching, many Jews living in Damascus must have been deeply unsettled. In particular, in verse 22, Luke uses the term “Jews” for the first time in the sense of those who were distinct from the Christians.

What kind of person should a servant entrusted with God’s mission be?

A true servant does not carry out ministry through their own power and will, but works according to God’s ways. No matter how passionate one may be about the work of God, a person who acts only according to their own desires will fail to fulfill their calling and will end up pursuing only the fruits of the flesh. Therefore, as one called by God today, may you receive guidance from God alone, walk in obedience to Him, and bear precious fruit for His glory.

Saul’s Conversion, Grace of Transformation, Ananias’s Obedience, Vessel of the Lord, Life as a Witness

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com