Paul On The Damascus Road

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we’re in the Book of Acts 22, and Dave, we are in verse 5, but why don’t you just give us a little summary here, just bring us up to speed, put this into context this next verse.

Dave:

Well, Paul has gone back to Jerusalem, and he thought he would be showing the Jews that he’s not against Israel, he’s not against them.Of course he wants to bring salvation to them, bring them to their Messiah, but he’s not even dealing with that. He made a vow, he shaved his head, he’s made some sacrifices.

Tom:

Well, he’s trying to demonstrate to them that he has not, although he has been falsely accused, he has not overthrown the law of Moses.

Dave:

Right.Well, they take issue with him being in the temple.They have heard some rumors from Jews and Asians he brought a Greek into the temple there, and so forth, defiling the temple.They have a riot, they are about to kill Paul, tearing him apart, and word of this comes to the governor, to the centurion, and so forth, and he sent some soldiers out.They rescued Paul and they are taking him into the castle, and Paul asks if he couldn’t address this mob.So then, he is going to tell them who he is.The first 4 verses he said, I am a Jew, I am a Pharisee, I studied at the feet of Gamaliel, one of your most famous ones, they all know him.And furthermore, I persecuted Christians to the death and delivered them to the death, and delivered them to the prison, and so forth.And then, you’re going to pick it up with verse 5.

Tom:

Verse 5, “As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders:from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem for to be punished.And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?And I answered, Who art thou, Lord?And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.”

Dave:

Well, Tom, I mean this is just a straightforward explanation, and, I was one of you guys, you’re going to kill me, I was killing Christians.In fact, I have letters from the high priest, from the elders, and I was on my way to Damascus to arrest them over there and bring them back to Jerusalem.Please, understand, this is my background, this is where I was.Now, what changed me?Well, I got a light from heaven that’s brighter than the noon day sun, and it knocks me off my horse.And the voice says, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Tom:

Dave, I find it interesting that Jesus—I mean there are a lot of things that Jesus could have said with regard to his title, or introducing himself to Paul here, but he said, I am Jesus of Nazareth.Now, I remember another verse that say, Could any good thing come out of Nazareth?So it’s interesting that he would use that.

Dave:

Yes, it is.So it shows the accuracy of the Bible.See, if this were written by—if here were a put-up job, just put together to convince people, you wouldn’t tell all the things about the sins of the leading characters, even Abraham, his unbelief, father of the faithful, and you wouldn’t tell that Jesus was from Nazareth.Why would you want to call Him, from Nazareth.

Tom:

Sure, you would think, No, I’m the Son of David, you know, I’m the anointed one, I’m the Christ.But No, the Lord just lays it out, his humble background.

Dave:

Yes, and Tom, there is no other way to explain it.And I would say that many things are dropped in here like that.Well, Jesus was speaking, and he did it because it’s going to be part of his Word, and it will be one of the evidences, that this is indeed his Word.It’s not a manufactured fable, it’s not some fiction, and it has the ring of truth to it.

Tom:

Well Dave, you know, this isn’t my quote, but I just love the quote by someone who said, The Bible is not a book that man could write if he would, or would write if he could, for that very reason.So many things put man down, I mean, not really put us down, but put us in our place, tell us exactly who we are, and how we truly need salvation, and how much God loves us.

Dave:

Doesn’t flatter anyone, even the most famous characters.There are very few who come out unscathed, Daniel would be one of them.

Tom:

Enoch.

Dave:

Enoch, but other than that—Well Tom, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.”Verse 9:“And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.And I said, What shall I do, Lord?—He’s acknowledging Jesus as Lord—

Tom:

Dave, sorry, another thought just hit me.I forgot about, when I was thinking about Jesus introducing himself to Paul as, Jesus of Nazareth, I forgot who he was addressing.Talk about a little underscoring of this before the mob those who would reject, certainly this Jesus from Nazareth.Wow!

Dave:

Yeah, as you said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?It’s an amazing book, the Bible, but this is a factual account.Now it could not have been written a hundred years, or two hundred years, or three hundred years later as the skeptics, the critics have tried to say, that too much detail of the moment.This was written by someone who was there, written by Luke, in fact, an eye witness to this.

Tom:

Verse 10:“And I said, What shall I do, Lord?And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight.And the same hour I looked up upon him.”

Dave:

Tom, it almost reads like fiction.For example, earlier chapter, way back in Chapter 10, he gets his vision, a sheet let down from heaven—this is Peter now—and God speaks to Peter with an audible voice.There are three men at the door, they are Gentiles now, and you don’t have anything to do with Gentiles, but I want you to go with them, don’t doubt.Well then you come and you find that the centurion Cornelius, he’s had a visitation from an angel who told him Peter’s address, to send some men there, and he will tell you.And now Paul arrives in— Saul, at that time was his name—arrives in Damascus, and God has already told one of his servants that Saul is there, you are going to lay hands on him, and restore his sight. Amazing, amazing sequence of events, Tom.It is true, this is how God work, and this is the Word of God.So Paul is saying:Here is how I became a Christian.They are not going to like it.