Several weeks ago, we read the account of Philip who was returning to Jerusalem from Samaria when he encountered a eunuch who had just worshiped in Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia. And this eunuch “just happened” to be reading about the prophecy of the Messiah’s suffering and death for our sins from the Book of Isaiah. Philip took advantage of this “chance” encounter by recognizing that this encounter really wasn’t by “chance” at all but was “ordained” by God Himself. As a result, the Gospel was taken to Ethiopia, not by Philip, but by the eunuch who served as a court official for Candace, the Queen of Ethiopia. How amazing for us to realize how God ordains certain events to spread the gospel through those who are least expected to do so.  

If you recall, the last we heard from Saul in the Book of Acts was when he held the coats of those angry and antagonistic Jews who were stoning Stephen, followed by Luke’s account of Saul “ravaging” the church, entering house after house, dragging off men and women and putting them into prison (Acts 7:58 – 8:3). After Philip’s encounter with the eunuch, Luke once again turns our attention to Saul:

Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 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 (Acts 9:1-2).

Apparently, Saul discovered that many of Jesus’ followers had fled to Damascus during the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. He was planning to break into their homes, arrest and bind them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial. But before he reached Damascus, Jesus chose the perfect moment to confront Saul about his life and actions. Luke records the dramatic incident:

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do” (Acts 9:3-6). 

Indeed, Jesus “arrested” Saul before he could “arrest” any more of His followers! Furthermore, when Saul was blinded by the light from heaven, Jesus told him that he was actually “persecuting Me,” not His followers per se. I am reminded of Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John:

Remember the word that I said to you: “…If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

Jesus is essentially saying that we are “in this together,” as they will persecute you because of Me, that is, because of who I have claimed to be, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. In other words, they persecuted Jesus because of His “claim,” and they persecuted His followers because they proclaimed His “claim!” Of course, His “claim” was verified when He arose from the dead, and Saul was now encountering the same Jesus who entered heaven, shedding His resurrection body and exchanging it for His new glorified body, which is perfectly fit for the reigning King in His heavenly kingdom. It was this light emanating from the reigning King of Heaven that blinded Saul.  

Having been blinded by the light, Saul’s traveling companions took him to Damascus where he spent three days without sight, nor did he eat or drink. While Jesus was dealing with Saul, He also appeared in a vision to a follower of Jesus in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord told him to:

“Get up and go to the street called Straight and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 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” (Acts 9:11-12).

Isn’t it amazing how God works in our lives, and in the lives of others! As it turns out, Saul’s traveling companions took him to the house of a man named Judas (how ironic is that!) where Paul had seen yet another vision, this time of a man named Ananias who would come and lay hands on him so that he could regain his sight! Two simultaneous visions, one to Saul and the other to Ananias, in order to carry out God’s plan for Saul. It was only natural that Ananias at first balked at the idea knowing that Saul had been responsible for the arrest of many Christians. Needless to say, you and I would have had the same fear as Ananias experienced. But the Lord would have the last word:

“Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16).  

As you might have expected, when the Lord said “Go,” that’s all that Ananias needed to hear, and that should be all that we need to hear in response to God’s voice. And so, Ananias came into Judas’ house, laid hands on Saul, and his sight was restored. Luke records that when Saul regained his sight, he was also filled with the Holy Spirit and was baptized. From that day, Saul began to share his testimony in the synagogues of Damascus of what Jesus had done for him, proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:20), and proving that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 9:22). Saul was clear in his message and proclaimed it passionately, because he had first “proved” Jesus’ claims about Himself from the Old Testament Scriptures.

I’d like us to keep in mind that God’s plan for each of us is that we would gain spiritual sight, or we might say, spiritual insight. Just as Saul was blinded to the physical world around him, we can also be blinded by Satan to spiritual truths that we cannot see apart from Jesus opening our eyes to those truths. In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, Paul prayed that:

…the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints… (Eph 1:18).

And in his letter to the Colossians, Paul prayed that they might be:

…filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects and being fruit in every good work… (Col 1:9-10).

The purpose of having spiritual sight is so that we may be transformed into the likeness of Jesus in order to please Him in all respects by bearing fruit as others see the light emanating from our lives because of the LIFE that Jesus has given us. We should all remember the words of Jesus:

“I am the Light of the world, and he who believes in me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

That wasn’t the first time that John connected Jesus with “the light” as he actually opened his gospel by revealing the true nature of Jesus:  

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (John 1:4).

You see, Jesus is not only the source of LIFE, but He is also the giver of LIFE. It’s that zoe that I have frequently spoken of. It’s spiritual life that comes only from Jesus. He is the source of this LIFE, and also the giver of it. When we put our faith and trust in Christ, He gives us this LIFE as a gift of His grace, and if we have His LIFE, we will never walk in spiritual darkness, but will have the light that emanates from the LIFE He has given us.

So today, if you find yourself LIFEless, know that Jesus possesses LIFE in His very being and wants to give this LIFE to anyone who asks for it. If you haven’t done so, there is no sense in waiting, just ask.

Blessings to all of you. Until next week.