Saul the Persecutor
Acts 8:1-4 KJV 1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that
time there was a great persecution against the church which was at
Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of
Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried
Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul,
he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men
and women committed them to prison. 4 Therefore they that were
scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
Acts 9:1-2 KJV 1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired
of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this
way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem.
Introduction
Before we go any further, I want to look at some further information concerning stoning, more specifically, Stephen’s stoning.
According to Pollock and Wangerin, Stephen would have been taken to a cliff (locally known as the “Rock of Execution”) with a drop of at least the height of two men. There he would have been stripped and pushed off to fall on rocks below and hopefully break his neck. At the very least, it would stun him so that the death was not too “unmerciful”. Of course, we know from the Scriptures that this did not kill Stephen because he spoke during the stoning.
The leader of the stoning (in this case probably Saul) would drop a large boulder on the chest to crush the ribs and to incapacitate the one being stoned.
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The crowd would then hurl stones of all sizes. The aim was to obliterate the victim as a way of deterrence for others who might be sympathetic.
Pollock, John, The Apostle: A Life of Paul, (Colorado Springs, Colorado: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1985)
Wangerin, Walter, Paul: A Novel, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000) Saul the Persecutor
Acts 8:2 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great
lamentation over him.
Saul now became the persecutor of the disciples. 3 As for Saul, he made
havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and
women committed them to prison. Saul now began to enter into homes, dragging men and women to prison. He entered the synagogues, imprisoning and beating those who believed in Jesus.
He believed that it was necessary to do things that were contrary to the Name of Jesus. He did this because he had been taught that anything different to what he had learned was heresy and should be dealt with. He actually thought that he was doing God’s service by persecuting those who followed after Jesus. He imprisoned believers by authority of the chief priests. He cast his vote against them as they were put to death. He compelled them to blaspheme. He even pursued them to foreign cities, such as Damascus.
Acts 9:1-2 KJV 1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired
of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this
way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem.
Verse one of the two cited above show the extent of the intents of Saul. He was continually breathing or spewing out against the disciples. He was a 32
dedicated zealot from among the Pharisees. He seemed to breathe the air of hate against them.
What he was breathing out were actually threatening’s and murder. He expressed malice aforethought, bent on liquidating the church and followers of Jesus Christ. He was not satisfied with just getting those in the vicinity of Jerusalem, he wanted to go further out. So, he went to the high priest.
The high priest was the one who could deputize arrests on the grounds of heresy against Judaism. Saul obtained from the high priest, a Sadducee, warrants of open-end nature, to arrest any follower of Jesus he found in any house. There was definitely a collusion between them to detain, persecute, and murder disciples, wherever they could be found.
These “letters” Saul obtained from the high priest, were of a religious law enforcement nature and served as Passports into another country. He was going to Damascus for the purpose of his legally going to the synagogues there to arrest them for purposes of persecution, prosecution, and killing. It made no difference if they were men or women, all were guilty of heresy, according to Saul’s thinking.
There is one very significant detail that is revealed in Saul’s actions concerning Damascus; it appears that this very commission or warrant that he sought for the soon coming arrests, meant that an active witnessing church fellowship was in existence and functioning in Damascus.
Otherwise, Saul would not have bothered.
Dr. Albert Garner, Power Bible CD 5.7, comments on Acts nine verses one and two
Saul the Converted
Having obtained the letters, Saul set out for Damascus. Damascus was some 150 miles northeast of Jerusalem. That meant that it would take from four to six days to travel on foot. Damascus was the nearest important city outside the Jerusalem area. Damascus was a “trade hub” so the Gospel was very likely to spread rapidly from there.
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Damascus and Early Christianity
Damascus has a special place in early Christianity, through
its connection to St. Paul and his conversion to Christianity.
According to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul
encountered Christ on the road to Damascus. Once he was
there, he was baptized by one of its citizens, St. Ananias. He later made a dramatic escape from the city.
After his vision on the road to Damascus, St. Paul entered
went to the main street of Damascus, the Via Recta (the
“Straight Street”) that runs from east to west. As the Book of the Acts of the Apostles records:
And the Lord said unto him [Ananias], Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prays.
This street was built during the Hellenistic Era when Damascus was redesigned with a grid plan.
Near the end of Via Recta, there is a church known as the
House of St. Ananias. It is traditionally considered to be the house of St. Ananias, who baptized St. Paul. St. Ananias is
traditionally considered to be one of the 70 disciples as well as being the first bishop of Damascus. Archaeological
excavations in 1921 found the remains of a Byzantine church
from the 5th or 6th century CE, adding physical evidence to
support local tradition that the chapel has an early-Christian origin. The Chapel of St. Paul is a modern stone chapel in Damascus that incorporates materials from the Bab Kisan, the ancient city gate through which Paul was lowered out of
a window, as recorded in the Book of Acts. In Paul's time,
the city of Damascus was surrounded by a wall pierced by
seven gates. Bab Kisan is the gate on the southeastern side
of Damascus and was dedicated to Saturn. This southeastern
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district of the city was not only very close to the start of the Roman road that St. Paul would likely have taken, but was
also the part where, from the earliest times, the Christians used to live. Early Christian tradition identified a window beside the Kisan Gate, as the window from which St. Paul
was lowered.
According to tradition, St. Thomas was also a resident of Damascus for a period. Bab Touma – the Gate of Thomas –
is the entrance to the Christian quarters of the old city.
https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/early-christian
The city of Damascus in southwest Syria is one of the oldest
cities in the world. It is mentioned by Moses in the Book of
Genesis in association with the campaign by Abraham to rescue Lot and recover his goods. (Gen.14:15)
Ancient Damascus was a keyway station on the trade routes
linking the cradle of civilization in the fertile crescent with Egypt. The caravans would pass through Damascus on their
way from Assyrian, Babylonian, or Persian Empires of the
Euphrates Valley on their way southwards into Egypt. Later
the city of Damascus would be an important waypoint
connecting the northern and western civilizations with
Mecca and the Islamic kingdoms of north Africa.
http://www.endtimepilgrim.org/damas1.htm
So, Saul and his companions set out to travel to the city of Damascus.
Acts 9:3-6 KJV 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and
suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell
to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord
said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against
the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou
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have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city,
and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
The journey seemed uneventful until the party neared Damascus. All of a sudden, out of heaven, a very bright light shined on Saul alone. At this point, remember that Saul is a very learned man. He knew the Scriptures intimately. No doubt he was able to recite the entire Old Testament, as we know it. This is very important because when Saul came “face to face” with Jesus, he did not resist what was told to him by the Lord. He recognized Him Whom the Scriptures presented. Because of his intimate familiarity with those Scriptures, he had no problem to surrender to Jesus.
Saul had been under the prodding of the Holy Spirit for some time. He had come under the influence of the Gospel many times since his return to Jerusalem. It seems that the more the Holy Spirit prodded, the more Saul resisted and became even more adamant to wipe out the disciples. It took the direct intervention of Jesus to cause Saul to surrender. His statement,
“Lord, what would You have me to do?” is the indication that he repented and trusted the One Whom he had been persecuting. You will note that Jesus did not mention the disciples that Saul had persecuted, but it was Jesus Himself that Saul was persecuting.
At this point, Jesus did not reveal just what was to be expected of Saul. He had some initial stages to go through before he would be ready to undertake what the Lord would have him to do. That first step was the first step that anyone who accepts Jesus as Saviour must take, scriptural baptism.
When Saul arose from the ground upon which he had cast himself, he could not see, he was blind from the heavenly light that had shone around him. He followed the Lord’s instructions to go on into the city. He had to led by the hand to finish the journey. He went into the city of Damascus and entered the house of a man called Judas, whose house was on Straight Street.
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Saul’s companions were no doubt awe-stricken by what had happened because they saw Saul fall to the ground, surrounded by light, and heard a voice that they could not understand nor from where it originated.
Acts 9:7-19 KJV 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood
speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from
the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led
him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three
days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 10 And there was a
certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord
in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the
Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight,
and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for,
behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias
coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how
much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15 But
the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to
bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s
sake. 17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and
putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that
appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou
mightiest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And
immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received
sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. 19 And when he had
received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the
disciples which were at Damascus.
God was working on another individual as the same time that Saul was waiting at the house of Judas. We have no idea who this man Judas was, but 37
he was probably Saul’s contact in the city of Damascus. He had to have a place from which he could do his work in the city.
Just a thought to consider: We know that the Jews, both Pharisees and the Sadducees, had turned against Saul. How would they have known what had happened to Saul unless they were informed by Saul’s companions. They were eyewitnesses to what had happened to Saul. No doubt they considered him to now be a traitor to Judaism. As steeped as Saul was in the religion, it must have been a terrible surprise to the leadership of the Jews that such a one as Saul would completely turn against them and join the enemy’s cause. Unknown to them and to Saul, this had been God’s plan for Saul even before he had been born. Only Saul, later to use his second name Paul, would be equipped to accomplish what God had planned for His disciples, soon to be many churches.
It would seem that after three days and nights of fasting and praying, God finally sent Ananias to Saul. At Ananias’ hands Saul had his sight restored and was baptized by him. He was strengthened and was ready to do what God desired of him, but he was not yet ready.
Conclusion
When we return with our next lesson, we will begin to look at Saul as he once again became the pupil, the student.
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