Traveling On

Acts 9:1-4

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 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.

See, Saul was murderous and very hateful against the disciples of Christ. Yes, even against Christ himself of John 15:18 for he hated them as he did the Lord. It is important to see that Saul's intent, like the devil's in John 10:10, was to steal, kill, and destroy. But as I said before, God kept him. Even through all this madness he was kept. His mad quest carried him even before the high priests of the Sanhedrin, possibly the same which had sentenced Jesus to death prior. It is important to see that the devil purposed the destruction of the early church. But God purposed it to be for their deliverance. Here seems to be a connection between the threatening and the slaughter intended. Even the words were purposed as actions meant for evil. This is why throughout everywhere Saul went, he focused upon the deeds of the righteous rather than their mouth attitudes as did James. Even more, he intended the guilt of the religious rulers to be established in this text here. Once they knew not what they did at the foot of the cross long ago in Luke 23:34; here they definitely did. Now I know some of you are saying the Lord has no sense of humor, especially not now. Of course not, such a thing would be sacrilegious to suggest indeed. But look closely at what Saul did.

He asked for letters written unto the synagogues of another city and province, over which Jerusalem had no jurisdiction. Then he waited to see if he could get these from them. I know some of you feel like saying to me, 'you must be mad. I see nothing funny here.' Just wait and see a minute, please. God has not fully revealed the whole of the matter, yet already you are declaring it to be a disaster. Having gotten these, Saul sets forth to snatch the disciples from this other place and bring them unto Jerusalem. If you will recall, the whole of the Roman empire stretched over the area of that day. Even then it was dangerous to snatch Roman citizens against their will; for were these not considered as free men. Notice how clever Saul is. He is trying to get the religious leaders which once crucified the Lord in a lot of trouble. At the same time, he is going to round up all the believers to visit them cruelly. It is important to see that, having been made to handle the men's coats, he cannot escape them easily. Now he bears letters between them for the religious captivity of any found bearing Jesus' name. My, this Saul is a funny sort of fellow indeed.

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Of course, it is ill advised to put the Lord to the test. But Saul did such indeed as seen in the letters he bears. He seems bent upon one thing; look how God will take him captive instead. One ought never to tempt the provenance of Heaven as Saul has so boldly done in Deuteronomy 6:16. Some of you need to adjust your point of view just a little. Look beyond the here and now. I know, it is difficult. But just try to look with me if you can. See, had Saul not done so we might never have the Paulean epistles. Without those, the early church might have withered and died in the shadow of a fine man and religious martyr such as Stephen. The early church was still reeling from all that had happened since the time of Jesus to his death, resurrection, and ascension. These apostles scarcely had time to breathe much less write the early gospels as we know them today. Between chasing after Jesus, praying for the Spirit in the upper room, and preaching to many, the apostles were in all ways exhausted. At that time there were only the law and prophetic writings contained within the synagogues. These also spoke of Jesus in shadows and in whispers. Their very existence had been closely guarded to prevent them from being stolen. But how many know that the religious leaders of the Jews only hurt themselves. The light was all around them as it had for quite some time.

They just did not want to open their eyes or their heart to see it. It is highly unlikely that as Saul rode along he suddenly noticed the sun shining for the first time. Nor does the text say the day changed from one black and stormy to suddenly sunny. But as indicated, even like the sun, the Lord had been there all along. It seems something was wrong with Saul's spiritual vision that allowed him to see it. Is it any wonder that Saul fell to the ground. By persecuting the people, Saul had done so as unto Christ himself. His actions owed a debt to the Lord, one which he would surely repay. For so the Lord defends his own people of Deuteronomy 32:35. Hence we see God's provision for his church found even in this situation. How many know that when God sends you somewhere, he will also provide for you along the way. Here he provided for their lack of teaching, the apostles' weariness, and the few but scattered churches. Some of you should not need lights, loud voices, and a throwing to the earth for you to see God along beside you. What will it take, I wonder, for God to rescue you from yourself and from the devil's hands. As we see here, God is willing to go that distance. No matter how far or how long, there is nothing too lost for him to save.