Krissa Lox
Active Member
Acts 9:1-22
9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
9:2 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.
9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
9:5 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.
9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou 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.
9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
9:8 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.
9:9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
9:10 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.
9:11 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,
9:12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
9:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
9:15 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:
9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
9:17 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 mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
9:19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
9:21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?
9:22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
We all know we're supposed to rejoice over lost sheep that are found and prodigals that return, but some prodigals spend their lost time going a bit further in their transgressions than others and it's a natural inclination to want to do your rejoicing for them from a safe distance away. Nobody really wants to be in Ananias' position where God says, "Hey, you know that one guy who's caused you so much grief? Yeah, I need you to go deal with him." But we underestimate the love and power of God if we think His capacity to forgive and cleanse is in any way diminished by the circumstances of what needs to be forgiven. It's a much more important thing to focus on that a sinner has repented than to fuss over the specifics of their sin.
And as uncomfortable as all this must have been for Ananias, it must have been excruciatingly even moreso for Saul, to have God show up to say he screwed up and that the people he needed to go to for help were the very ones he'd been hurting. But God can heal relationships as well as people if we can look past our feelings to keep our faith in Him.
9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
9:2 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.
9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
9:5 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.
9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou 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.
9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
9:8 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.
9:9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
9:10 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.
9:11 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,
9:12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
9:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
9:15 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:
9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
9:17 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 mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
9:19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
9:21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?
9:22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
We all know we're supposed to rejoice over lost sheep that are found and prodigals that return, but some prodigals spend their lost time going a bit further in their transgressions than others and it's a natural inclination to want to do your rejoicing for them from a safe distance away. Nobody really wants to be in Ananias' position where God says, "Hey, you know that one guy who's caused you so much grief? Yeah, I need you to go deal with him." But we underestimate the love and power of God if we think His capacity to forgive and cleanse is in any way diminished by the circumstances of what needs to be forgiven. It's a much more important thing to focus on that a sinner has repented than to fuss over the specifics of their sin.
And as uncomfortable as all this must have been for Ananias, it must have been excruciatingly even moreso for Saul, to have God show up to say he screwed up and that the people he needed to go to for help were the very ones he'd been hurting. But God can heal relationships as well as people if we can look past our feelings to keep our faith in Him.