From the Damascus Road to Rome

KEY VERSE: “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.” —Acts 9:15

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:1-16

SAUL OF TARSUS was a bitter persecutor of the brethren in and around Jerusalem. He had consented to the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He was on his way to Damascus on a further mission of persecution when “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? And he said, Who art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. … And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”—Acts 9:3-6

Thus, miraculously, this persecutor of the Early Church was led to recognize that he was doing wrong, and he offered himself to serve the one whom he had sincerely believed was an imposter, a false Messiah. He was taken to the house of a brother in the Lord named Judas, on a street called Straight. Through a vision, Ananias, a disciple in Damascus, was sent to see Saul. Ananias hesitated because of Saul’s past activities, but Jesus said, “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.”—Acts 9:15,16

How was Saul, later called Paul, so quickly prepared to preach the Gospel of Christ? We are to remember that this sincere servant of God was undoubtedly well acquainted with the Old Testament Scriptures. He would know of the messianic promises, and would understand what the Messiah was destined to accomplish.

He had believed that Jesus was a false Messiah, but now that his mind was cleared of this error, all he needed to do was to place Jesus in the familiar messianic promises and identify him as truly the Son of God, and he was ready with the message. Besides, Paul was now filled with the Holy Spirit, which was a source of great enlightenment to him. Paul also received special tutorship in the truth by God for a time before he started preaching.—Gal. 1:15-17

In preaching Christ in the synagogues, he doubtless explained that it was necessary for Christ to die in order to redeem the world from death. What a message he must have had for his fellow Jews there in Damascus, and later in all the synagogues in which he proclaimed the Gospel of Christ! Paul was chosen to be an apostle not only to the Gentiles, but also to “the children of Israel.”—vs. 15

Paul’s newly acquired enemies plotted to kill him, watching the gates of the city day and night to prevent his escape. But Paul, through the help of the disciples, was lowered over the walls in a basket, eluding his pursuers. From there, he went to Jerusalem.

Paul arrived among the disciples in Jerusalem, who were very much afraid of him until they became convinced that he had really experienced a conversion. Here too “he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord,” and again the result was threatened death. Because of this the brethren sent turn back to Tarsus, his hometown.

The Book of Acts records Paul’s lifetime ministry to the truth, and how he was, indeed, called before kings to speak. His letter to Timothy tells of his trial and witness before the Emperor of Rome.

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