Acts 9:19-31: A Radical Transformation

Acts 9:19-31: A Radical Transformation

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of Acts, and today the next passage we come to is Acts 9:19-31 as the passage upon which today’s message will be based. It says,

19 For some days [Saul] was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. 23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 

You know, we live in a world of relentless advertising. Virtually everywhere we go, we’re constantly bombarded with an endless array of advertisements trying to persuade us to purchase various products and services. And, quite often, these advertisements suggest in subtle—or sometimes not so subtle—ways that the product or service being offered will revolutionize our life in some way. If we just drive this car or go on this diet or acquire this new phone or—heck—even wear this deodorant, we’ll never be the same again. I mean, let’s be honest: you and I…we’re pretty average, right? We live relatively average lives and have achieved relatively average things. But if we’ll just wear the right deodorant, it’ll be revolutionary. Like, we’ll never be the same again—supposedly. And the sad thing is that that’s not even much of a caricature of a lot of these ads we see. So many of them are designed to give us the impression that—literally—our entire lives will be changed if we just buy what they want us to buy. 

But here in Acts 9, we see a transformation in life that’s real—and quite radical. And this transformation doesn’t come from the latest product or service some company’s eager to advertise but rather as the result of a personal encounter with Jesus. Through an encounter with Jesus, a man named Saul is transformed from Christianity’s fiercest opponent into its most devoted missionary. That’s the main idea of this passage. Through an encounter with Jesus, Saul is transformed from Christianity’s fiercest opponent into its most devoted missionary.

And, as we’re going to see, that transformation was so radical that it got people’s attention. People were stunned and amazed at what had happened to Saul and the difference Jesus made in his life. And as a result, many of them put their faith in Jesus. You see, people can argue all day long with abstract ideas and deductive reasoning, but one thing they can’t argue with is a changed life. That’s the most compelling argument there is for the gospel and the most persuasive evidence we could ever show people. How can people know that Jesus is alive? Well, look at the lives he’s changed. Look at the individuals—like Saul—who have been transformed in such radical ways, and you tell me whether Jesus is alive or not. Just like we know gravity exists because, when I let go of this pen, it’ll drop to the floor, we can know that Jesus is for real because of the lives he’s changed and is changing to this day. 

So let’s take a look at this transformation that we see in Saul here in Acts 9. If you were here last week, you may remember that Saul was a member of an elite Jewish sect called the Pharisees and that he had become obsessed with persecuting Christians. I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that his mission in life was to stamp out Christianity from the face of this earth. But then, one day, as he was travelling to the city of Damascus in order to round up all the Christians he could find there and arrest them and bring to Jerusalem, Saul encountered Jesus. Here’s how it’s described in verses 3-5: 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Jesus then tells Saul to go to Damascus and await further instructions. So Saul does exactly as he’s told. He’s also now blind as a result of his encounter with Jesus and is so grieved and humbled that he refuses to eat any food for three days. Shortly after this, Jesus appears to a Christian in Damascus named Ananias and tells him to go to where Saul’s staying and lay hands on him so that he can regain his sight. So Ananias does that and Saul’s eyes are opened and he’s baptized. All of that was last week. 

Now, this week, we pick up the story beginning in the second part of verse 19: 19 …For some days [Saul] was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” So we see here that Saul doesn’t waste any time. Right away, he starts publically proclaiming that “[Jesus] is the Son of God.” That’s how Saul’s message is summarized in verse 20. Previously, of course, Saul would have said that Jesus was an imposter and a blasphemer. But now he confidently identifies Jesus as the very Son of God, which was essentially attributing deity to Jesus. That’s how that phrase “Son of God” would be understood. For example, we read this in John 5:18: “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” So being the Son of God means being equal with God. And notice, back in verse 20 of our main passage, Saul doesn’t start proclaiming that “Jesus was the Son of God.” He starts proclaiming that “Jesus is the Son of God,” presently—implying that Jesus is alive. 

You see, everything that happened with Jesus was a part of God the Father’s plan. God saw our wretched condition—that we were sinful and condemned in our sin and helpless to save ourselves. So he sent Jesus to this earth to suffer the penalty our sins deserved on the cross. Because somebody had to suffer the punishment for those sins—and normally that “somebody” would be us. But in an act of astounding and unfathomable grace, Jesus took on himself the punishment we deserved. Then, three days later, he resurrected from the dead and eventually ascended into heaven. That’s how he was able to appear to Saul on the road to Damascus. As a result, Jesus now stands ready to save all who will renounce their sinful lifestyle and put their total confidence in Jesus to be saved. That’s the fuller version of this message Saul was proclaiming. And as we can see in this passage, he was causing quite a stir. 

Verse 22 then states, “But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” So Saul “increased all the more in strength” in the sense that both his convictions and his influence grew greater and greater. It also says that he “confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” He used the Old Testament scriptures to make such a powerful case for Jesus as Messiah that the Jews didn’t even know how to respond. One commentator writes that “[Saul’s] immense intellect, his razor-sharp lawyer’s mind, and his Pharisee’s knowledge of the holy scrolls made him, though a novice, a formidable enemy.” 

We then read this in verses 23-25: 23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. So this is how much of a nuisance he had become to the Jews. They see that they can’t beat him in the “fair fight” of a public dialogue, so—just as they had done with Stephen several chapters earlier—they attempt to murder Saul. Thankfully, though, he’s able to elude their grasp. 

Then, verses 26-30: 26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. So Saul refuses to be intimidated. Even after narrowly escaping death in Damascus, he travels to Jerusalem—obviously the epicenter of Judaism and the site of severe persecution in the past—and continues to preach about Jesus. Like, this guy just won’t shut up, right? It says that he continues “preaching boldly in the name of the Lord,” apparently without any concern about the consequences. Not surprisingly, the Jews of Jerusalem likewise try to kill him, so the leaders of the church there send him off elsewhere. 

So that’s the story of how, through an encounter with Jesus, Saul was transformed from Christianity’s fiercest opponent into its most devoted missionary. Just imagine the tabloid headlines that must have been in all of the Damascus supermarkets in the aftermath of Saul’s dramatic conversion: “Former Pharisee Embraces Jesus,” “Christianity’s Most Violent Persecutor Becomes It’s Most Vocal Advocate,” “Respected Jewish Scholar Who Studied Under Gamaliel Embraces Jesus as the Messiah.” We’re talking about something here that must have been sensational. 

And it shows us that Jesus is able to change anybody. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what kind of messes you’ve made in your life or how far down the path of sin you’ve gone. Jesus can change anybody—including you. That’s what he does. And he can change you not just in some superficial way but in the deepest and most profound way you can imagine. He can totally transform your desires, ambitions, priorities, perspectives—the entire trajectory of your life. He’s done it to other people in this room. He’s done it in me. And he can do it in you as well. Will you invite him to do that in you this very day? 

And looking at our passage in Acts 9, I love how immediate the change is in Saul. Within the span of literally a few days, Saul goes from persecuting Christianity to proclaiming it. Again, as verse 20 states, “And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’” You see, from the very beginning of his Christian life, Saul understands that being a witness is an inherent part of being a Christian. He understands that Jesus didn’t save him so he could spend the rest of his life just loafing around and waiting for heaven but rather so that he could be a missionary. And, by the way, that’s the case for every Christian. God calls every Christian to be a missionary to the people around them. So, with that understanding, Saul immediately starts proclaiming the gospel with unbelievable passion. He doesn’t care what people think. He doesn’t care what the consequences might be. He’s absolutely determined to proclaim Jesus to anyone and everyone around him.  

And as I was studying this passage, I asked myself, “Why was Saul so zealous?” By the way, part of studying the Bible well is learning to ask the right questions about the passage you’re studying. That’s a good skill to try to develop—asking the right questions about the passage. And I think a profoundly helpful question to ask of this passage is, “Why was Saul so zealous? What made him tick? What motivated him to start proclaiming Jesus as fearlessly and zealously as he did even in the face of his opponents trying to murder him?”  Now, I’m sure part of it is that Saul was just a very driven person. I imagine that, whatever he did, he was probably just the kind of person that was all in. However, I’m convinced that there was a lot more to it than just that. Looking at Acts 9, I believe there were at least three key reasons why Saul was so zealous in proclaiming the gospel—three things that produced such explosive zeal within him. 

Beholding the Glory of Jesus 

First, beholding the glory of Jesus. As I noted last week, Saul wasn’t changed merely by a religious philosophy or a set of theological ideas. He was changed by encountering a person—the person of Jesus. There’s something about seeing Jesus for who he is—his unrivaled glory, his manifold perfections, his love for the undeserving, his compassion for those in need—there’s something about seeing Jesus that transforms us from the inside out. 

You might even compare the dynamics of it to soldiers witnessing horrific things in a war zone. Even if they’re never hit with a bullet or injured in any way, simply seeing the terrible sights of war has a way of changing someone. And obviously, in that example, that would be a change for the worse. But it still illustrates the way in which simply seeing something can have a profound effect on your life. And in a similar way—though with obvious differences—seeing Jesus in his glory and perfections and love and compassion has a way of changing you—for the better, of course—just as it did with Saul in this passage. After encountering Jesus and beholding his glory, Saul was never the same again. 

And hopefully you’re seeking that as well, on some level. Obviously, you’re probably not going to encounter Jesus face-to-face the way Saul did, but hopefully you’re still seeking something similar to that in the course of your daily life as you spend time contemplating the portrait of Jesus in the Bible and pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus in prayer and seeking a greater sense of the presence of Jesus even in the midst of ordinary activities. Seeing and encountering Jesus is what changes you—and is one of the key things that contributed to the remarkable zeal Saul demonstrates in this passage. 

Compassion for Those Who Were Where He Once Was

Also, I believe Saul was so eager to share the gospel because, secondly, he had compassion for those who were where he once was. Notice, in verse 20, how Saul goes straight to the synagogues in order to proclaim the gospel. There were, of course, probably some strategic reasons for him doing that, but surely Saul also had compassion for those who were afflicted by the same blindness and imprisoned by the same lies that he once embraced. For example, imagine that you were homeless in the past. Wouldn’t that give you more compassion than you’d otherwise have for those who are homeless now? Or, if you were an addict in the past, I’m sure you’d have more compassion for those who struggle with an addiction in the present. And, in all likelihood, that was the case for Saul as well. As he looked around the synagogues and at the faces of those in attendance, he saw himself—he saw what he had once been. 

You know, if you’ve been a Christian for a long time, it’s all too easy to forget what you used to be. But don’t let yourself do that! Remember that, just like many of the people you now encounter in your day-to-day life, you also were once enslaved by sinful desires, destined to face God’s wrath, obstinate in your rebellion, and, for all practical purposes, oblivious to your need for a Savior. That was you—at one time. And that was me as well. So as we see people who are far from God all around us and think about how we were once basically just like them, shouldn’t that give us a deeper sense of compassion for them and a greater inclination to share the gospel with them? I pray that it does, and I’m convinced that was one of the factors at work in Saul’s heart as well. 

Gratitude for All That Had Been Forgiven Him

Then, finally, I believe Saul was motivated in his zeal by gratitude for all that had been forgiven him. I imagine one of the offenses foremost in his mind was his role in the murder of Stephen that we read about back in Acts 7. And not only that but Saul was also responsible for the deaths of an unspecified number of other Christians as well. As he himself testifies in Acts 26:10, “I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.” So there was some real blood on Saul’s hands. 

Yet I’m reminded of what Jesus said that time when the notoriously immoral woman came and anointed his feet with perfume. He said, in Luke 7:47, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” The point he’s making is that the more of God’s forgiveness someone has experienced, the more they tend to love God. And that was certainly the case for Saul as well. The memory of the terrible things he had done was still fresh in his mind—and I believe we could make the case that it remained fresh in his mind. So, as a result, Saul can’t help but be overcome with gratitude toward the One who had forgiven him. He knew how much he had been forgiven and was therefore profoundly grateful. And, as we see in this passage, that gratitude finds its natural expression in Saul’s attempts to reach others with the gospel. 

And thinking of our own lives, even though our sins might not be quite what Saul’s were, the fact is that we’ve still sinned in appalling ways against a holy and righteous God. And even though we certainly don’t want to dwell on those sins, it’s still important for us to remember how much we’ve been forgiven. The more conscious we are of how much we’ve been forgiven, the more grateful we’ll be toward the One who’s forgiven us.  

Conclusion

So maybe it would be a good idea to spend some time this afternoon considering the degree to which these three things are present within you. How deliberately are you seeking a closer relationship with Jesus himself and to behold his glory on a regular basis? To what degree do you have compassion for those who are far from God because you recognize that they are now where you once were? And to what degree are you conscious of all that you’ve been forgiven and therefore overflowing with gratitude toward God? These are the kinds of things that will produce in you the kind of zeal we see in Saul here in Acts 9. 

And perhaps it would also be good for us to compare our zeal with Saul’s zeal. As I read about the way Saul’s transformed after his encounter with Jesus, the most notable thing that sticks out to me is the way Saul immediately makes his life all about Jesus. That’s probably the central feature of his transformation. Saul immediately acquires a Christ-centered ambition for his life. And as we read on in Acts and throughout the New Testament, we see that Saul would maintain that Christ-centered ambition until the day he died. So here’s the question: to what degree do you have a Christ-centered ambition for your life? 

You know, just to be honest, it’s hard to escape the impression that, for us as American Christians living in the twenty-first century, our ambition for the Lord often falls lamentably short of what it should be. All too often, we get so wrapped up in the American Dream. And it happens almost without us even realizing it, many times. We don’t consciously make the decision that the American Dream is going to be more important to us than Jesus. It’s just the air we breathe. We’re constantly breathing in the air of the earthly ambitions that people orient their lives around—a substantial income, a nice house, late-model cars, enviable vacations, impressive jewelry, prestigious colleges for our kids, well-funded retirement accounts, and on and on. These things are the air we breathe. And it’s nearly impossible to constantly breathe the air of these things without being drawn in by them to a certain degree. 

And that’s precisely why we need passages like Acts 9 and examples like Saul to remind us that all of those things aren’t what life is about. Instead, God calls us to have an ambition for our lives that’s infinitely higher. 

John Piper famously tells the story of two missionaries named Ruby Eliason and Laura Edwards who were both killed in Cameroon. Ruby was over eighty years old and single, by choice, for her entire life. Instead of having a family, she poured her life out for one thing: to make Jesus known among the unreached, the poor, and the sick. Laura was a widow, a medical doctor, and was nearly eighty years old herself, serving with Ruby in Cameroon. And the way they died was that the brakes on their vehicle gave way so that their vehicle ended up going right over a cliff. They were killed instantly. Now, consider this: was that a tragedy? Was it a tragedy? Keep in mind that these women devoted their entire lives to Jesus. They were driven by a Christ-centered ambition right up to the very end. So, in my opinion, that’s not a tragedy but rather an example of lives well lived and eternal rewards well deserved. 

Piper then shares another story, much different than the first, about a couple named Bob and Penny. Readers’ Digest records how this husband and wife duo took an early retirement from their jobs when Bob was 59 years old and Penny was 51. They now live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their thirty foot trawler, playing softball and collecting shells. Now I don’t know anything else about Bob and Penny’s life. But if that’s what they were living for—if that early and luxurious retirement was their highest ambition—that’s a tragedy. Yet, again, I wonder how many of us have bought into that vision for our lives—the American dream of a nice house, a nice car, a nice job, a nice family, a nice retirement, collecting shells as the last chapter before we stand before the Creator of the universe and give an account for what we’ve done. “Here it is Lord—my shell collection. And I’ve got a nice swing, and look at my boat.” That is a waste of a life. What a tragedy!

So do you have a desire for something more than that? Like the missionaries Ruby and Laura, and like Saul here in Acts 9, do you have a Christ-centered ambition for your life where you desire more than anything to know him and make him known? You’re going to spend your life for something. Will you spend it for the glory of Christ and the sake of the gospel? 

I’ll conclude with description of zeal from J. C. Ryle: “Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way….This desire is so strong, when it really reigns in a man, that it impels him to make any sacrifice, to go through any trouble, to deny himself to any amount, to suffer, to work, to labor, to toil—to spend himself and be spent, and even to die—if only he can please God and honor Christ. A zealous man is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives or whether he dies, whether he has health or whether he has sickness, whether he is rich or whether he is poor, whether he pleases man or whether he gives offence, whether he is thought wise or whether he is thought foolish, whether he gets blame or whether he gets praise, whether he gets honor or whether he gets shame—for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God’s glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it—he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him….This is what I mean when I speak of ‘zeal’ in religion.” To what degree are you zealous, by Ryle’s definition? To what degree do you have a Christ-centered ambition for your life?