October 20

Acts 9: 10-29
10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." 11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." 13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." 17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?" 22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah. 23 After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might 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 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, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they were attempting to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

Imagine being Ananias. You know Saul be reputation. He is on his way to your home town to arrest you and your fellow believers and take you back to Jerusalem. You are now told to go, lay hands on him so that he might regain his sight. Ananias listens to God and Saul is healed and baptized.

This is living with risk. Following Jesus is not always safe. Enemies are going to be made friends in the name of Jesus. Perhaps the church we know has acted out of a place of power and privilege for so long that we have missed the risk of confessing Jesus. For us confessing Jesus is more often a question of embarrassment or social propriety. For Ananias and later Saul this will be a question of life or death.

Saul moves from being chief prosecutor to chief target. We will later see that Saul goes first to the synagogue to proclaim Jesus. This is the pattern he establishes from the very beginning. The threats are real and his escapes are risky and often unusual, like being let over the wall in a basket. Ultimately he is sent home to Tarsus to find safety and to hear the call of God for his future and the future mission work of the church.

1. How quickly do we welcome those who are different or even our enemies when we discover they are sisters or brothers in Christ?
2. What roles do Ananias and Barnabas play in this story? What risks do they face?
3. Imagine you hear Saul proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God. What questions would this raise in your mind?