On a Street Called Straight

Acts of the Apostles (22)

Introduction

We are now reading about the very beginning of Saul’s Christian life, and his apostolic ministry. We are looking at just 21 verses, and in that short span we see two separate attempts on his life. We are being introduced to the theme of his life from now on. The thing that infuriated his enemies against him was the fact that he was so powerful in his proclamation and reasoning. In fact, it was the very same response that Saul had earlier given to Stephen. Saul was now on the receiving end.

The Text

“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. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 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: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake . . .” (Acts 9:10–31).

Summary of the Text

The Lord appeared in a vision to a certain discipline named Ananias, a man who lived in Damascus (v. 10). The Lord called him by name, and Ananias answered. The Lord gave him the address of the house of a certain Judas, on a street called Straight, and told him to inquire for Saul of Tarsus, who was there praying (v. 11). In Saul’s prayer, he has seen a vision of a man named Ananias coming to lay hands on him in order to heal his sight (v. 12). Ananias protested at first, for he had heard about the evil Saul had done to the saints in Jerusalem (v. 13). And further, he knew Saul had been given authority from the chief priests to arrest Christians there in Damascus (v. 14). But the Lord told Ananias to go anyway—Saul was a chosen vessel to bear the Lord’s name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (v. 15). The Lord said he would show Saul how much he would suffer for “my name’s sake” (v. 16).

So Ananias obeyed the Lord, came into the house, laid hands on Saul, and said that the same Jesus who had appeared to Saul had also appeared to Ananias, sending him to restore Saul’s sight, and to fill him with the Holy Spirit (v. 17). Scales then fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see, and so he got up and was baptized (v. 18). Saul then ate and was strengthened, and stayed with the disciples there in Damascus (v. 19). He began preaching Christ as the Son of God in the synagogues immediately (v. 20). Those who heard him were amazed, recognizing in him the former persecutor (v. 21). But Saul increased in strength, and was able to confound the Jews there, proving that Jesus was in fact the Christ (v. 22). After many days of this, the Jews there plotted to kill Saul (v. 23). Their plots became known to Saul—that they were watching the city gates closely in order to assassinate him (v. 24). So the disciples lowered him from the city wall in a basket by night (v. 25).

Saul then came back to Jerusalem and tried to join up with the Christians—but they were afraid and didn’t believe him (v. 26). But Barnabas undertook for him, brought him to the apostles, told them about the vision on the Damascus road, and how Saul had preached boldly in Damascus (v. 27). And so Saul joined together with the Christians, in and around Jerusalem (v. 28). Saul spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed with the Hellenistic Jews, to the point where they determined to kill him (v. 29). When the brothers discovered this second plot, they took Saul down to Caesarea on the coast, and shipped him to Tarsus, Saul’s home town (v. 30). There was then a period of relative calm in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. The churches were all walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Spirit, and they continued to multiply (v. 31).

Building a Timeline

We don’t have hard dates to begin our calculations, but Stephen was likely murdered just a few years after the Lord’s resurrection. Saul was busy with persecuting the church right after that time, and so the Lord’s appearance to him was likely a few years after Stephen’s death. And then in Galatians, Paul says that God was pleased “to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days” (Gal. 1:16–18). This means that Saul did not return to Jerusalem until three years after he had first headed off to Damascus. He was in Damascus/Arabia/Damascus before he returned in order to become acquainted with the apostles.

Before Kings

So the Lord told Ananias that Saul was a chosen instrument to speak to three categories—to Gentiles, to kings, and to the children of Israel. Why to kings, if God is uninterested in what happens in the political sphere? And sure enough, Agrippa remarked that Paul was trying to convert him (Acts 26:28). Paul acknowledged it freely—he wanted everyone to come to Christ. This is why believers are to pray for kings and for all those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-4). And why? Because God wants all kinds of men to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4).

Jesus Appeared to Ananias

Three men named Ananias appear in the book of Acts. The first is a false friend of the Lord, the Ananias who lied about the sale of his land (Acts 5). The second is the true disciple in our passage, Ananias, the man who baptized Saul (Acts 9). And the third was Ananias the high priest, an enemy of God (Acts 23-24). This Ananias in our passage was notable among the disciples, but he is described simply as “a disciple,” even though he is authorized to baptize Saul. He was likely in some sort of leadership position,  

It was the Lord who appeared to Ananias in a vision. The Lord here is Jesus, as Ananias says in v. 17. He tells Saul that this same Jesus who appeared to you appeared to me. Moreover, the Lord says in v. 15 that Saul will bear “my name,” and He also will suffer greatly “for my name’s sake.” This is all about Jesus. We are talking about the name of Jesus. 

How Much He Must Suffer

When God tells Ananias to go, he is at first reluctant. One of the things that the Lord says to him in order to reassure him is that Saul will be shown the great things that he will suffer for the sake of the Lord’s name (v. 16). Later on in Acts, Paul tells Agrippa that he was “not disobedient to the heavenly vision,” which means that he walked into a life of great tribulation with his eyes open. Attempts on his life began almost right away, with a narrow escape from Damascus in a basket, followed by an escape from Jerusalem back home to Tarsus. Paul put it this way later on in Acts, as he was “confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

It follows that suffering is not a refutation of anything. It is frequently a confirmation of everything we say we believe. And this is why we must learn wisdom. We must learn to distinguish the kind of suffering that results from being like Jesus and the kind of suffering that results from refusing to be like Jesus. The sinful heart wants to blur the two and claim the noble status of “victim” whenever pain is experienced, for whatever reason.

A rod for the back of apostles, and a rod for the back of fools:

The distinguishing mark is joy on the one hand, and (hopefully) a clear-headed repentance on the other.

Contrast this with the lament from an insightful blues artist.