The Conversion of Saul

Of all the stories in the Bible, there are some we know better than others. Just for fun, here's my top 10, based on what I think I knew as a kid:

1. The birth of Jesus

2. The death and resurrection of Jesus

3. Creation

4. The 10 Commandments

5. David and Goliath

6. The conversion of Saul

7. The feeding of the 5,000

8. The Good Samaritan

9. The Prodigal Son

10. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem

My only point is a simple one, which is that even in the stories we think we have down cold, when we read close enough, we can find new meanings and insights, such as I had today. Acts 9:18 states:

He got up and was baptized

This occurred after Saul had been struck blind, fasted for three days and had the scales removed from his eyes. The part that makes this remarkable goes back to something I mentioned during the lesson on October 2nd (I think) where I was discussing baptism. My comment at the time came from my NIV Study Bible note on Mark 1:4:

"They [the people of Israel] knew of baptism for Gentile converts, but had not heard that the descendants of Abraham (Jews) needed to repent and be baptized." 

Baptism was for Gentiles, not for Jews, and CERTAINLY not for Pharisees like Saul. What I neglected to mention on that Sunday were these comments from the NIV Study Bible note on Matthew 3:15, which I'll paraphrase as reasons for Jesus' baptism:

1. To consecrate him to the Lord

2. To publicly announce the beginning of his ministry

3. He became the substitute for our sin

4. He set an example for his followers

All of these are the reasons we baptize today, and Saul was baptized into service to the Lord just as we were. At the point of Saul's baptism, he was consecrated to the Lord (in the correct manner--the way he was doing "the Lord's work" prior to his conversion was not what God had in mind), it began his ministry, and he set an example for both Jew and Gentile alike in that all needed to be cleansed of sin, and that baptism was the vehicle to accomplish that. So here, in 6 small words, Saul showed that he understood the enormity of what had happened to him and what his mission was to be going forward.

Most scholarship places Saul's conversion at around 34 AD, and his first missionary trip didn't occur until around 46-48 AD, so Saul spent at least 10 years or so in preparation. Our reading implies that he was already beginning to move about spreading the word--the latter part of Chapter 9 says he preached in both Damascus and Jerusalem, cities that are about 90 miles apart, and when things got too dangerous in Jerusalem, they sent him back to Tarsus. This is yet another in the long line of people in the Bible that appear to be totally and completely incapable of doing what is expected of them, yet God is able to use them anyway. I'll try to compile that list later, but if God can make use of a person whose goal was to eradicate the early Christian church, imagine how much more he can use those who want to further his kingdom. Ask him what to do--he'll tell you, but you need to be prepared to accept the answer no matter how far-fetched or unrealistic it sounds. Saul did.

Scott