ACC ~ Acts 9 v1 - 9

OVERVIEW:

Luke begins the major part of his work, which will trace the preaching of the gospel “to the ends of the earth,” with two narratives. Both narratives contain the account of two visions, one to Paul and the other to Peter. In Acts 9 we read of the conversion of Paul, an event so important that it is recorded twice more by Luke. The details of the other two narratives, both narrated by Paul in the first person, do not completely agree with this account, but the dialogue between Jesus and Paul in which Jesus identifies himself with the believers is almost identical. Nearly all the ancient commentators (represented here by EPHREM, AUGUSTINE and BEDE) are sensitive to this Lukan accent, and several are aware of the minor discrepancies in the three accounts. It is clear as well that Luke is showing that the fact of Paul’s blindness bespeaks the turning of darkness into faith and baptism. Many of the Fathers are aware of Luke’s procedure in this regard (BEDE, ARATOR, EPHREM, AMBROSE). All are aware of this act of Christ as being a marvelous manifestation of God’s mercy, one that perfectly realizes the heart of Paul’s message about justification by grace through faith as well as foreshadowing his teaching on the body of Christ. The wrath of Saul was not permitted to succeed (CASSIODORUS). Christ bore the sin of Saul the persecutor (BASIL). Saul was converted by the power of the resurrection (CHRYSOSTOM).

9:1-2 | Saul’s Threats and Plans

THE WRATH OF SAUL WAS NOT PERMITTED TO SUCCEED. CASSIODORUS: Often the merciful Lord does not allow us to perpetrate evil deeds so that pricked by remorse we should prostrate ourselves for our sins, just as Saul was checked when he was sent by the priests to Damascus to ravage the church of Christ with the most savage persecution. He was not permitted to attain great success, for that could have been the cause of his receiving eternal punishment. EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 53.9.

THE HUMILITY AND SUBLIMITY OF THE LORD. EPHREM THE SYRIAN: This is why the humble voice accompanied the intense light, so that from the combination of the humble and the sublime, our Lord might produce help for the persecutor, just as all his assistance is produced from a combination of the small and great. For the humility of our Lord prevailed from the womb to the tomb. … His nature is not simply humble, nor is it simply sublime; rather they are two natures, lofty and humble, one mixed in the other. HOMILY ON OUR LORD 34.

9:4 | Why Do You Persecute Me?

THE HEAVENLY LORD ON EARTH. AUGUSTINE: How can we show that he is there and that he is also here? Let Paul answer for us, who was previously Saul. … First of all, the Lord’s own voice from heaven shows this: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Had Paul climbed up to heaven then? Had Paul even thrown a stone at heaven? It was Christians he was persecuting, them he was tying up, them he was dragging off to be put to death, them he was everywhere hunting out of their hiding places and never sparing when he found them. To him the Lord said, “Saul, Saul.” Where is he crying out from? Heaven. So he’s up above. “Why are you persecuting me?” So he’s down below. SERMON 122.6.

YOU DID IT TO ME. BEDE: He did not say, “Why do you persecute my members?” but “Why do you persecute me?” Because he is still suffering from enemies in his body, which is the church. He declared that kindnesses bestowed upon his members are also done to him when he said, “I was hungry and you gave me to eat,” and he added in explanation, “So long as you did it to one of the least of mine, you did it to me.” COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 9.4.

THE LORD SHARED OUR HUMAN STATE. BASIL THE GREAT: For it is written, “And when all things are made subject to him, then the Son himself will also be made subject to him who subjected all things to him.” Do you not fear, O man, the God who is called unsubjected? For he makes your subjection his own, and, because of your struggle against virtue, he calls himself unsubjected. Thus, he even said at one time that he himself was the one persecuted; for he says, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” when Saul was hastening to Damascus, desiring to put in bonds the disciples of Christ. Again, he calls himself naked, if anyone of his brothers is naked. “I was naked,” he says, “and you covered me.” And still again, when another was in prison, he said that he himself was the one imprisoned. For he himself took up our infirmities and bore the burden of our ills. And one of our infirmities is insubordination, and this he bore. Therefore, even the adversities that happen to us the Lord makes his own, taking upon himself our sufferings because of his fellowship with us. LETTER 8.

THE HUMILITY OF JESUS. EPHREM THE SYRIAN: The One who conquered persecutors [here] below and reigns over angels [in heaven] above spoke from above in a humble voice. The One who on earth pronounced ten woes against his crucifiers, above pronounced not a single woe against Saul, his persecutor. Our Lord pronounced woes against his crucifiers to teach his disciples not to flatter their killers. Our Lord spoke humbly from above so that the leaders of his church would speak humbly. HOMILY ON OUR LORD 26.1.

9:5 | I Am Jesus, Whom You Are Persecuting

PAUL DRAWN BY CHRIST HIMSELF. CHRYSOSTOM: The eunuch was on the road and Paul was on the road, but the latter was drawn by no other than Christ himself, for this was too great a work for the apostles. It was great indeed that with the apostles at Jerusalem and no one of authority at Damascus, he returned from there converted. And those at Damascus knew that he had not come from Jerusalem converted, for he brought letters that he might place the believers in chains. Like a consummate physician, Christ brought help to him, once the fever reached its height. It was necessary that he should be quelled in the midst of his frenzy, for then especially he would fall and condemn himself as one guilty of dreadful audacity. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 19.

9:6 | Rise and Enter Damascus

INSTRUCTION FOLLOWS CONVERSION. BEDE: Jesus did not immediately show him what was to be done. Instead, he foretold that he was to hear about it afterwards in the city, “so that later when he arose he would be more firmly established in the good, to the extent that he had first become radically changed and had fallen away from his former error.” COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 9.6.

CHRIST’S WISE DEALING WITH PAUL. AMBROSE: Although Paul was struck and taken up and was terrified because blindness had befallen him, still he began to come near when he said, “Lord, what will you have me do?” For that reason he is called the youngest by Christ, so that he who was called to grace could be excused from the guilt of his hazardous years. Yes, Christ saw him when the light shone round him; because young people are recalled from sin more by fear than by reason, Christ applied the goad and mercifully admonished him not to kick against it. JOSEPH 10.58.

9:8 | Saul Could See Nothing

BLINDNESS LEADS TO SIGHT. BEDE: By no means would he have been able to see well again unless he had first been fully blinded. Also, when he had rejected his own wisdom, which was confusing him, he could commit himself totally to faith. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 9.8.

THE INJURY WAS FOR GOOD. EPHREM THE SYRIAN: [Saul’s] impairment did not [result] from our compassionate Lord, who spoke humbly there. Rather, [it was the result] of the intense light that shone intensely here. This light was not a punishment that befell Paul on account of the things he had done. It injured him with the intensity of its rays, as he himself said. HOMILY ON OUR LORD 26.2.

ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST. AMBROSE: Although he saw nothing when his eyes were opened, still he saw Christ. And it was fitting that he saw Christ present and also heard him speaking. That overshadowing is not the overshadowing of blindness by grace. Indeed, it is said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you.” ON THE PATRIARCHS 12.58.

9:9 | For Three Days

THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION. CHRYSOSTOM: “And for three days neither did he eat nor drink, being blinded.” What could equal this? To compensate the discouragement in the matter of Stephen, here is encouragement, in the bringing in of Paul. Though that sadness had its consolation in the fact of Stephen’s making such an end, yet it also received this further consolation. Moreover, the bringing in of the villages of the Samaritans afforded very great comfort. But why did this take place not at the very first but after these things? That it might be shown that Christ was indeed risen. This furious assailant of Christ, the man who would not believe in his death and resurrection, the persecutor of his disciples, how should this man have become a believer, had not the power of his resurrection been great indeed? HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 19.

THREE DAYS AND THEN LIGHT. BEDE: Since he had not believed that the Lord had conquered death by rising on the third day, he was now taught by his own experience of the replacement of three days of darkness by the return of the light. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 9.9.