ACC ~ Acts 9 v4

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.

Acts