why was ananias afraid of helping saul

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10). I was inclined to think that most of us, experientially, are called to faith in Christ only to gradually learn Gods will for our life, progressively revealed to us as we walk in Him. When I look through the Gospels and the Book of Acts, I never find the gospel presented in the same way to different people. Sauls conversion was also his call to ministry, and this conversion experience is strikingly similar to that of one of his predecessors, Ezekiel: 1:4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the northan immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. Unless otherwise noted, all material copyright 2023, Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. sunodia, Luke 2:44). F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), fn. It is one of the few accounts of a conversion which is described with some detail (although this detail is much less than we would prefer). Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. . The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it (Revelation 21:23-24). WebThe Lord called to him in a vision, o Ananias!. In fact, more is written of what Saul said and did because he was saved than is written of what he said and did resulting in his salvation. 23 And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at [email protected]. 2 What was the decision of Ananias and Sapphira? . Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard (Isaiah 58:8). 6Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.f 5He said, Who are you, sir? The reply came, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.e Now this would have been a very bitter pill to swallow for many Jewish Christians. ,%d/3o3o6jda=|4S-LJ3ajLcNfZyV;CkCl>390q {KQ0lQ)0>~cy:CJkP|4M-\v Yes, Lord, he answered. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow-citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22). The blindness to which Saul was subject for three days provided him with much time for reflection, meditation, and prayer. While at first he thought he might have to correct God, in the end he submitted himself and his very life to Gods call. At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. We would readily grant that every conversion which is recorded is unique, to some degree. It was an act of faith and bravery equivalent to helping a lion out of a trap. It was bright enough to bring about a period of blindness. Imagine for a moment that this is the week of Sauls arrival at Damascus. Ananias would probably be afraid to go see Saul because Ananias was a Christian, and Saul was coming to the city to arrest the Christians. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. Why was Ananias afraid? More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to his death (Philippians 3:7-10). The narrative lectionary is a four-year cycle of readings Read more. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, When God spoke to Ananias commanding him to go to the house where Saul was staying, he was to receive him as a brother; and he was told that he was called to suffer as Gods chosen vessel to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles, kings, and to his fellow-Israelites. Here, Saul was only told that it was Jesus whom he saw, who was speaking to him, and whom he was persecuting. 148 I would assume that Saul was one of those who covered his ears so as not to hear the praise of Stephen, as reported in Acts 7:57. 138 Three times (8:3; 9:2; 22:4) this fact of persecuting women is mentioned as a special blot in Pauls cruelty (the third time by Paul himself) and one of the items in his being chief of sinners (1 Tim. Blindness, not willing to see, not willing to understand is all too common but Ananias cured Saul blindness by a touch. He is trying to inform God of whats going on. He sought to preach Christ in simplicity and not in a way that would detract from Him. 11 On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The life of Paul and his writings are very important parts of the New Testament. also 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2). Even if he were not one of these men, he would surely have hated to hear the gospel. At first, I thought this was unique with Saul. Pauls experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1Cor 15:8. 41He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. Amen (Romans 11:33-36). also Romans 1:1-7, 13-17; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:3-11; cf. What is the safe score in JEE Mains 2021? Christian ministry be reconciled with the wealth and prosperity that You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 2 What do we know about Ananias in Acts 9? 136. How do you calculate working capital for a construction company? Saul was not content to punish some and to drive the rest from the holy city. He did not want to merely contain Christianity or to drive it from Jerusalem; he wanted to rid the earth of Christianity and its followers. The only question is who is the LORD? Why this swift act of judgment? ACTS 9:27 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authoritiesall things have been created through Him and for Him. When Ananias 132 The impact of Sauls conversion on his message and his ministry is testified to by A. T. Robertson: Luke evidently attached great importance to the story of Sauls conversion as the turning point not simply in the career of the man, but an epoch in the history of apostolic Christianity. The children will practice being giving and friendly with someone that they do not know. We honor him on May 14. Here the Jews were strong in numbers (10,000 butchered by Nero later) and here some disciples had found refuge from Sauls persecution in Judea and still worshipped in the synagogues. Charles Spurgeon once wrote: Prayer is the autograph of the Holy Spirit upon the renewed heart. God was sealing Saul to Himself. gJi\!2LITShA%)&bqd=/)@Eg*tttpt @V6wCAp{GyAGG9h d=u3zDca{y:&0}=!P`XX z;g3 {~paveta +w 130 In our text, we are told the Saul went to the high priest to ask for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus (9:1-2), but in Acts 22:5-6 Paul indicates that the Council (the Sanhedrin) was also involved in providing him with letters of authorization to arrest Christians in Damascus. It is not just in the Book of Acts that the importance of Sauls conversion is evident. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you (Deuteronomy 28:28-29). To whom did the Lord communicate "in a vision"? 3:7, 8; 1 Tim. He sent me so that you can The same grace which was shown to Saul in his salvation is shown to all whom God calls to Himself: 8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. They, too, were afraid of Saul and did not believe he really was a follower of Jesus Christ. The common characteristics of conversion are those on which I would like to focus in the conversion of Saul. Acts does not tell us that he goes on to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles, found churches in urban centers across the Roman Empire, stand true to the gospel while on trial for his faith over and again, and end up under house arrest in Rome awaiting a trial before Caesar. and the other is a deceptive, self-serving half-truth from people interested I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. 180-181. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6). It is evident in the way he was saved. Start FREE. (Philippians 1:4-9). WebAnanias went. to go lay hands on Saul (soon to be known as Paul) and restore his (5) Sauls salvation was an act of divine grace. The ultimate issue was Gods ability to saveeven the most committed unbeliever. Preachers working through the narrative lectionary with their congregations, then, will do well to explore this passage in detail in order to establish the character of Paul well for the second half of Acts (Acts 13-28; see how this role is foreshadowed in 9:15), which shifts the focus from the ministry of the Twelve in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria to his role in taking the gospel throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and even to Rome (see Acts 1:8). Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. As he himself understood the heavenly voice which said to him at his baptism, You are my Son (Mark 1:11 par. 10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. To whom did the Lord communicate "in a vision"? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. No doubt entered the mind of Saul that the Ananias small act of obedience led to a great harvest for the kingdom. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. How was Saul converted to Christianity? WebAnanias, had he disobeyed Christ, would not have helped Saul on that path in which he, as Paul the apostle, did so much, and suffered so much, for Christ. Saul went to other cities where he sought to arrest Christians and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave and friendly. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. Yes, Lord, he answered. Trembling and astonished, he inquired, WebWe can understand why Ananias would be afraid of Saul. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7; cf. This conclusion could be based upon Pauls argument in Galatians 1 and 2, along with the expression, when many days had elapsed in Acts 9:23. When Paul spoke of his conversion here in Galatians 1, he did not speak of the light which shone without, but rather of the light which shone within. When all is said and done, the miracle which took place on the way to Damascus (and likely in Damascus as well) was that Saul saw Jesus as the Son of God, as the Messiah, and as his Savior and Lord: Am I not free? Say to them, This is what the Sovereign Lord says. 5 And whether they listen or fail to listenfor they are a rebellious housethey will know that a prophet has been among them. It may be that Sauls conversion was the instrument God used to convert these followers of Saul, so that they really were his disciples, in a two-fold sense. First, there are problems which appear to be serious. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? The Creator of the universe specifying the name of a street and the house in one of His planets. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". WebThe last time they saw Saul, he was arresting and killing Christians. Shortly afterwards, the Lord spoke to a disciple named Ananias, asking him to go to Saul, place his hands on him, and restore his sight. And because Saul is welcomed into the church, he is sent out by the church. Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Pauls language in Acts 26:11 seems to mean that Damascus is merely one of other `foreign cities to which he carried the persecution. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 114. It was just such a miracle which gave Saul his spiritual sight, as he received back his physical sight. Nevertheless, there must have been those who intended to use Sauls coming to oppose the church. sight. 11:2328; 12:710; Gal. Copyright 2019-2023 USCCB, please review our Privacy Policy. He knew that going to see Saul would put his life in danger. It was, of course, Ananias who instructed Saul to be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). NKJV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, NKJV, Chronological Study Bible: Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV, Chronological Study Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Third Edition, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word. Paul experienced many hardships in his travels, and he was frequently thrown into jail for preaching about Jesus. Webb Ananias was successful because he trusted Jesus and he viewed Saul as his brother. 15:21). As persecution was no longer needed to disperse the church and the gospel, peace was restored to the land. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Sauls eyes. Ananias who was We may not be able to identify the precise moment or the exact events which brought it about, but salvation does not happen in some kind of group way. Ananias was used as Gods instrument in the conversion of Saul, but even he had to be pushed to go to Saul. 23After a long time had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:24-27).

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