I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished. As I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky. I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’
“Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me. I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’ When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him. He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
“When I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance, and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’ I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19 4. I persecuted this way. This is the second…
4. I persecuted this way. This is the second point, that he was an enemy to Christ’s doctrine, and that he was more fervent in resisting the same than all the rest, until he was pulled back by the hand of God; which thing he saith the chief priests and elders can testify. Therefore, there can be no suspicion in such a sudden change. Whereas he saith, that he had letters given him to deliver to the brethren, it must be referred unto the Jews, as if he had called them his countrymen; but he meant to appease them with a more honorable title. For this is Paul’s drift, that he may declare his natural and lawful beginning which he took of that nation; and also how desirous he was to be linked with them in friendship.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 4 And I persecuted this way unto the death,…
4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
Ver. 4. {See Trapp on "Act 9:1"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv4–19 This way; the doctrine and practice of Christianity.
This way; the doctrine and practice of Christianity.
Unto the death; as much as in him lies, being one of the most furious persecutors, that hunted for the precious life, breathing out threatenings and slaughters with every breath, Act 9:1.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On vv6, 10, 17 Our apostle having related what he was before his…
Our apostle having related what he was before his conversion in the foregoing verses, in these and the following verses he declares the manner of his conversion, namely, That when he was travelling to Damascus to pursue his persecuting design, a great light shines round about him, upon which he fell to the ground, and heard these words articulately spoken to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Where observe, That Christ takes the opposition made against his gospel, and the persecution carried on against his members, as done unto himself; it being against his friends, his cause, and interest: as the honour done unto the Head redounds unto the members, so the wrongs and injuries offered to the members, are resented by the Head. Christ said not thus (when upon earth) unto his murderers, Why bind ye me? Why buffet ye me? Why scourge ye me, and crucify me? But now, when his members suffered, he cries out from heaven, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Lord, thou art more tender of thy body mystical, than thou wast of thy body natural; more sensible of thy members’ sufferings, than of thine own!
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Observe next, How ready the apostle was to understand and know, and how desirous to execute and do, the will of God: Who art thou, Lord? and what wilt thou have me to do? We may sooner find fire without heat, than a true convert without operative grace.
Observe farther, Christ’s answer to Paul’s enquiry: Who art thou, Lord; says Paul; I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest, saith Christ.
Where note, That contemned, though not contemptible, name, Jesus of Nazareth, is owned by Christ from heaven.
Mark, he said not, I am Jesus the Son of God, I am Jesus the heir of the world, and Lord of all; but, I am Jesus of Nazareth. He glorieth in that reproach which his enemies cast upon him, Jesus of Nazareth; he owned his name from heaven, to teach his members not to be ashamed of it when reproached by it here on earth.
Observe lastly, The witnesses of Paul’s conversion: The men that were with him, who saw the light but heard not the voice. It is very probable that he had a considerable number of officers with him, to bring both men and women that professed Christianity bound to Jerusalem. These saw the light shining, and heard a confused noise like thunder, but they heard not the articulate, much less the efficacious, voice of Christ, which spake so convincingly to his soul.
Lord, how many are there who come under the preaching of the gospel, that, with Paul’s companions, hear only a confused noise, and empty sound! They do not hear the efficacious voice of Christ, speaking to their hearts with a strong hand, and so remain shut up under the power of unbelief.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv4–19 And I persecuted this way unto the death,.... That…
And I persecuted this way unto the death,.... That is, the Christian religion, and the professors of it; whom the apostle breathed out threatenings and slaughter against, haled out of their houses, and committed to prison; consented to their death, as he did to Stephen's; and whenever it was put to the vote, whether they should die or not, he gave his voice against them; so that he was a most bitter enemy, and an implacable persecutor of them; which shows how very averse he was to this way, and how great his prejudices were against it; wherefore it must be a work of divine power, and there must be the singular hand of God in it, to reconcile him to it, and cause him to embrace and profess it:
binding and delivering into prisons, both men and women: see Act 8:3.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19 And persecuted this way - With the same zeal…
And persecuted this way - With the same zeal that you do now. Binding both men and women - How much better was his condition, now he was bound himself.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 Verse 4. I persecuted this way] Ταυτην την ὁδον;…
Verse 4. I persecuted this way] Ταυτην την ὁδον; This doctrine, the way of worshipping God, and arriving at a state of blessedness. See Clarke on Ac 9:2.
Binding and delivering into prisons] See Clarke on Ac 8:3; and See Clarke on Ac 9:2.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv6, 17 Act 22:6-16. And as I made my journey, &c.,…
Act 22:6-16. And as I made my journey, &c., about noon — For all was done in the face of the sun; suddenly there shone a great light — By whatever method God reveals himself to us, we shall have everlasting cause to remember it; especially when he has gone, in any remarkable manner, out of his common way, for this gracious purpose. If so, we should often dwell on the particular circumstance, and be ready, on every proper occasion, to recount these wonders of power and love for the encouragement and instruction of others. See notes on Act 9:3-18, where the substance of this paragraph occurs, and is explained. They that were with me heard not the voice — Distinctly, but only a confused noise. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law — A truly religious person, and though a believer in Christ, yet a strict observer of the law of Moses. The God of our fathers hath chosen thee — Ananias’s giving God this appellation, the God of our fathers, shows that he was himself a Jew by birth, who observed the law of the fathers, and relied on the promises made to them: that thou shouldest know his will — By immediate revelation from himself, Gal 1:12. And see that Just One — The Lord Jesus, called the Just, or Righteous One, with a reference to the conduct of the Jews, who crucified him under a pretence of his being a malefactor. This is an additional proof to what we read, Act 9:5, (where see the note,) that Saul did really see Christ, appearing even in a human form; and hear the voice of his mouth — And that in such a manner, as to be taught his will immediately from himself. This was a peculiar privilege to which Paul was chosen, namely, to see Christ here on earth, even after his ascension into heaven! Stephen, indeed, saw him at the right hand of God, but Paul saw him standing, as it were, at his right hand. This honour none had but Paul. Be baptized, and wash away thy sins — Baptism, administered to real penitents, was intended to be both a means and a seal of pardon. Nor did God ordinarily, in the primitive church, bestow this on any person till he submitted to baptism; and this may explain, in some measure, in what sense baptism may be said to wash away sins, and elsewhere to save. See Act 2:28; 1Pe 3:21.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 6, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 And I persecuted - Act 8:3.
And I persecuted - Act 8:3.
This way - Those who were of this mode of worshipping God; that is, Christians. See the notes on Act 9:2.
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Unto the death - Intending to put them to death. He did not probably put any to death himself, but he committed them to prison; he sought their lives; he was the agent employed in arresting them; and when they were put to death, he tells us that he gave his voice against them Act 26:10; that is, he joined in, and approved of their condemnation.
Delivering into prisons ... - Act 8:3.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 9, 14, 16, 17 This way. That is, the Christian faith, which now…
This way. That is, the Christian faith, which now I profess. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18 I persecuted, &c.--(See on Act 9:1-2; Act 9:5-7).
I persecuted, &c.--(See on Act 9:1-2; Act 9:5-7).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16 4. This way—As yet Christianity had received no normal…
4. This way—As yet Christianity had received no normal and permanent name. Hence this vague phrase repeatedly.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv4–19 4. And I persecuted this way, &c.] On “the…
4. And I persecuted this way, &c.] On “the Way” as the designation of the Christian religion, cp. note on Act_9:2 We are not told of any Christians who were put to death through Saul’s zealous persecution, for in the case of Stephen he was not a very active agent, but his own statement in this verse, and the stronger expression Act_26:10, “when they were put to death I gave my voice against them,” make it certain that the persecutions in which he took part were carried beyond imprisonment even to the martyrdom of the accused.
into prisons] The original has the plural “prisons,” and it is probably intended to express by it, what in chap. 26 is given in more detail, the wide field over which Saul’s zeal was exerted, “being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 (4) And I persecuted this way.—The speaker obviously uses…
(4) And I persecuted this way.—The speaker obviously uses the current colloquial term (see Notes on Act_9:2; Act_19:23), used by the disciples as indicating that they had found in Christ the way of eternal life; used, it may be, by others with a certain tone of scorn, as of people who had chosen their own way, and must be left to take it.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 I persecuted. (see 1Co_15:9; 1Ti_1:13; Act_26:11) This Way. (see…
I persecuted. (see 1Co_15:9; 1Ti_1:13; Act_26:11) This Way. (see Act_9:2 Act_18:25 Act_19:9, Act_19:23) Unto the death. (comp. Act_9:1) Binding, etc.. (comp. Act_8:3 Act_9:2)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv6, 10, 11, 12, 17 And it came to pass that as I made…
Act_22:6-10
And it came to pass that as I made my journey and was come nigh unto Damascus.
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The conversion of Saul
I. Sauls misdirected energy. The immense energy of the man is apparent to us at once.
1. Energy is a splendid trait in any mans character. It is great, and we love what is great. It is a grand thing to look upon the mighty sea, when the waves rise mountains high, and the great ocean breast is stirred with the wild commotion of the storm. There seems to be such Divine energy in it, and our hearts are filled with wonder and with awe as we gaze upon it. It makes us think of God. And it is a grand thing to see in a fellow man something of this great force of doing; a great soul full of active energy. We watch such a man battling his way through the host of opposing forces, overcoming every obstacle, trampling down every difficulty, until he reaches the point towards which he was striving. There is energy, we say; and we admire it from our hearts. We can never admire a man who altogether lacks this force of character; who is idle and listless; who never seems to have a definite object in view; who is never struggling for anything.
2. A distinction must be drawn between lovable energy and unlovable noise and show. Intense energy is often intensely quiet.
3. And so, although it is a splendid thing to have energy of character, it is withal a very dangerous thing.
4. See the unutterable importance for energetic souls of wise and holy guidance during their early years.
5. Think, too, how sad must be the closing days of a man of strong character who has never yielded himself to God.
II. Gods method of converting Sauls misdirected energy. He was converted by--
1. A vision of Jesus (1Co_15:8).
2. Hearing the voice of Jesus.
III. The energetic souls inquiry after his conversion--What shall I do, Lord? (J. Kirk Pike.)
The conversion of Paul: its genuineness
How orderly and exactly does Paul after so many years know how to relate all the circumstances! This is a proof not only that all things occurred when he was in the full possession of his faculties, but also that the grace which befel him made an indelible impression upon him. Certainly he who is snatched from death to life will never forget what the Lord has done. (Apostolic Pastor.)
Suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.--
The heavenly light at Damascus
The bright light it casts upon the paths of our life. It illuminates--
1. The dark ways of sin which we have traversed.
2. The blessed ways of grace by which the Lord has come to us.
3. The Christian ways of duty in which we are to walk in the strength of the Lord. (K. Gerok.)
Pauls vision near Damascus:--
I. The material and external.
1. The great light.
2. The appearance of Jesus Christ.
3. The voice that spoke.
II. The internal and spiritual.
1. The cardinal truth announced--I am Jesus Christ, etc. The solemn remonstrance--Why persecutest thou Me? Paul had certain qualifications to be an excellent persecutor.
(1) Personal respectability.
(2) Learning and youth.
(3) Religious zeal.
III. The appointment to a grand commission. To be--
1. An apostle.
2. A teacher. (Caleb Morris.)
And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?--
Sauls conversion
Note--
I. That man is the object of Divine inspection. Though Christ was now in heaven, yet His eye followed Saul. Little did Saul know that He whose name he endeavoured to blot from the earth not only marked his every footstep, but saw his every passing thought and feeling. That God knows all about man individually is obvious--
1. From His omniscience. He who sees all things, see each thing--the minute as well as the vast.
2. From history. Hagar in the wilderness, Jacob at Bethel, Elijah in the cave, and now Saul on his way to Damascus.
3. From the teachings of the Bible (Psa_139:1-24; Pro_15:3; Heb_4:13). This solemn fact should make us serious, circumspect, devout.
II. That Christ is the originator of moral reformation. What now gave the turning point to Pauls life? The manifestation of Christ in the light, the voice, the address. Conversion does not originate with self; nor with the agency of man outside, but always with Christ. It is a resurrection. Who can raise the dead but He? It is a creation. Who can create but He? This fact agrees--
1. With the consciousness of the good. The good everywhere ascribe their goodness to Him. This is the burden of heavens anthem.
2. With the teachings of Scripture. Of His own will begat He us, etc. When it pleased God to reveal His Son in me, etc.
III. That humility is the condition of heavenly communion. Saul heard the voice of Jesus when he had fallen to the ground. Humility implies a deep sense of need, and without that the soul will never open its eye or ear to the Divine. We must take off the shoes from our feet, like Moses--fall to the dust, like Isaiah--smite our breast, like the publican, if we would hear what God has to say. Unto that man will I look who is of a broken spirit, etc.
IV. That union with Christ is the privilege of the good. Why persecutest thou Me? So dear are His disciples to His heart, that their sufferings are His. He bears their infirmities, and carries their sorrows, even in heaven. They are members of His body, and no part can be wounded without quivering to the sensorium (Mat_25:40; Mat_25:45). (D. Thomas, D. D.)
The conversion of Paul,
as reflecting the image of every converted heart.
I. The zeal and striving of the natural heart and the Lords voice. Why persecutest thou Me?
II. The question of the obstinate heart. Who art Thou, Lord? and the Lords answer, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
III. The question of the humbled heart. What shall I do, Lord? and the Lords reply, Arise, etc. (Gerlach.)
Conversion
is like, entirely and wholly refitting an old ship, and employing it in the service of a new and better master. By nature, a man is full of vanity, sailing under the colours of the world. Now, when Christ meets a man, and apprehends him in conversion, He takes him off all the ends he had in himself, takes possession of the ship, puts in a new pilot, a new compass, and turns its prow another way; and all the lading the ship contains which He dislikes, He throws overboard, and fills it with a better cargo. (G. S. Bowes, B. A.)
The matchless work of God in conversion
None of the fanciful transformations of which Ovid sang of old could ever rival the matchless work of God when He displays His power upon the human mind. Oh, what a difference between a sinner and a saint! between dead in trespasses and sins, and quickened by Divine grace! If God should speak to Niagara, and bid its floods in their tremendous leap suddenly stand still, that were a trifling demonstration of power compared with the staying of a desperate human will. If He should suddenly speak to the broad Atlantic, and bid it be wrapped in flames, we should not even then see such a manifestation of His greatness as when He commands the human heart, and makes it submissive to His love. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Conversion, a total change
Conversion is no repairing of the old building; but it takes all down, and erects a new structure. It is not the putting in a patch, or sewing on a list of holiness; but, with the true convert, holiness is woven into all his powers, principles, and practice. The sincere Christian is quite a new fabric--from the foundation to the top stone all new. He is a new man, a new creature. All things are becoming new. Conversion is a deep work, a heart work; it turns all upside down, and makes a man be in a new world. It goes throughout with men--throughout the mind, throughout the members, throughout the motions of the whole life. (R. Alleine.)
The method of conversion
When grace subdues a rebel man, if I may so speak, the citadel first is taken, afterwards the city. It is not as in those great sieges which we have lately watched with such anxious interest. There, approaching with his brigades and cavalry and artillery, man sits down outside the city. He begins the attack from a distance, creeping like a lion to the spring, with trench and parallel and battery, nearer and nearer to the walls. These at length are breached; the gates are blown open; through the deadly gap the red, living tide rolls in. Fighting from bastion to bastion, from street to street, they pass onward to the citadel; and there, giving no quarter, and receiving none, beneath a defiant flag, the rebels, perhaps, stand by their guns, prolonging a desperate resistance. But, when the appointed hour of conversion comes, Christ descends by His spirit into the heart--at once into the heart. The heart won, she fights her way outward from a new heart on to new habits. A change without succeeds the change within. (T. Guthrie, D. D.)
Christ and Saul
I. Heaven and earth are here united in the person of Christ. The Saviour here identifies Himself with the world which He had left, calling Himself by His human name, and associating with it the Galilean village where He lived. The name which was His reproach here has gone with Him to His heavenly throne.
II. Jesus of Nazareth is Lord of heaven. Saul gave Him this title, and He accepts it as His right. Two things especially engendered the conviction that He was Lord while on earth: His miracles (Joh_9:36) and His teaching, both from its matter (Joh_6:38) and manner (Mat_7:29). The miraculous light which shone forth upon Saul, with the rebuke of authority which accompanied it, convinced him of the dignity of the Person who addressed him.
III. Because the Lord of heaven is Jesus of Nazareth, He has a special sympathy with His peoples wrongs. The sympathy of Jesus arises not merely from His having while on earth passed through human suffering: His vital connection with His Church as its Head (Eph_5:23) makes Him now a sharer in their sufferings for Him. Lessons:
1. The powerlessness of death to destroy conscious identity. Christ has passed through death, yet is still Jesus of Nazareth.
2. The place where we have honestly toiled in this world will be remembered by us in the next. The carpenters shop at Nazareth was as much a part of the Saviours education (Heb_5:8) as His after experience. So is the scene of our lowliest work.
3. It is dangerous to harm a Christian, seeing his intimate relation with the Lord of glory.
4. The gentleness of the Saviours reproof of this bitter persecutor may encourage any who mourn over their past opposition. (W. Harris.)
I am Jesus of Nazareth.--
Jesus of Nazareth
This is the name by which our ascended Saviour would be remembered. It contains the gospel of condescension. Nazareth was our Lords early home, and remained His common abode until His personal ministry began. He might well say to startled Saul, I am Jesus of Nazareth, for with no other point on earth had He so close and continued associations. Twenty-one times was He styled Jesus of Nazareth--by His enemies in the garden, and in the Judgment Hall; by the people generally; by His disciples, both during His lifetime and after; by the angels at the sepulchre; by devils; yea, by Himself. We shall find in His name--
I. Precious doctrine.
1. The identity of Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth in heaven was unchanged from what He was below. But when you add to this the ability which He claimed on high to dispense the blessings received of the Father, how does the assurance of His sameness bridge the distance between earth and heaven!
2. The influence of His Nazareth experience upon His present condition. All the things through which He passed have made Him in the skies far different from that before His birth in Bethlehem. Before He was with God, then He was Emmanuel, God with us. Now is He with God and God with us; bringing God near unto each disciple, and bringing every disciple near to God. He had the crowns of creation, of providence, of kingly control, before He wore the crown of thorns; but in the redemption of man Jesus holds the sovereignty. The centre of all worship is a Nazarene, who has been exalted by the Father because of His Nazareth experience.
3. The basis of His work on high is His Nazareth experience. Whilst resting in triumph, He does not forget Nazareth. The least and the lowest are as much His care as the proudest and the most princely. An identity of experience has given a new, deep meaning to the word sympathy. But more, His qualifications, His plea in intercession, is in Nazareth. Our Advocate with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous, and His righteousness was wrought out in the Nazareth life. Even so His kingly, His prophetical, His sustaining, His comforting offices are based upon this one experience which He sums up in the word Nazareth. Nazareth has long since become a ruin, but it is remembered in heaven.
II. Personal instruction. Doctrine is worthless unless it comes down to life. It is bread; let the poor man eat it. Stop talking about its chemistry. It is a house; the storm overtakes one while the admiring critic is telling about its architecture. Open the door and let the man in to the well-spread table. The true theologian is the living Christian. Here we have--
1. A warning to persecutors. I am Jesus of Nazareth. The wisdom and the hatred of men are this day in league against the Nazarene. An exalted Saviour, Himself maintaining a plea for men, is that which proud unbelief cannot endure. But let such listen. God hath thus exalted Him, and those who oppose Him will find it hard, as Saul did, to kick against the pricks. It will be hard in thy conscience; it will be hard, growingly hard, in thy experience; it will be harder for thee by and by.
2. Great comfort in perplexity. It is a perfect key to every lock of the Dungeon of Despair. It makes a full provision for every anxiety of the Christian. Art thou ignorant?--Jesus of Nazareth is thy Teacher. Art thou weak?--He is thy Strength. Art thou fearful?--He is thy Power. Art thou tempted?--He is thy Defender. Has the hour of death come?--now thou enterest into life. Tell me some want of the soul for which this Nazarene Jesus does not present Himself as a specific!
3. Assurance of our partnership in His triumph. The Head carries with Him the members. Where our Forerunner has entered, there shall everyone who trusts Him and loves Him at last appear. (S. H. Tyng, D. D. , jun.)
A significant voice from heaven
Christ was in heaven when He spoke those words, and they were addressed to Saul on his way to Damascus. Nazareth was the early home of Jesus. Though not born there, yet there He was brought up.
I. That a change of worlds does not destroy the personal identity of man. Christ had died, ascended to heaven, and yet He says, I am Jesus of Nazareth; I am the same Being that was brought up in Nazareth. Sublimely encouraging to us is it that Jesus, who was here on earth, so full of tenderness and love, is the same Jesus now in heaven. Nor does the change of worlds destroy the identity of men. Abraham is the same as when he dwelt in the tents of Mature. A man once, a man forever. Conscious personality will always be preserved. The words suggest--
II. That great natures are never ashamed of their origin, however humble. Jesus of Nazareth! Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Christ, though amidst the highest aristocracy of the Creator, was not ashamed of His origin.
III. That the meanest spots on earth, when they become the scenes of holy lives, are famous in the universe. I am Jesus of Nazareth. No doubt sainted men talk of the varied scenes of their earthly life in the upper spheres of being. (Homilist.)
And they that were with me saw indeed the light … but they heard not the voice (Text in conjunction with Act_9:7).
The sights and sounds of life
The little discrepancy between the occurrence as given by Luke in chap. 9, and as stated by the apostle here, instead of invalidating, confirms the authenticity of the accounts. Identity of statement by two different individuals, after an interval of about twenty-five years, might justly awaken serious suspicion of collusion. You have here two things--
1. A voice heard by all, but understood only by Paul. The voice vibrated on the ears of his companions, and so shocked their nervous system that they fell speechless; but it conveyed no idea. Whereas it conveyed a wonderful message deep into Pauls soul.
2. A light seen by all, but revealing nothing except to Paul. It was mere dazzling brightness. But in that radiance The Lord, even Jesus, appeared unto Paul. Now, this extraordinary circumstance indicates what is common in human life. Everywhere there are men, hearing the same voice, but receiving different impressions; seeing the same lights, but observing different objects. A voice fraught with deep meaning to some, is mere empty sound to others. A light revealing the grandest realities to some, discloses nothing to others.
I. Mens lives in relation to material nature shows this.
1. The lights of nature, to the thoughtless, reveal just what they reveal to the brute, and nothing more. To the superstitious they reveal hosts of unearthly existences, dreaded as demons or worshipped as gods; to the sceptical philosopher nothing but a system of forces, working by its own inherent impulse; to the Christian, a wise and loving Father.
2. The voices of nature convey to some nothing but mere sensation, to others superstitious awe, to others scientific intelligence, to others thoughts from God Himself.
II. Mens lives in relation to human history show this. To some history--
1. Is without any governing law at all. Its social, mercantile, political movements are ascribed only to blind impulse and capricious passions. There is no law seen shaping or systematising the whole.
2. Has only the governing law of human might, viz., that the strong preys upon the weak. The progress and decline of commerce, the rise and fall of empires, the fate of many battles, are all ascribable to superior strength.
3. Is governed exclusively by evil. The devil is absolutely the god of the human world. He is in the schemes of the trader, the thunders of the orator, the edicts of the despot, the craft of the priest, the rage of the warrior.
4. Is governed by the mediatorial plan of God. The restorative purpose of Heaven, as revealed in the Bible, is seen running through the ages, stimulating, shaping, and subordinating all things. Even the bitterest sufferings of humanity are regarded as parturition throes giving birth to a higher order of things.
III. Mens lives in relation to the inspired oracle show this. Ecclesiastical history, theological polemics, religious life, are fraught with illustrations. The sceptic and the believer, the Papist and the Protestant, the Calvinist and the Pelagian, the Socinian and the Trinitarian, the Churchman and the Nonconformist, are examples as to how the same light and voice of the one Book affect different men. What is the articulate voice of God to one is mere hollow sound to another. And what is a light to one is either darkness or stupefying brightness to another.
IV. Mens lives in relation to the gospel ministry show this. The sermon which, as a Divine voice, speaks to the conscience of some, has no meaning to others; or which, as Divine light, flashes moral conviction and reveals Christ to some, is either not seen at all, or regarded as a mere glare of human genius or blaze of human enthusiasm. Conclusion: This subject--
1. Reveals a distinguishing attribute of human nature. Men have the power of hearing and seeing with the soul, which brutes have not. Ezekiel, Isaiah, John, Milton, etc., show what men can see with the organs of the soul. The pure in heart shall see God.
2. Explains the great difference between spiritually and carnally-minded men.
3. Presents an object after which all should strive. Each should get the eyes and ears of the soul quickened so as to see and hear the Divine everywhere. When the servant of Elisha had his eye and ear open, he saw and heard the supernatural. So it will be with us. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv4, 6, 12, 17 4, 5. I persecuted this way. He did this…
4, 5. I persecuted this way. He did this from his zeal towards God, whom he thought he thus served. Unto the death. This seems to imply that Stephen was not the only martyr in whose death he was an accomplice.
The high priest doth bear me witness. The high priest in a.d. 37, the time Saul of Tarsus was sent to Damascus, was not now high priest, having been deposed by the Romans, but was probably a member of the Sanhedrim at this time. It is also probable that the present high priest personally knew about all facts. There were many present who knew that he had been a commissioned persecutor.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On vv6, 17 Act_22:6 begins the second part of the defence (Act_22:6-16).…
CRITICAL REMARKS
Act_22:6 begins the second part of the defence (Act_22:6-16). Was come nigh should be was drawing near. The narration is the same as in Act_9:3-17 and Act_26:13-18, with a few points of difference. One of these is the note of time—about noon—“through which the miracle is more realistically expressed, and the matter of fact placed beyond suspicion of being an evening delusion” (Holtzmann). Another is the adjective great (ἱκανόν) appended to the noun light φῶς, which equally excluded the idea of deception.
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Act_22:7. The use of the word ground (ἔδαφος) (occurring only here), meaning the “base” or “bottom” of a thing, for “the earth” (γῆν) (Act_9:4) may suggest the idea that he was travelling in a caravan or riding on horseback.
Act_22:8. Of Nazareth, or, the Nazarene, is an addition to Luke’s account (Act_9:5).
Act_22:9. And were afraid (see Act_9:2) is omitted by the best MSS.
Act_22:10. What shall I do, Lord?—Does not occur in Luke’s narration, according to best texts (Act_9:5), or in Paul’s speech before Agrippa (Act_26:16). Yet this need occasion no difficulty.
Act_22:11. The cause of his blindness, not stated in the earlier report, is here set down as the glory of that light, which was “above the brightness of the sun” (Act_26:13), a point likely to be noted by Paul rather than by Luke.
Act_22:12. Ananias a devout man.—The proper reading is εὐλαβής (Lachmann, Westcott and Hort), rather than εὐσεβής (Griesbach, Hackett), the former signifying “cautious,” “prudent,” “circumspect,” “according to the Law,” the latter “full of holy fear and reverence.” The former occurs only in Luke’s writings and in the Hebrews; the latter is used of Cornelius (Act_10:2; Act_10:7). (See Cremer’s Lexicon of New Testament Greek, pp. 394, 548). Luke calls Ananias a disciple (Act_9:10).
Act_22:13. I looked up upon him.—The verb signifies not merely to look up (Meyer, Wendt), but, as in Act_9:12; Act_9:17, to recover sight (Holtzmann). The clause might be translated, I received sight and looked up on or unto him,
Act_22:14. The God of our fathers.—Another conciliatory touch! That just, or, the righteous, One.—Compare Act_3:14, Act_7:52; 1Pe_3:18; 1Jn_2:1.
Act_22:15 declares the reason why God had revealed Himself to Paul. Compare Act_9:15, and see Gal_1:16. All men takes the place of “the Gentiles and kings” in Luke’s account (Act_9:15)—probably dictated by caution. A touch which a late writer, composing an imaginary speech, would most likely have failed to insert.
Act_22:16. For the name of the Lord the oldest authorities read His name.
HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS.—Act_22:6-16
The Story of Paul’s Conversion; or before and in Damascus
I. Before Damascus; or, the interview with Jesus of Nazareth.—
1. The circumstantiality of the narration. Different from that of Luke (Act_9:1-9), the account given by Paul himself bears the stamp of having proceeded from an eyewitness.
(1) Points of resemblance between Paul’s account and Luke’s may be noted, such as these: the fact that Jesus of Nazareth appeared to the apostle, who recognised Him by His voice (Act_22:8; Act_9:4), and by His form (Act_22:14; Act_9:7); the locality in which this interview took place—viz., nigh unto Damascus (Act_22:6; Act_9:3); the manner in which this manifestation of the risen Christ occurred—suddenly, by the flashing forth of a light from heaven, which struck the apostle to the ground and filled his companions with terror (Act_22:7; Act_22:9; Act_9:4; Act_9:7); the words addressed by Christ to Paul, with those of Paul to Christ—“Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” “Who art Thou, Lord?” “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.… Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do” (Act_22:7-8; Act_22:10; Act_9:4-6); the effect of the interview upon Paul, rendering him blind and requiring him to be led by the hands of his companions into Damascus (Act_22:11; Act_9:8).
(2) Points of difference between the two accounts are observable, such as the note of time—“about noon” (Act_22:6); the splendour of the light—“great” (Act_22:6); the characterisation of Jesus as “of Nazareth” (Act_22:8); the statements that while the companions of Paul saw the light they heard not the voice (Act_22:9), and that what blinded Paul was “the glory of that light” (Act_22:11); with the omission of Luke’s addendum that Paul was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink (Act_9:9). The differences—all of which are immaterial—are obviously such—both in details added and those omitted—as might naturally arise between two reports of which one was given by an eyewitness and the other by a historian.
2. The credibility of the narration.
(1) The only conceivable grounds on which this can be challenged are: the supernatural character of the incident related; the excitable character of the apostle, which caused him, it may be contended, to impose upon himself, and to say he had beheld as external objects what were only illusions of the mind; the varying accounts of the incidents contained in the Acts; and the fact (if it is a fact) that Paul never mentions this incident in his epistles. But the first of these reasons is irrelevant, as it begs the question in debate. The second is only true to this extent, that Paul, by his own confession, had visions and revelations: that Paul was subject to illusions or delusions is not borne out by anything in his character or history. The third may he conceded without admitting that these variations invalidate the substance in which all the three accounts agree. The fourth can hardly be maintained in the face of 1Co_9:1; 1Co_15:8; Gal_1:16; Gal_1:24; 1Ti_1:13; but even should Paul have preserved absolute silence in his epistles as to the interview with Christ before Damascus, that silence would not justify an inference that no such interview had occurred.
(2) The arguments which serve to uphold the credibility of the narrative are such as these: the certainty that Paul was converted from Pharisaism to a belief in Jesus Christ, as was attested by the ferocity with which the Jews persecuted him to the end of his career—which conversion must have been brought about by some adequate cause; the constancy with which Paul asserted that his conversion was due to having seen the Lord Jesus Christ—which constancy is inexplicable on the hypothesis that Paul was the victim of a diseased imagination; the belief which was entertained by Paul’s Christian contemporaries that Christ had appeared to him (Act_22:14); and the difficulty of discovering any motive for Paul’s preaching that Christ had risen if it was not a fact that Christ had appeared to him—the more so as his conversion to Christianity involved him in unparalleled labours and sufferings.
II. In Damascus; or, the interview with Ananias.—Here also Paul’s account differs from that of Luke in subordinate details, while agreeing with that of Luke in substance.
1. The omissions from the previous narrative.
(1) The residence of Paul in Damascus—with one Judas in the street called Straight (Act_9:13).
(2) The occupation of Paul while in Judas’s house—praying, with the vision granted him of Ananias coming to him and placing hands upon his closed eyes (Act_9:11-12).
(3) The designation of Ananias as a certain disciple (Act_9:10).
(4) The appearance of the Lord to Ananias in a vision (Act_9:10).
(5) The commission given to Ananias by the risen Lord (Act_22:11), with the answer returned by Ananias (Act_9:13-14), and the Lord’s response to him (Act_9:15-16).
(6) The statement that Ananias put his hands on Saul’s eyes (Act_9:17).
(7) The mention of scales as having fallen from Paul’s eyes when his sight was restored (Act_9:18). Not one of these points was of special interest to the audience Paul addressed from the castle stairs, or of any use for the purpose for which Paul addressed them.
2. The additions to the previous narrative.
(1) The character of Ananias, as a devout man according to the Law, and well reported of by all the Jews who dwelt in Damascus (Act_22:12). This was signally calculated to conciliate Paul’s hearers.
(2) The invitation to Paul to arise and be baptised (Act_22:16). The fact that this invitation proceeded from Ananias was also fitted to disarm the hostility of Paul’s enraged countrymen.
3. The variations in the two narratives. These appear chiefly in the address of Ananias to Paul (Act_22:13-14; Act_9:17). In particular, the substitution of “the God of our fathers “as the real author of his conversion, instead of “the Lord, even Jesus,” was a highly politic stroke in the circumstances in which Paul then stood. So also was the supplanting of the term “Gentiles” by that of “all men.” Otherwise the two addresses substantially agree. In none of these omissions, additions, or variations, lie sufficient ground for impeaching the veracity of Paul’s account.
Learn—
1. That two reports of the same event may differ in details, and yet be both correct.
2. That Paul’s conversion indirectly confirms the truth of Christ’s resurrection.
3. That Paul regarded his Gentile mission as a vocation specially assigned to him from the first.
4. That “the instruments which are to be specially useful in the Church must be ordained in heaven.”
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Act_22:6. Great Lights which Shone around Paul.
I. Light upon the person of Jesus.—Henceforth Paul knew him to be the Lord of Glory.
II. Light upon the character of the disciples.—Henceforth Paul recognised them as intimately bound with and under the protection of Jesus.
III. Light upon the wickedness of his own past career.—Henceforth Paul saw that in persecuting the adherents of that way he had been persecuting the risen Redeemer.
IV. Light upon his future work in the world.—Henceforth Paul understood he was to witness for Christ unto all men.
Act_22:7. Christ’s Question to Saul.—“Saul, Saul! why persecutest thou Me?”
I. What it implied.—
1. The continued existence of Jesus Christ.
2. The cognisance by Christ of what was taking place upon the earth.
3. The right of Jesus Christ to interfere with men’s actions and bring men themselves to His bar.
II. What it suggested.—
1. That Christ was one with His followers upon earth, so that what affected them, in the same manner affected Him.
2. That the infliction of pains and penalties on men for their religious opinions was persecution.
3. That such persecution, as directed against Christ’s followers, was without justification or excuse.
Act_22:9. Fighting Against God.
I. The fighting described.—How?
1. By resisting His will and persisting in sin contrary to better knowledge and inner conviction (Exo_5:2).
2. By rejecting His word, and relying upon good works or some other human contrivance for peace of mind and rest of soul (Act_4:2).
3. By refusing His way, and by murmuring against the dispensations of His providence (Rom_8:28). Let us nevermore strive against God in this way (Isa_55:8).
4. By renouncing His work; or, backsliding from His service (Jer_8:5).
5. By reviling His Spirit, or sinning against the Holy Ghost. Not only resisting His pleadings (Act_7:51), but actually reviling His works or strivings within (Mat_12:31-32).
II. The folly denounced—Why? Why is it folly, or why should we “not fight against God”?
1. Because of God’s relation to man. Man were “nothing at all” if God were not his “all and in all.” Therefore:
(1) As his Creator. Can it be wise for man to strive against his Master and Maker?
(2) As his Benfactor. Shall the force of an army be spent against the base of its supplies? (Jas_1:17).
(3) As his Redeemer. How can a redeemed soul rebel against its Redeemer?
2. Because of man’s relation to God.
(1) As a sinner. It is rash presumption, for it raises still higher the wall of separation from God.
(2) As a son. It is rank ingratitute, for the heavenly Father is the best friend to the children of men.
(3) As a servant. It is infatuation; as well might the clay expect to prevail against the potter, the moth against the mountain, or the lamp against the sun.
(4) As a subject. It is ripe destruction (Job_9:4; Isa_45:9; Isa_27:4).—J. G. Boughter.
Act_22:10. What shall I do, Lord?—A question for all.
I. For the sinner.—What shall I do, Lord, when thou risest up to judgment and callest me to account for my transgressions? Answer: “Only acknowledge thine iniquity and return unto Me.”
II. For the anxious.—What shall I do, Lord, when my soul is rent and torn by a consciousness of guilt and sin? Answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
III. For the pardoned.—What shall I do, Lord, seeing Thou in Thy mercy hast redeemed and forgiven me? Answer: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” Thou shalt “glorify God in thy body and thy spirit, which are His.” Thou shalt “go and work to-day in My vineyard.”
IV. For the afflicted—What shall I do, Lord, when tossed about and tempted? Answer: Thou shalt “flee unto Me to hide thee.”
V. For the dying.—What shall I do, Lord, when my strength faileth; when my “earthly house of this tabernacle” is being dissolved; when I am summoned to appear before Thy judgment-seat? Answer: “Thou shalt put thy trust in Me.”
Act_22:11. The Blinding Glory.
I. The light.—It is not common light, nor does it operate in a common way.
1. It is light. A light; the light.
2. It is a great light. It was beyond the brightness of the sun. Noon was to it as midnight.
3. It was a sudden light. It did not slowly dawn. It blazed suddenly, but it remained till God’s purpose was served.
4. It was a spacious light. Not like a star or sun, but a body or globe of light compassing them round about, as on the transfiguration hill (Act_9:3; Act_22:6; Act_26:13).
5. It was a light from heaven. It was from above, not from beneath. The history of that light is the Christology of Scripture. No doubt this visible, physical light is connected with a higher and more spiritual light. The light which patriarchs saw, and Paul saw, was but a symbol of something more glorious—the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
II. Its effects.—The narrative presents several different results in the case of Saul.
1. It blinds. Paul is struck blind. Blinded by light! The light of heaven!
2. It illuminates. It does not blind in order to destroy the vision. It blinds in order to give clearer eyesight.
3. It prostrates. Saul is stricken to the ground. The vision is overwhelming. Man cannot stand before it.
4. It bewilders. It was here in the case of Saul worse than darkness, in the bewilderment produced. He needs now a guide.
5. It guides. We do not see this here, but in Saul’s after-history. This is his lamp. From this outward operation on men we learn the inward. For, doubtless, there were both these co-operating in the case of Paul. The first effect of the light of the gospel is often to blind and to strike down. The second is to enlighten, and to lift up, and to heal. It is with Divine light that our dark souls must come into contact. Till this takes place we are still unrenewed; still Sauls, not Pauls. The “Lamb” is the light thereof.—H. Bonar, D.D.
The Glory of That Light.
I. Its supernatural origin. A light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun.
II. Its essential character.—The dwelling place of Jehovah, the material symbol of His presence.
III. Its mysterious effects.—
1. Eclipsing all natural lights.
2. Blinding all ordinary vision.
3. Imparting inward illumination.
IV. Its permanent duration.—Disappearing from the sky, but never withdrawing from the soul—shining in and on unto eternal day.
Act_22:13. The Miracle in the House of Judas.—Or, the restoration of Paul’s sight, a type of the spiritual miracle of soul-illumination which takes place in the hour of conversion.
I. It proceeded upon one who was antecedently blind.—This goes without saying. So does the inward miracle of soul-illumination. Men’s souls are naturally darkened.
II. It was wrought by the forth putting of Divine energy.—The command of Ananias was really the command of Christ. Only a Divine power can illuminate the darkened souls of men.
III. It came upon him as a free gift from Jesus Christ.—“Brother Saul! receive thy sight.” So is inward soul-illumination all of grace.
IV. It was followed by instantaneous results.—In that hour Paul received his sight and looked up. So when God speaks the soul sees—not until.
Act_22:12-13. Soul-Ministry—
I. Should be entrusted only to good men. Like Ananias.
II. Can only rightly be performed by sympathetic hearts, who address their patients as “brothers.”
III. Should always aim at the translation of such a one in darkness into God’s marvellous light. So Ananias spoke to Saul: “Receive thy sight.”
IV. Will not fail if undertaken in humble reliance on Christ’s grace. Paul received his sight and looked up.
Act_22:14. The Qualifications and Work of the Christian Minister.
I. His qualifications.—
1. A knowledge of God’s will.—In particular so far as it relates to the salvation of sinful men.
2. A sight of the Righteous One. I.e., a personal acquaintance with Jesus Christ, in His character and saving offices.
3. The hearing of a voice from Christ’s mouth; i.e., the consciousness of an inward call from Christ as well as a distinct message put into his mouth by Him.
II. His work.—
1. Its nature—to be a witness for Christ.
2. Its limitation. “Of what thou hast seen and heard.”
3. Its sphere. “Unto all men.”
The Righteous One.
I. Descriptive of the character of Christ.—See Act_3:14; Act_7:52; 1Pe_3:18; 1Jn_2:1.
II. Suggestive of the work of Christ.—Which was twofold.
1. To bring in an everlasting righteousness (Dan_9:24; Rom_3:22; 1Co_1:30; 2Co_5:21).
2. To make men inwardly righteous (Rom_8:4; Eph_5:9; Php_1:11).
III. Prophetic of the people of Christ.—Who shall eventually be all righteous (Isa_60:21; 1Pe_3:12; 1Jn_3:7; Rev_22:11).
Voices From the Mouth of Christ.
I. A voice for the unbelieving world.—“Why persecutest thou Me?” (Act_22:7) All unbelief is a virtual persecution of Christ.
II. A voice for the awakened sinner.—“Come unto Me and I will give you rest” (Mat_11:28).
III. A voice for the rejoicing believer.—“Ye shall be a witness for Me” (Act_1:8).
Act_22:16. The Washing Away of Sin.
I. Effected by faith.—By arising and believing.
II. Grounded on the work of Christ.—Calling on His name.
III. Symbolised in baptism.—“Be baptised, and wash away thy sins.”
Calling on the Name of the Lord.
I. The significance of the name of the Lord.—Points to—
1. The personal existence of Jesus Christ.
2. The character of Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospel.
3. The work of Jesus Christ as expressed in His names—Lord, Jesus, Christ.
II. The import of calling on that name.—Implies—
1. Belief in the personal existence of Jesus Christ.
2. Trust in His character as a Divinely exalted Saviour.
3. Reliance on His redeeming work as an all-sufficient ground of acceptance.
III. The result of calling on the Lord’s name.—Salvation.
1. Certain.
2. Full.
3. Free.
4. Final.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On vv17–18 17. “It came to pass unto me returning into…
17. “It came to pass unto me returning into Jerusalem, and I praying in the temple, that I was in an ecstacy:
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On vv6, 17 Act 22:6 - Act 22:16.
Acts
PAUL ON HIS OWN CONVERSION
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Act 22:6 - Act 22:16.
We follow Paul’s example when we put Jesus’ appearance to him from heaven in a line with His appearances to the disciples on earth. ‘Last of all, He appeared to me also.’ But it does not follow that the appearances are all of the same kind, or that Paul thought that they were. They were all equally real, equally ‘objective,’ equally valid proofs of Jesus’ risen life. On two critical occasions Paul told the story of Jesus’ appearance as his best ‘Apologia.’ ‘I saw and heard Him, and that revolutionised my life, and made me what I am.’ The two accounts are varied, as the hearers were, but the differences are easily reconciled, and the broad facts are the same in both versions, and in Luke’s rendering in Luk 9:1 - Luk 9:62
A favourite theory in some quarters is that Paul’s conversion was not sudden, but that misgivings had been working in him ever since Stephen’s death. Surely that view is clean against facts. Persecuting its adherents to the death is a strange result of dawning belief in ‘this way.’ Paul may be supposed to have known his state of mind as well as a critic nineteen centuries off does, and he had no doubt that he set out from Jerusalem a bitter hater of the convicted impostor Jesus, and stumbled into Damascus a convinced disciple because he had seen and heard Him. That is his account of the matter, which would not have been meddled with if the meddlers had not taken offence at ‘the supernatural element.’ We note the emphasis which Paul puts on the suddenness of the appearance, implying that the light burst all in a moment. A little bit of personal reminiscence comes up in his specifying the time as ‘about noon,’ the brightest hour. He remembers how the light outblazed even the blinding brilliance of a Syrian noontide. He insists too on the fact that his senses were addressed, both eye and ear. He saw the glory of that light, and heard the voice. He does not say here that he saw Jesus, but that he did so is clear from Ananias’ words, ‘to see the Righteous One’ {Act 22:14}, and from 1Co 15:8. Further, he makes it very emphatic that the vision was certified as no morbid fancy of his own, but yet was marked as meant for him only, by the double fact that his companions did share in it, but only in part. They did see the light, but not ‘the Righteous One’; they did hear the sound of the voice, but not so as to know what it said. The difference between merely hearing a noise and discerning the sense of the words is probably marked by the construction in the Greek, and is certainly to be understood.
The blaze struck all the company to the ground {Act 26:14}. Prone on the earth, and probably with closed eyes, their leader heard his own name twice sounded, with appeal, authority, and love in the tones. The startling question which followed not only pierced conscience, and called for a reasonable vindication of his action, but flashed a new light on it as being persecution which struck at this unknown heavenly speaker. So the first thought in Saul’s mind is not about himself or his doings but about the identity of that Speaker. Awe, if not actual worship, is expressed in addressing Him as Lord. Wonder, with perhaps some foreboding of what the answer would be, is audible in the question, ‘Who art Thou?’ Who can imagine the shock of the answer to Saul’s mind? Then the man whom he had thought of as a vile apostate, justly crucified and not risen as his dupes dreamed, lived in heaven, knew him, Saul, and all that he had been doing, was ‘apparelled in celestial light,’ and yet in heavenly glory was so closely identified with these poor people whom he had been hunting to death that to strike them was to hurt Him! A bombshell had burst, shattering the foundation of his fortifications. A deluge had swept away the ground on which he had stood. His whole life was revolutionised. Its most solid elements were dissolved into vapour, and what he had thought misty nonsense was now the solid thing. To find a ‘why’ for his persecuting was impossible, unless he had said {what in effect he did say}, ‘I did it ignorantly.’ When a man has a glimpse of Jesus exalted to heaven, and is summoned by Him to give a reason for his life of alienation, that life looks very different from what it did, when seen by dimmer light. Clothes are passable by candle-light that look very shabby in sunshine. When Jesus comes to us, His first work is to set us to judge our past, and no man can muster up respectable answers to His question, ‘Why?’ for all sin is unreasonable, and nothing but obedience to Him can vindicate itself in His sight.
Saul threw down his arms at once. His characteristic impetuosity and eagerness to carry out his convictions impelled him to a surrender as complete as his opposition. The test of true belief in the ascended Jesus is to submit the will to Him, to be chiefly desirous of knowing His will, and ready to do it. ‘Who art Thou, Lord?’ should be followed by ‘What shall I do, Lord?’
Blind Saul, led by the hand into the city which he had expected to enter so differently, saw better than ever before. ‘The glory of that light’ blinds us to things seen, but makes us able to see afar off the only realities, the things unseen. Speaking to Jews, as here, Paul described Ananias as a devout adherent of the law, in order to conciliate them and to suggest his great principle that a Christian was not an apostate but a complete Jew. To Agrippa he drops all reference to Ananias as irrelevant, and throws together the words on the road and the commission received through Ananias as equally Christ’s voice. Here he lays stress on his agency in restoring sight, and on his message as including two points-that it was ‘the God of our fathers’ who had ‘appointed’ the vision, and that the purpose of the vision was to make Saul a witness to all men. The bearing of this on the conciliatory aim of the discourse is plain. We note also the precedence given in the statement of the particulars of the vision to ‘knowing his will’-that was the end for which the light and the voice were given. Observe too how the twofold evidence of sense is signalised, both in the reference to seeing the Righteous One and to hearing His voice and in the commission to witness what Saul had seen and heard. The personal knowledge of Jesus, however attained, constitutes the qualification and the obligation to be His witness. And the convincing testimony is when we can say, as we all can say if we are Christ’s, ‘That which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that . . . declare we unto you.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv4–19 See notes on verse 3
See notes on verse 3
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On vv9, 16, 17 Cf. (See Scofield "Act 9:7").
voice
Cf. (See Scofield "Act 9:7").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv6, 12, 17 The vision on the way:
The vision on the way:
v. 6. And it came to pass that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
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v. 7. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?
v. 8. And I answered, Who art Thou, Lord? And He said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
v. 9. And they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of Him that spake to me.
v. 10. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
v. 11. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
The first part of Paul’s address was intended not only to awaken sympathy for himself, but also curiosity as to the reason for his having changed so entirely in his views. The explanation is given in this part, with much vividness and attention to detail. It happened to him, as he had made the journey for which he had obtained credentials from the Jewish authorities, and had come near to the city of Damascus, that about noon, at midday, with the sun in full splendor, there suddenly, without warning, flashed about him a light out of the sky, whose brightness far surpassed that of the sun. He had fallen down to the solid ground, the pavement, of the road, and had heard and understood a voice speaking to him: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? Upon his awe-stricken question as to the identity of the voice, which he himself had ascribed to the Lord, to Jesus, who had appeared to him in the light, he had received this information, that it was Jesus of Nazareth Himself, the One whom he was persecuting in His disciples, that had here appeared to him. His companions had seen the supernatural light, without, however, seeing Jesus, and while they had heard the sound of a voice, they had not understood the words that had been spoken. See chap. 9:3-7. Upon his further timid question as to what he should do now, the Lord had given him directions to arise and go into the city of Damascus, where he would be told concerning everything which had been appointed for him to do. The Lord had arranged all in advance; his entire life and all the vicissitudes of his life had been mapped out by Jesus; his work for the remainder of his life was fully ordered and planned. And the vision, together with the voice, had not been a figment of his own imagination, for the heavenly glory of the light that had enveloped him had made him blind; he could not use his eyes, they refused their service. He had to be led by the hand, his blindness being absolute, by those that were with him, and thus came into the city. Thus the conversion of Paul was effected, and thus the conversion of every person takes place. There is no special inclination, disposition, or propensity in any human being for the faith in Jesus the Savior, but regeneration is entirely a work of the power and mercy of God. God changes the mind of man, who by his own reason and strength cannot believe in Jesus Christ, his Lord, and thus works faith in the Redeemer.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv6, 9, 12, 14, 17, 19 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Paul describes his encounter with Jesus.
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It happened that
This phrase is used here to mark where the action starts. If your language has a way for doing this, you could consider using it here.
heard a voice say to me
Here "voice" stands for the person speaking. AT: "I heard someone say to me" (See: Synecdoche)
translationWords
Damascus
heaven
voice
Paul
persecute
lord
Jesus
Nazareth
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv12, 14, 16, 17 22:12-16 Ananias: See study note on 9:17.
22:12-16 Ananias: See study note on 9:17.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.