Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!” He said, “Behold, it’s me, Lord.”
The Lord said to him, “Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judah for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.”
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
Ananias departed and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv10–18 10. We have said before that this man was…
10. We have said before that this man was rather chosen than any of the apostles, that Paul, having laid away the swelling of his arrogancy, might learn to hear the least, and that he [might] come down from too great loftiness even unto the lowest degree. And this vision was necessary for Ananias, lest through fear he should withdraw himself from that function which was enjoined him, to wit, to teach Paul. For though he know that the Lord calleth him, yet he slideth back, or, at least, he excuseth himself. Therefore it was requisite that he should have some certain testimony of his calling, that there should happy success be promised to his labor, that he might take that in hand with a joyful and valiant mind which the Lord commanded. Furthermore, as Christ animateth and confirmeth Ananias, by appearing to him in the vision, so he prepareth and maketh Paul ready for all things, that he may receive Ananias reverently, as if he would receive an angel coming from heaven. The Lord could have sent Paul straightway unto Ananias, and have showed him his house, but this was more fit for his confirmation; because he knew the better that the Lord had a care of him. And also the Lord setteth out his grace unto us, that as he stopped Paul before, so now he reacheth him his hand of his own accord, by his minister. And, in the mean season, we are also taught, by his example, to be more ready and careful to seek out the lost sheep.
In a vision. This word vision signifieth some light which was set before the eyes to testify God’s presence. For this is the use of visions, that the majesty of the Word being well proved, it may purchase credit, amongst men; which kind of confirmation God used oftentimes toward the prophets; as he saith, that he speaketh to his servants by a vision or by a dream. He hath, indeed, suffered Satan to deceive the unbelievers with false imaginations and visures. But forasmuch as Satan’s juggling casts are of power only in darkness, God doth lighten the minds of his children so, that they assure themselves that they need not to fear legerdemain. Therefore Ananias answereth, Here am I, Lord, knowing indeed that it was God.
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.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv11, 15, 16, 17 Tarsus was a city of Cilicia near unto Anchiala,…
Tarsus was a city of Cilicia near unto Anchiala, which two cities Sardanapalus is said to have built in one day.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv10–18 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus,…
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
Ver. 10. And there was a certain] See here the necessity and use of the ministry: "If there be a messenger with a man, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness," &c., Job 33:23. Unus e millibus. The Vulgate translation corruptly hath it, unus e similibus.
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 vv10–18 Ananias; he was of good repute for zeal and…
Ananias; he was of good repute for zeal and holiness. as appears, Act 22:12, but whether he was one of the seventy disciples which our Saviour sent out, Luk 10:1, as some will have, is not certain.
He said, Behold, I am here, Lord; thereby showing his willingness to be sent on God’s message, and to do as God should bid him, as Samuel to Eli, 1Sa 3:5.
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 vv10, 13, 17 Observe here, 1. Though Christ converted Saul himself, yet…
Observe here, 1. Though Christ converted Saul himself, yet Ananias his minister must instruct him. By Christ is grace infused, but by his ministers increased; such an honour doth Christ put upon the ministers of the gospel, that he makes use of their endeavours ordinarily both for the production and augmentation of grace in the hearts of his people.
O, the necessity and usefulness of a standing ministry! It is a singular favour to have men like ourselves; and behold the honour that God puts upon the ministers, in using them as conduit pipes, for conveying the water of life to us, which he is not pleased to communicate immediately from himself!
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Observe, 2. What an exact knowledge the Lord has of particular persons and particular places: he tells Ananias in what city Saul was, in Damascus; in what street he was, in the street called Straight; in whose house he was, in the house of Judas.
It is matter of consolation, yea of highest consolation to the children of God, to know and remember that God knows them, that God knows their persons, knows their purposes, knows their performances, knows their place of abode; that he knows who they are, what they do, and where they dwell.
It assures them as to their persons, that they shall be accepted; as to their performances, that they shall be rewarded; as to their habitations, that they shall be loved, blessed, and protected by him.
So dear are the holy servant of God unto him, that he loves the very streets in which they lodge, the house in which they dwell; the walls of their habitation are always before him, and he delights continually to look upon them. Let holiness to the Lord then be always written in fair and legible characters upon the walls of our houses, Zec 14:10.
Observe, 3. The course which Almighty God takes to remove all fear from Ananias’s mind, and to encourage him to go to Saul, according to the direction given him; although he had been such a bloody persecutor, he tells him, that, Behold, he prayeth.; as if he had said, "Though he has been bad, he is not now what he was, he is another man; nay, he is a new man, he is truly and thoroughly converted; and this is the undeniable evidence and testimony of it, That whereas before he persecuted, now he prayeth: "Behold, he prayeth."
Learn thence, That spiritual breath is a good sign of spiritual birth: none of God’s children are still-born, they all come crying into the world. The duty of prayer faithfully and perseveringly performed, is a good evidence that a soul is thoroughly converted and brought home by repentance unto God; Behold, Saul prayeth!
But did he never pray till now? Yes, no doubt, many a time; when he was a strict Pharisee, he prayed after a loose and customary manner; but he never prayed so sensibly and feelingly, so spiritually and affectionately, so fervently and perseveringly before, as he did after his conversion. His prayer before was the cry of the old, now of the new creature; before, he prayed with coldness and indifferency, now, he prays with warmth and fervency, as a person in earnest for his soul’s happiness and salvation; therefore, Christ brings it in with a note of attention and observation: Now, Behold, he prayeth!
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v10 As for God, his work is perfect; if he…
As for God, his work is perfect; if he begin, he will make an end: a good work was begun in Saul, when he was brought to Christ's feet, in that word, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And never did Christ leave any that were brought to that. Though Saul was sadly mortified when he lay three days blind, yet he was not abandoned. Christ here takes care of the work of his own hands. He that hath torn will heal - that hath smitten will bind up - that hath convinced will comfort.
I. Ananias is here ordered to go and look after him, to heal and help him; for he that causeth grief will have compassion.
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1. The person employed is Ananias, a certain disciple at Damascus, not lately driven thither from Jerusalem, but a native of Damascus; for it is said (Act 22:12) that he had a good report of all the Jews who dwelt there, as a devout man according to the law; he had lately embraced the gospel, and given up his name to Christ, and, as it should seem, officiated as a minister, at least pro hac vice - on this occasion, though it does not appear that he was apostolically ordained. But why were not some of the apostles from Jerusalem sent for upon this great occasion, or Philip the evangelist, who had lately baptized the eunuch, and might have been fetched hither by the Spirit in a little time? Surely, because Christ would employ variety of hands in eminent services, that the honours might not be monopolized nor engrossed by a few - because he would put work into the hands, and thereby put honour upon the heads, of those that were mean and obscure, to encourage them - and because he would direct us to make much of the ministers that are where our lot is cast, if they have ordained mercy to be faithful, though they are not of the most eminent.
2. The direction given him is to go and enquire at such a house, probably an inn, for one Saul of Tarsus. Christ, in a vision, called to Ananias by name, Act 9:10. It is probable it was not the first time that he had heard the words of God, and seen the visions of the Almighty; for, without terror or confusion, he readily answers, "Behold I am here, Lord, ready to go wherever thou sendest me, and to do whatever thou biddest me." Go then, saith Christ, into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas (where strangers used to lodge) for one called Saul of Tarsus. Note, Christ very well knows where to find out those that are his, in their distresses: when their relations, it may be, know not what is become of them, they have a friend in heaven, that knows in what street, in what house, nay, and which is more, in what frame they are: he knows their souls in adversity.
3. Two reasons are given him why he must go and enquire for this stranger, and offer him his service -
(1.) Because he prays, and his coming to him must answer his prayer. This is a reason, [1.] Why Ananias needed not to be afraid of him, as we find he was, Act 9:13, Act 9:14. There is no question, saith Christ, but he is a true convert, for behold he prayeth. Behold denotes the certainty of it: "Assure thyself it is so; go and see." Christ was so pleased to find Paul praying that he must have others to take notice of it: Rejoice with me, for I have found the sheep which I had lost. It denotes also the strangeness of it: "Behold, and wonder, that he who but the other day breathed nothing but threatenings and slaughter, now breathes nothing but prayer." But was it such a strange thing for Saul to pray? Was he not a Pharisee? and have we not reason to think he did, as the rest of them did, make long prayers in the synagogues and the corners of the streets? Yes; but now he began to pray after another manner than he had done; then he said his prayers, now he prayed them. Note, Regenerating grace evermore sets people on praying; you may as soon find a living man without breath as a living Christian without prayer; if breathless, lifeless; and so, if prayerless, graceless. [2.] As a reason why Ananias must go to him with all speed. It is no time to linger, for behold he prayeth: if the child cry, the tender nurse will hasten to it with the breast. Saul here, like Ephraim, is bemoaning himself, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, and kicking against the goad. "Oh! go to him quickly, and tell him he is a dear son, a pleasant child, and since I spoke against him, for persecuting me, I do earnestly remember him still." Jer 31:18-20. Observe what condition Saul was now in. He was under conviction of sin, trembling and astonished; the setting of sin in order before us should drive us to prayer. He was under a bodily affliction, blind and sick; and, Is any afflicted? Let him pray. Christ had promised him that it should be further told him what he should do (Act 9:6), and he prays that one may be sent to him to instruct him. Note, What God has promised we must pray for; he will for this be enquired of, and particularly for divine instruction.
(2.) Because he hath seen in a vision such a man coming to him, to restore him to his sight; and Ananias's coming to him must answer his dream, for it was of God (Act 9:12): He hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias, and just such a man as thou art, coming in seasonably for his relief, and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight. Now this vision which Paul had may be considered, [1.] As an immediate answer to his prayer, and the keeping up of that communion with God which he had entered into by prayer. He had, in prayer, spread the misery of his own case before God, and God presently manifests himself and the kind intentions of his grace to him; and it is very encouraging to know God's thoughts to us-ward. [2.] As designed to raise his expectations, and to make Ananias's coming more welcome to him. He would readily receive him as a messenger from God when he was told beforehand, in vision, that one of that name would come to him. See what a great thing it is to bring a spiritual physician and his patient together: here were two visions in order to it. When God, in his providence, does it without visions, brings a messenger to the afflicted soul, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness, it must be acknowledged with thankfulness to his praise.
II. Ananias objects against going to him, and the Lord answers the objection. See how condescendingly the Lord admits his servant to reason with him.
1. Ananias pleads that this Saul was a notorious persecutor of the disciples of Christ, Act 9:13, Act 9:14. (1.) He had been so at Jerusalem: "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, what a malicious enemy he is to the gospel of Christ: all those that were scattered upon the late persecution, many of whom are come to Damascus, tell how much evil he hath done to thy saints in Jerusalem, that he was the most virulent, violent persecutor of all, and a ringleader in the mischief - what havoc he has made in the church: there was no man they were more afraid of, no, not the high priest himself, than of Saul; nay," (2.) "His errand to Damascus at this time is to persecute us Christians: Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name, to treat the worshippers of Christ as the worst of criminals." Now, why does Ananias object this. Not, "Therefore I do not owe him so much service. Why should I do him a kindness who has done and designed us so much unkindness?" No, Christ has taught us another lesson, to render good for evil, and pray for our persecutors; but if he be such a persecutor of Christians, [1.] Will it be safe for Ananias to go to him? Will he not throw himself like a lamb into the mouth of a lion? And, if he thus bring himself into trouble, he will be blamed for his indiscretion. [2.] Will it be to any purpose to go to him? Can such a hard heart ever be softened, or such an Ethiopian ever change his skin?
2. Christ overrules the objection (Act 9:15, Act 9:16): "Do not tell me how bad he has been, I know it very well; but go thy way with all speed, and give him all the help thou canst, for he is a chosen vessel, or instrument, unto me; I design to put confidence in him, and then thou needest not fear him." He was a vessel in which the gospel-treasure should be lodged, in order to the conveyance of it to many; an earthen vessel (Co2 4:7), but a chosen vessel. The vessel God uses he himself chooses; and it is fit he should himself have the choosing of the instruments he employs (Joh 15:16): You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. He is a vessel of honour, and must not be neglected in his present forlorn condition, nor thrown away as a despised broken vessel, or a vessel in which there is no pleasure. He is designed, (1.) For eminent services: He is to bear my name before the Gentiles, is to be the apostle of the Gentiles, and to carry the gospel to heathen nations. Christ's name is the standard to which souls must be gathered, and under which they must be enlisted, and Saul must be a standard-bearer. He must bear Christ's name, must bear witness to it before kings, king Agrippa and Caesar himself; nay, he must bear it before the children of Israel, though there were so many hands already at work about them. (2.) For eminent sufferings (Act 9:16): I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. He that has been a persecutor shall be himself persecuted. Christ's showing him this intimates either his bringing him to these trials (as Psa 60:3), Thou hast shown thy people hard things, or his giving notice of them beforehand, that they might be no surprise to him. Note, Those that bear Christ's name must expect to bear the cross for his name; and those that do most for Christ are often called out to suffer most for him. Saul must suffer great things. This, one would think, was a cold comfort for a young convert; but it is only like telling a soldier of a bold and brave spirit, when he is enlisted, that he shall take the field, and enter upon action, shortly. Saul's sufferings for Christ shall redound so much to the honour of Christ and the service of the church, shall be so balanced with spiritual comforts and recompensed with eternal glories, that it is no discouragement to him to be told how great things he must suffer for Christ's name's sake.
III. Ananias presently goes on Christ's errand to Saul, and with good effect. He had started an objection against going to him, but, when an answer was given to it, he dropped it, and did not insist upon it. When difficulties are removed, what have we to do but to go on with our work, and not hang upon an objection?
1. Ananias delivered his message to Saul, Act 9:17. Probably he found him in bed, and applied to him as a patient. (1.) He put his hands on him. It was promised, as one of the signs that should follow those that believe, that they should lay hands on the sick, and they should recover (Mar 16:18), and it was for that intent that he put his hands on him. Saul came to lay violent hands upon the disciples at Damascus, but here a disciple lays a helping healing hand upon him. The blood-thirsty hate the upright, but the just seek his soul. (2.) He called him brother, because he was made a partaker of the grace of God, though not yet baptized; and his readiness to own him as a brother intimated to him God's readiness to own him as a son, though he had been a blasphemer of God and a persecutor of his children. (3.) He produces his commission from the same hand that had laid hold on him by the way, and now had him in custody. "That same Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, and convinced thee of thy sin in persecuting him, has now sent me to thee to comfort thee." Una eademque manus vulnus opemque tulit - The hand that wounded heals. "His light struck thee blind, but he hath sent me to thee that thou mightest receive thy sight; for the design was not to blind thine eyes, but to dazzle them, that thou mightest see things by another light: he that then put clay upon thine eyes hath sent me to wash them, that they may be cured." Ananias might deliver his message to Saul very appositely in the prophet's words (Hos 6:1, Hos 6:2): Come and turn to the Lord, for he hath torn and he will heal thee; he hath smitten, and he will bind thee up; now after two days he will revive thee, and the third day he will raise thee up, and thou shalt live in his sight. Corrosives shall be no more applied, but lenitives. (4.) He assures him that he shall not only have his sight restored, but be filled with the Holy Ghost: he must himself be an apostle, and must in nothing come behind the chief of the apostles, and therefore must receive the Holy Ghost immediately, and not, as others did, by the interposition of the apostles; and Ananias's putting his hands upon him before he was baptized was for the conferring of the Holy Ghost.
2. Ananias saw the good issue of his mission. (1.) In Christ's favour to Saul. At the word of Ananias, Saul was discharged from his confinement by the restoring of his sight; for Christ's commission to open the prison to those that were bound (Isa 61:1) is explained by the giving of sight to the blind, Luk 4:18; Isa 42:7. Christ's commission is to open the blind eyes, and to bring out the prisoners from the prison. Saul is delivered from the spirit of bondage by receiving sight (Act 9:18), which was signified by the falling of scales from his eyes; and this immediately, and forthwith: the cure was sudden, to show that it was miraculous. This signified the recovering of him, [1.] From the darkness of his unconverted state. When he persecuted the church of God, and walked in the spirit and way of the Pharisees, he was blind; he saw not the meaning either of the law or of the gospel, Rom 7:9. Christ often told the Pharisees that they were blind, and could not make them sensible of it; they said, We see, Joh 9:41. Saul is saved from his Pharisaical blindness, by being made sensible of it. Note, Converting grace opens the eyes of the soul, and makes the scales to fall from them (Act 26:18), to open men's eyes, and turn them from darkness to light: this was what Saul was sent among the Gentiles to do, by the preaching of the gospel, and therefore must first experience it in himself. [2.] From the darkness of his present terrors, under the apprehension of guilt upon his conscience, and the wrath of God against him. This filled him with confusion, during those three days he sat in darkness, like Jonah for three days in the belly of hell; but now the scales fell from his eyes, the cloud was scattered, and the Sun of righteousness rose upon his soul, with healing under his wings. (2.) In Saul's subjection to Christ: He was baptized, and thereby submitted to the government of Christ, and cast himself upon the grace of Christ. Thus he was entered into Christ's school, hired into his family, enlisted under his banner, and joined himself to him for better for worse. The point was gained: it is settled; Saul is now a disciple of Christ, not only ceases to oppose him, but devotes himself entirely to his service and honour.
IV. The good work that was begun in Saul is carried on wonderfully; this new-born Christian, though he seemed as one born out of due time, yet presently comes to maturity.
1. He received his bodily strength, Act 9:19. He had continued three days fasting, which, with the mighty weight that was all that time upon his spirits, had made him very weak; but, when he had received meat, he was strengthened, Act 9:19. The Lord is for the body, and therefore care must be taken of it, to keep it in good plight, that it may be fit to serve the soul in God's service, and that Christ may be magnified in it, Phi 1:20.
2. He associated with the disciples that were at Damascus, fell in with them, conversed with them, went to their meetings, and joined in communion with them. He had lately breathed out threatenings and slaughter against them, but now breathes love and affection to them. Now the wolf dwells with the lamb, and the leopard lies down with the kid, Isa 11:6. Note, Those that take God for their God take his people for their people. Saul associated with the disciples, because now he saw an amiableness and excellency in them, because he loved them, and found that he improved in knowledge and grace by conversing with them; and thus he made profession of his Christian faith, and openly declared himself a disciple of Christ, by associating with those that were his disciples.
3. He preached Christ in the synagogues, Act 9:20. To this he had an extraordinary call, and for it an extraordinary qualification, God having immediately revealed his Son to him and in him, that he might preach him, Gal 1:15, Gal 1:16. He was so full of Christ himself, that the Spirit within him constrained him to preach him to others, and, like Elihu, to speak that he might be refreshed, Job 32:20. Observe, (1.) Where he preached - in the synagogues of the Jews, for they were to have the first offer made them. The synagogues were their places of concourse; there he met with them together, and there they used to preach against Christ and to punish his disciples, by the same token that Paul himself had punished them oft in every synagogue (Act 26:11), and therefore there he would face the enemies of Christ where they were most daring, and openly profess Christianity where he had most opposed it. (2.) What he preached: He preached Christ. When he began to be a preacher, he fixed this for his principle, which he stuck to ever after: We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord; nothing but Christ, and him crucified. He preached concerning Christ, that he is the Son of God, his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased, and with us in him, and not otherwise. (3.) How people were affected with it (Act 9:21): All that heard him were amazed, and said, "Is not this he that destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and now does he call on this name himself, and persuade others to call upon it, and strengthen the hands of those that do?" Quantum mutatus ab illo - Oh how changed! Is Saul also among the prophets? Nay, did he not come hither for that intent, to seize all the Christians he could find, and bring them bound to the chief priests? Yes, he did. Who would have thought then that he would ever preach Christ as he does? Doubtless this was looked upon by many as a great confirmation of the truth of Christianity, that one who had been such a notorious persecutor of it came, on a sudden, to be such an intelligent, strenuous, and capacious preacher of it. This miracle upon the mind of such a man outshone the miracles upon men's bodies; and giving a man such another heart was more than giving men to speak with other tongues.
4. He confuted and confounded those that opposed the doctrine of Christ, Act 9:22. He signalized himself, not only in the pulpit, but in the schools, and showed himself supernaturally enabled, not only to preach the truth, but to maintain and defend it when he had preached it. (1.) He increased in strength. He became more intimately acquainted with the gospel of Christ, and his pious affections grew more strong. He grew more bold and daring and resolute in defence of the gospel: He increased the more for the reflections that were cast upon him (Act 9:21), in which his new friends upbraided him as having been a persecutor, and his old friends upbraided him as being now a turncoat; but Saul, instead of being discouraged by the various remarks made upon his conversion, was thereby so much the more emboldened, finding he had enough at hand wherewith to answer the worst they could say to him. (2.) He ran down his antagonists, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus; he silenced them, and shamed them - answered their objections to the satisfaction of all indifferent persons, and pressed them with arguments which they could make no reply to. In all his discourses with the Jews he was still proving that this Jesus is very Christ, is the Christ, the anointed of God, the true Messiah promised to the fathers. He was proving it, sumbibazōn - affirming it and confirming it, teaching with persuasion. And we have reason to think he was instrumental in converting many to the faith of Christ, and building up the church at Damascus, which he went thither to make havoc of. Thus out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong sweetness.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv10–18 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus,.... Who…
And there was a certain disciple at Damascus,.... Who perhaps came hither upon the persecution at Jerusalem, or rather might have lived here some time; Act 9:13 that he was more than a private or ordinary disciple of Christ seems manifest, from his being sent to Saul on such an, important affair; from his putting his hands upon him, upon which he was filled with the Holy Ghost; and from his baptizing him: some think he was one of the seventy disciples; some say he was a deacon; but it is certain he was not one of the first seven; others affirm he was a presbyter, and some report that he was afterwards bishop of Damascus, and died a martyr there; but these are things not to be depended on:
named Ananias; a Jewish name, the same with Hananiah, Dan 1:6 there was an high priest of this name, Act 23:2 and it was a name in much use among the Jews; frequent mention is made in the Misnic and Talmudic writings of R. Hananiah, or Ananias:
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and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias; by "the Lord", is meant the Lord Jesus Christ, as is evident from Act 9:17 who appeared to Ananias in a vision; the Arabic version adds, "by night"; perhaps in a dream, as the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph the husband of Mary, and called him by his name Ananias, to which he answered:
and he said, behold, I am here, Lord; in like manner as Samuel did, when a child, when the Lord called to him; showing his readiness to hearken to his voice, to do his will, and obey his orders, be they what they would.
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 vv11–17 Behold he is praying - He was shown thus…
Behold he is praying - He was shown thus to Ananias.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv10–18 Verse 10. A certain disciple - named Ananias] A…
Verse 10. A certain disciple - named Ananias] A general opinion has prevailed in the Greek Church that this Ananias was one of the seventy-two disciples, and that he was martyred; and they celebrate his martyrdom on the first of October. It has been farther stated that his house was turned into a church, which remains to the present day, though now occupied as a Turkish mosque; but even the Mohammedans have the tradition, and treat his memory with great respect. However this may be, from Ac 22:12, we learn, what is of more importance, that he was a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews that dwelt there. See Clarke on Ac 9:17.
To him said the Lord in a vision] εν οραματι, In a strong impression made upon his mind, which left no doubt concerning its heavenly origin, nor of the truth of the things represented by it. It is very probable that the whole took place in a dream.
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 vv10, 13, 15, 17 Act 9:10-12. And there was a disciple named Ananias…
Act 9:10-12. And there was a disciple named Ananias — This Ananias, before his conversion to Christianity, had lived so conformably to the law, that he was much esteemed by all the Jews who dwelt at Damascus, Act 22:12. And after his conversion, his piety being still more conspicuous, he was a person of great note among the brethren also. To him Jesus appeared in a vision on the third day of Saul’s fast, and ordered him to go into the house of Judas, and inquire for Saul of Tarsus; of whom he needed no longer be afraid, because he was praying, not as he had done formerly, while a Pharisee, in self-confidence and pride, but in humiliation, contrition, and deep penitence, namely, for the pardon of his sin in persecuting the saints; and because Ananias himself had been shown to him in a vision, as sent to cure his sight. He hath seen in a vision, &c. — This vision which Saul had may be considered, 1st, As an immediate answer to his prayer, and the keeping up that communion with God which be had entered into by prayer. He had in prayer spread the misery of his case before God, and God presently manifests himself, and the kind intentions of his grace to him. 2d, As designed to raise his expectations, and make Ananias’s coming more welcome: he would readily receive him as a messenger from God, since he was told beforehand in vision, that such a one would come to him.
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 vv10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 A certain disciple - A Christian. Many have supposed…
A certain disciple - A Christian. Many have supposed that he was one of the 70 disciples. But nothing more is certainly known of him than is related here. He had very probably been some time a Christian Act 9:13, and had heard of Saul, but was personally a stranger to him. In Act 22:12, it is said that he was a devout man according to the Law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there. There was wisdom in sending such a Christian to Saul, as it might do much to conciliate the minds of the Jews there toward him.
Said the Lord - The Lord Jesus is alone mentioned in all this transaction. And as he had commenced the work of converting Saul, it is evident that he is intended here. See the notes on Act 1:24.
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In a vision - Perhaps by a dream. The main idea is, that he revealed his will to him in the case. The word “vision” is often used in speaking of the “communications” made to the prophets, and commonly means that future events were made to pass in review before the mind, as we look upon a landscape. See the notes on Isa 1:1; compare Gen 15:1; Num 12:6; Eze 11:24; Act 10:3; Act 11:5; Act 16:9; Dan 2:19; Dan 7:2; Dan 7:1-2, Dan 7:26; Dan 10:7. See the notes on Mat 17:9.
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 vv12, 15, 17 And he saw a man, &c. This verse, which…
And he saw a man, &c. This verse, which is by way of a parenthesis, contains the words of the historian, St. Luke, telling us what St. Paul saw in a vision, and what the Spirit at the same time revealed to Ananias. (Witham) --- This verse is a parenthesis. It contains not the words of Christ to Ananias, but St. Luke here relates what was shewn to Paul, at the time Ananias entered. This vision was shewn to him, that he might know Ananias was sent by God. (Menochius)
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).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v10 Act_9:10-19 a
C.—THE CONVERSION OF SAUL IS COMPLETED IN DAMASCUS THROUGH THE AGENCY OF ANANIAS
Act_9:10-19 a
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10And [But] there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision6, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord, 11And the Lord said unto him, Arise,7 and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire [seek] in the house of Judas for [om. for] one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold,he prayeth, 12And hath seen in a vision [om. in a vision]8 a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand9 on him, that he might receive his sight [might see again]. 13Then [But, δὲ] Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard10 by many of thisman, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on [invoke] thy name. 15But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he [this man, οὗτος] is a chosen vessel [instrument] unto me, to bear my name before the [om. the] Gentiles, and kings, and thechildren of Israel: 16For I will shew him11 how great things [how much] he must suffer for my name’s sake. 17And [Then, δὲ] Ananias went his way [om. his way], and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that [who] appeared unto thee in the way as [in which, ᾗ] thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight [mightest see again], and be filledwith the Holy Ghost. 18And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been [as it were] scales: and he received sight [saw again] forthwith [om. forthwith]12, and a arose, and was baptized. 19And when he had received meat [nourishment], he was strengthened.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Act_9:10-12. a. And there was … Ananias.—The manner in which Ananias is here introduced, distinctly implies that., previously, he and Saul had not been personally acquainted with each other; it appears, at least, from Act_9:13, that Ananias knew Saul only by report. The particular description of the latter as a native of Tarsus, and the word ὀνόματι appended to his name, conclusively show that Ananias did not know him personally. So, too, in Act_9:12, the special mention of the name of Ananias, demonstrates that he was unknown to Saul. If the historian had not entertained this opinion, it would have been far more natural for him to have simply written σέ instead of ἄνδρα ὀνομ Ἀν. If some interpreters (Eichhorn and others) have assumed that the two men were not only personally acquainted, but also intimate friends, their opinion is not sustained by the faintest intimation of such a fact in the present section, and is indeed at variance with it [Act_9:11-13]. Ananias was, as his pure Hebrew name (חֲנַנְיָה) already shows, a Judæo-Christian [Hananiah, often found in the O. Test., e. g., Ezr_10:28; Jer_28:1; Dan_1:6.—Tr.]. Luke here simply mentions him as a μαθητής τις without adding any particulars belonging to his personal history. He is subsequently described, in Act_22:12 [by Paul himself] as εὐσεβὴς κατὰ τὸν νόμον, μαρτυρούμενος ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν κατοικούντων Ἰουδαίων; he was, accordingly, even after his conversion, zealous in leading a godly life according to the law, and was, on that account, held in the highest esteem by the Jewish population of Damascus.
b. To him said the Lord in a vision, etc.—The Lord who here appears, is not God the Father, but Jesus Christ; for Ananias describes, in Act_9:14, the Christians as those who invoke the name of the Lord; in this language ὄνομά σου can only be understood as referring to Jesus, not to Jehovah, as distinguished from Jesus; the same remark applies to τὸ ὄνομά μου in Act_9:15-16.—Whether the ὅδαμα, the vision, which was granted to Ananias, occurred when he was awake, or in a dream, cannot be determined from the passage before us; for the words ἀναστὰς πορεύθητι, Act_9:11 [comp. Act_8:20, a.], do not imply that Ananias was lying on a bed, but only that he was remaining quietly at home. He is directed to go forth, to proceed to a certain street, to enter a certain house, and there seek Saul, who is exactly described to him, and is engaged in prayer. The street was called Straight, without doubt in order to distinguish it from other streets in that ancient city, which were in most cases angulated and crooked. Wilson (“Lands of the Bible”) ascertained that there is still a street with this name in the city; oven the house of Judas is still pointed out in this street; but here the work of tradition is almost overdone. (Ewald: Apost. Zeitalter, 1858, p. 259, 2d ed.)
c. For, behold, he prayeth.—The Lord informs Ananias of the reason for selecting and sending him precisely at that time to Saul—because (γάρ) the latter was, at that moment, engaged in prayer, and, consequently, needed an answer to his petitions, or a fulfilment of his desires and prayers, and was also internally prepared to receive such an answer. Hence the commission is now given, and it is intrusted to Ananias, because Saul had already seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him. The vision had been previously granted to Saul, and hence he is even at this moment offering prayer (προσεύχεται, pres., εἶδεν—εἰςελθόντα καὶ ἐπιθέντα, aor.). The words ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃ indicate to Ananias that Saul is at this time deprived of sight. But the revelation made by the Lord to Ananias is, without, doubt, presented in this narrative only in a summary manner, and not in a complete form; for we must necessarily assume that Jesus informed Ananias of his appearance to Saul on the way, and also of the future gift of the Holy Ghost to the latter through the laying on of hands of Ananias. [Comp. Act_6:6; Act_8:15-17]. Every doubt on this point is removed by the words occurring in Act_9:17 : Ἰησοῦς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῃ ὁδῷ ᾖ ἤρχου, and πλησθῇς πνεύματος ἁγίου.
Act_9:13-14. Then Ananias answered, etc.—As Moses, to whom Jehovah appeared in Horeb, and revealed his purpose to send him to Egypt (Exo_3:11 ff.), and also Jeremiah (Jer_1:6 ff.), were, respectively, unwilling to accept and execute the divine commission, so here, too, Ananias exhibits hesitation and timidity, which he expresses with childlike candor and simplicity. He is unhappily only too well acquainted with the name of Saul as that of an enemy of the disciples of Jesus. If he had heard ἀπὸ πολλῶν that this man was a persecutor; these persons from whom he received the information, were, without doubt, chiefly fugitives from Jerusalem, who had sought a place of refuge in Damascus. We learn, at the same time, from the expressions which he uses, that he is not himself a Christian who had fled from Jerusalem, since, in such a case, he would not refer to the fact as one which he had ascertained from other persons; he was, therefore, originally an inhabitant of Damascus. [“We know nothing concerning Ananias, except what we learn from St. Luke or from St. Paul.” Life, etc. of St. Paul, by Conyb. and Howson. I. 102. London, 1854. No reliance can be placed on the traditions concerning him, which have descended to our times.—Tr.]. But from what source did he obtain the information that Saul had been empowered by the chief priests (the plural, τῶν ἀρχιερέων, probably denoting the actual high priest, with the ex-high priests, and the Sanhedrin) to arrest the Christians? It is quite possible that certain Christians in Jerusalem, who could not have remained in ignorance respecting Saul’s departure, the purpose of his journey, and the authority which he had received, communicated the facts to their acquaintances in Damascus, either by letters or through messengers, so that they might adopt the necessary precautions. As Saul had reached the city at least three days previously, the resident Christians could have easily become acquainted during that period with the nature of his errand. [“Perhaps—the object of Saul’s journey was divulged by his companions.” (J. A. Alexander, in loc.).—Thy saints.—“This is the first time that this afterwards well-known appellation occurs as applied to the believers in Christ.” (Alford). “This term—belongs to all who profess to be disciples, and does not distinguish one class of them as superior to others in point of excellence.” (Hackett). See below, Doctr and Eth. No. 4.—Tr.]
Act_9:15-16. Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, etc.—The Lord, in place of recalling, repeats the command, but, at the same time, calms the troubled mind of Ananias, by informing him that Saul will not only no longer inflict injury on the church, but that he has even been chosen by the Lord Himself for the work of promoting his honor and increasing the number of those who shall confess His saving name.—Σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς is a chosen vessel, instrument or organ [ἐκλογῆς, the Hebraizing Gen. of quality, Wine, § 34, 3. b]; Saul is appointed to bear [or, carry; “continuatur metaphora, nam vasis utimur ad portandum.” (Kuinoel, ad loc); τοῦ βαστάσαι, Gen. of design, Winer, § 44. 4. b. Tr.]. My name; that is to say, he shall, by word and deed, spread abroad the knowledge and confession of Jesus, as the Redeemer and Messiah.—There are three scenes of action among men to which Saul is appointed to carry the name of Jesus: 1. ἔθνη, which word, as the υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ are afterwards expressly distinguished from them, can only be understood as denoting pagans, and not nations in general; 2. βασιλεῖς, reigning lords, princely persons [Herod Agrippa, Acts 26. and probably Nero (de Wette; Alf.)—Tr.]; 3. υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ. The mention of the ἔθνη precedes that of Israel, in order to imply that Saul’s vocation as a witness primarily refers to the Gentile world, where his field of labour would be found; Israel is not excluded from the sphere of his operations, but receives attention only in the second place. Saul is already, in these words of the Lord, distinctly described as the apostle of the Gentiles, and it is simply the name of apostle that is not expressly given to him.—The language in Act_9:16, does not, as we might at first expect [from the introductory γάρ], explain the reason for which Saul is a chosen instrument (Meyer), but rather the reason for which the command (πορεύου) is issued; the sense is: ‘Go, for (ye have nothing to fear from him; ye will not suffer aught through his agency; on the contrary) I will show him how much he must suffer in his own person for my name’s sake.’ The term ὑποδείξω does not refer to a prophetic revelation (de Wette), but to a showing by means of events in the actual experience of Saul.—The terms: ὅσα δεῖ αὐτὸν παθεῖν, are, in their form, apparently an allusion to those which Ananias had employed in Act_9:13 : ὅσα κακὰ ἐποίησε τοῖς ἁγίοις σου.
Act_9:17. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house.—Ananias immediately obeys, and proceeds to the designated house (ἀπῆλθε—καὶ εἰζῆλθεν). The manner in which he addressed Saul (Σαοὺλ ἀδελφέ) does not refer exclusively, nor even primarily to their common nationality as Israelites, but to the connection or fellowship now existing between them for Christ’s sake, of which the former had already been assured by the words of the Lord. He speaks to Saul, who is so deeply humbled, with all the tenderness of love, inspires him with confidence, and consoles him as a messenger of the Lord who is empowered to restore his sight, and impart the gift of the Holy Ghost. He does not appear to have at once communicated to Saul the information which he had himself, (when he expressed his fears,) received from Christ in a vision for his own personal encouragement, Act_9:15-16; and here he acted with propriety and true Christian prudence, for, as Bengel expresses himself: Sauli non erat scire, quanti ipse jam esset. [This remark, however, scarcely seems to be sustained by Paul’s report of the address of Ananias, Act_22:15,—Tr.]
Act_9:18-19 a. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales.—This statement can hardly mean that a scaly substance had actually been separated from Saul’s eye-balls (Bengel and Meyer); it rather seems to describe merely a certain sensation which he experienced at the moment, that is, he felt as if something resembling scales fell from his eyes, after which he could see again; and this change occurred suddenly, after Ananias had laid his hands on him. [The original word, λεπίς, applied in Lev_11:9-10 Sept. (Robinson’s Lex.) to the scales of a fish, may also be “applied to egg-shells, and the rind or bark of plants, and even to metallic flakes or laminæ.” (Alexander, ad loc.)—Tr.]. Every unprejudiced reader can readily perceive from the whole tenor of the narrative, and also from the word εὐθέως, that Luke here intends to describe a miraculous event, proceeding from a supernatural power.—Saul at once received baptism from Ananias. And here ἀναστάς does not imply that the former had been lying on a bed, but rather that he was kneeling, and had continued in the attitude of prayer. However, it is the most probable supposition of all, that this word is merely intended to depict Saul’s rapid transition from a state in which he was occupied with his internal experience, and in which he was only a recipient, to a personal and energetic course of action. He was probably baptized in one of the rivers [of Syria] which Naaman had extolled in his day [2Ki_5:12],. the Abana [marg. Amana] or Pharpar. [The identity of certain streams in the vicinity of the modern Damascus with those of which Naaman spoke, is not fully established (Herzog: Real-Encyk. III. 261; XV. 393; O. Thenius: Die Bücher d. Könige, ad loc. p. 286 f; Robinson’s Gesenius: Hebr. and Engl. Lex. 3d. ed. p. 868 f.); nor is there any indication in the present passage that a sufficient quantity of water to fill a bowl or other vessel, as well as the food mentioned in Act_9:19, could not be obtained without departing from the house.—Tr.]. Saul discontinued his fast after he had been baptized, and partook of food, so that he rapidly regained his strength (ἐνίσχυσεν [intrans. as in Gen_48:2. (de Wette)—Tr.]; the aorist is purposely employed, instead of the imperfect [see above, Act_8:15-17, ult.]; the word is also applied to convalescents). It accordingly seems that in consequence of the heavenly appearance, which so powerfully affected Saul, as well as of his fast, which continued three days, and of his internal struggles, his bodily strength had, previously, been very greatly impaired.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. He who is, strictly speaking, the true author of all that is described in this section, is none other than Christ himself the exalted and reigning Lord of the kingdom. Ananias is only a messenger, commissioned and sent to declare and to perform that with which he is charged. It is Jesus Christ who “worketh both to will and to do”—who influences and acts. Both at the time when Saul was so completely overwhelmed, and when his conversion originally began, and also now, when that conversion advances and is completed, the heavenly Redeemer himself appears personally and is really engaged in action. He directs Ananias, in a vision, to proceed to Saul, who is likewise instructed in a vision to receive the former, Act_9:10; Act_9:12. Saul had been awakened by means of an extraordinary and miraculous appearance—his conversion is now completed by an extraordinary revelation. He was called and inducted into office by the Lord himself, not by men; to this important and decisive fact Paul continually-appeals with a perfect right and with entire truth.
2. But Christ revealed himself immediately [without intervening agents] to Saul in the vicinity of Damascus, when he appeared in the light, and addressed the latter; in the city he spoke with him and influenced him only mediately, i. e., through Ananias. That which was at the beginning altogether a supernatural operation, was intended, ultimately, to proceed by degrees in the natural, divine-human course; this transition is seen in the communication to Saul and his restoration to sight through the intervention of a man. It was, at the same time, the will of the Lord, who arrested Saul in his persecuting course and revealed himself, that the latter should become associated with the church, that is, be implanted in the body of Christ. For this purpose the Redeemer employed one of his disciples in the name of all; that disciple served him in word and deed—imposing his hands, baptizing, and declaring the word.
3. Ananias is not an apostle, but “a disciple,” that is, simply a member of the church, not intrusted either with the ministerial, or with any other congregational office. That precisely such a man came to Saul, was most wisely ordered. If an apostle like Peter had been sent to him, not only might he have been tempted to yield to a feeling of pride, but he would also have thus become dependent on human authority; his apostolical office and labors would have been so constituted as to depend on the other disciples, whereas it was specially designed that he should labor in an independent manner. On this latter fact, indeed, Paul often lays a stress when he maintains that he was an ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπʼ ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ διʼ ἀνθρώπων, αλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Gal_1:1, and elsewhere.
4. It is an important christological point that when Ananias answers, he terms the disciples of Jesus not only οἱ ἐπικαλούμενοι τὸ ὄνομά σου, Act_9:14, but also οἱ ἅγιοί σου, Act_9:13. In the Septuagint, and here, also, ἐπικαλεῖσθαι [Mid.] ὄνομα is the Greek phrase for קָרָא בְשֵׁם [thus defined in Robinson’s Gesenius: Hebr. Lex. 938 and Acts 1067: to call upon the name (of God), to invoke his name, i.e., to praise, to celebrate, to worship God, Gen_4:26; Gen_12:8; Psa_79:6, etc.—Tr.]. Here the fact is stated as one well known, that the Christians call on Jesus, or, address prayers to him, as the Israelite of the old covenant addressed Jehovah, the covenantal God. And when Ananias describes the Christians as the “saints” of the Lord Jesus, he again employs an expression which, in the old covenant, could have reference to Jehovah alone. If Christ has his saints, the statement itself of the fact ascribes divine honor to him. The Christians are, according to this view, men who are intimately and essentially united with Christ as a divine Person, and, as he is holy, they are also consecrated by their communion with him. [“Τοῖς ἁγίοις σου, the saints who belong to thee, i. e., the Christians; for these have, through the atonement, when appropriated to themselves through faith (comp. Rom_1:7), been separated from the κόσμος, and have become consecrated to God; they belong to Christ, who purchased them with his blood, (Act_20:28),” (Meyer, ad loc.—Tr.]. Hence, both conceptions, οἱ ἐπικαλούμενοι τόν κύριον, and οἱ ἅγιοι αὐτοῦ, are of such a nature as to indicate the deity of Christ.
5. The imposition of hands is described in Act_8:17 ff. as the means by which the Spirit was communicated, while here, Act_9:12, the act is more immediately mentioned as the means by which Saul’s sight was to be restored. It distinctly appears, however, from Act_9:17, that the gift of the Holy Ghost was likewise to be imparted through the imposition of hands. And, indeed, the very nature of the action, which is, primarily, corporeal, but also spiritual, adapts it fully to exercise not only spiritual, but also corporeal influences. It is also worthy of remark, that Ananias, who is simply a Christian, performs the act of the imposition of hands, and is the agent through whom I the gift of the Holy Ghost is imparted. Hence this function does not belong absolutely and exclusively to the sacred office, still less to the apostolic rank. It is God, not man, who imparts the Holy Spirit: he bestows that gift on any individual and in any manner, according to his own will. He is dependent on no human instrumentality or ecclesiastical office; but here, too, acts with a freedom which is absolute and unconditional.
6. It was not till Saul received Baptism, that the work of his conversion was completed, or his regeneration and implantation into Christ were accomplished. The question here arises: In what relation does the baptism with the Spirit stand to the baptism with water? It is not stated in the present passage in express terms that Saul was actually filled with the Holy Ghost either before or after his baptism with water; and the particular circumstance that his bodily restoration is noticed, but not the fact that he was filled with the Holy Ghost, is a matter of surprise to de Wette. [The latter adds, however, in his Commentary (3d ed. 1848) that the fact that the imposition of the hands of Ananias was followed by Saul’s being filled with the Holy Ghost, is subsequently demonstrated.—Tr.]. But the whole context necessarily leads us to assume that Saul was as certainly filled with the Holy Ghost, as he was restored to sight immediately, as the consequence of the imposition of the hands of Ananias. For the latter, who, in Act_9:17, repeats the words of Jesus, mentions both events as coördinate, and as constituting the purpose of his mission. But if the corporeal gift followed εὐθέως, Act_9:18, we must assume that the spiritual gift also attended the imposition of hands. If this view is correct, the baptism with the Spirit preceded that with water. Even if such was not the usual course, (comp. Act_2:33), nevertheless, all that God does, constitutes a higher rule and ordinance; we are not permitted to suppose that God is subjected to any special order, although we are bound by it. The same principles apply lo baptismal instructions: none were imparted by Ananias to Saul, although they should never be omitted in the cases of proselytes. In the present case, however, any special preparations for the baptism were, in reality, superfluous, for repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ had been already wrought by Him in Saul. Erasmus declares the truth, when he says in his Paraphrase: Paulus Jesum habuerat catechistam.
7. Saul is called to be the apostle of the Gentiles. He does not receive the title of apostle in the present section, it is true, and, indeed, it is only once applied to him in the Acts, and then, in conjunction with Barnabas, Act_14:14. Still, his vocation as the apostle of the Gentiles is distinctly and unmistakably described in Act_9:15. Ananias had doubtless already informed him that the Lord had appointed him to carry His name to the Gentiles. For Paul himself connects, in Gal_1:15-16, the purpose of God that he should preach the Gospel “among the heathen,” in the most intimate manner with his own call and conversion. And in Act_26:16 f., he tells Herod Agrippa that he had, at the beginning, been informed of his mission to the Gentiles: it is, at the same time, true, that he here reports the information, (which was no doubt communicated to him by Ananias,) as having been embodied in the direct address of Jesus. His call to be the apostle of the Gentiles coincided in time with the completion of his conversion; that call did not restrict him to the heathen world, but preëminently referred to it. In this respect Paul does not occupy precisely the same grade with the original apostles, as if he were the thirteenth, or even the twelfth (as some suppose), occupying the place of Judas Iscariot, in so far as the choice of Matthias is assumed to have been premature, and not valid in the eyes of God. They were more immediately the apostles of Israel; he was more immediately the apostle of the Gentiles. But in apostolical primitiveness and dignity, he is not subordinate to them. They were directly chosen, called, and invested with their office by Jesus; so, too, was Paul. The only difference is, that the former were called by the Redeemer in his state of humiliation, while He called Paul in His state of exaltation. The former were appointed to bear witness concerning Jesus Christ, as men who had both seen and heard. Such, too, was Paul’s duty (comp. Act_22:15, ἔσῃ μάρτυς αὐτῷ πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὦν ἑώρακας καὶ ἤκουσας; Act_26:16, εἰς τοῦτο ὤφθην σοι προχειρίσασθαί σε—μάρτυρα ὦν τε εἶδες ὦν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι.). In order to maintain the independence and reality of his apostolical rank, he himself always speaks in the most emphatic terms of the circumstance that he had been called by God, not by men, and, directly, through Jesus Christ, not through men, e. g., Gal_1:1 [see above, No. 3, ult.].
8. The entire narrative of the conversion of Saul.—In what light are we to view it? It is well known that some have considered it to be the description of a merely ordinary occurrence, while others have rejected it as an unhistorical and highly colored legend; both opinions originally assume the impossibility of a miracle in general, that is, of a direct interposition of God in nature and history. Both opinions alike originate in Naturalism [which word, here, in general denotes those theories according to which God reveals himself only mediately or naturally, and not in an immediate or supernatural manner.—Tr.]; it is only when these opinions are more fully developed, that they are found to proceed in different directions. The adherents of the former give such an interpretation to the narrative presented in the Bible, that it is at last divested of every miraculous feature, and simply refers to an occurrence conforming to the ordinary course of nature. Those of the latter, who are influenced by the truth in so far that they recognize in the scriptural narrative an intention to exhibit miraculous circumstances, nevertheless allege that it has been embellished, that is to say, disfigured by legendary and traditional additions. The natural interpretation (the supporters of which are named by Meyer [p. 202, 3d ed.]) in general assumes that a thunder-storm and certain processes in the soul of Saul, are the principal facts. His thoughts were all absorbed by Christ and his church; he had received certain impressions at the death of Stephen, etc. In this excited state of mind, he imagined that, in the flash of lightning, he beheld the appearance of Jesus, and, amid the rolling thunder, heard his words. He was thereupon altogether won for Christianity by Ananias, with whom he had been previously well acquainted, and by whom his sight, which had been affected by the dazzling light, was restored. With this statement, in its essential features, the conjecture recently proposed by Ewald (Ap. Zeital. 1858, p. 343 ff.) agrees, viz., that a not and deadly wind had thrown Saul and all his travelling companions with irresistible force to the ground—that, at the same time, stormy emotions raged in his heart, insomuch that in the appearance which was visible in the air, he saw Christ descending from heaven and assailing him—that, as he lay on the ground, he heard the threatening words of the Heavenly One, etc. But all these representations have two features in common: 1. All the natural states and occurrences, both in the soul of Saul and in the external world, must first be invented, and even then the narrative before us does not present a single point of contact at which they can be combined with it. 2. The vital point of the whole event, namely, the reality of an appearance of the glorified Redeemer, of which the Bible here, and in the parallel passages, bears witness positively, unmistakably, and harmoniously, must be denied, or at least be silently set aside. With respect to the former of these two features, there is no intimation in the words of Luke [in the three parallel passages,] Acts 9.; Acts 22.; Acts 26., that thunder and lightning, a thunder-storm, or a simoom, had occurred. So, too, it is assumed that doubts had already arisen in the soul of Saul, before the appearance near Damascus was seen, and that his conscience was engaged in a violent struggle, occasioned by observations which he had made in the cases of Stephen and other Christians whom he had persecuted. But not the least trace of such a state of mind can be found in the several narratives: we are, on the contrary, most distinctly informed that Saul’s fanaticism retained all its violence, and that his views and sentiments were by no means changed; but that the appearance had suddenly arrested his steps, taught him to reflect, and turned him from his course. With this statement every remark will be found to harmonize, which Paul himself makes in his Epistles, respecting his conversion and the previous state of his mind. Besides, the whole character of the man, who at all times unhesitatingly and invariably acted in accordance with his convictions, forbids, already at the outset, the assumption of vacillation on his part, or unsteadiness of purpose.—With respect to the latter feature, the reality of the (objective) appearance of Christ is represented as the main point in the whole occurrence, not only in the Acts, but also in Paul’s own Epistles, whenever the fact of his conversion is mentioned. Now, the attempt to explain the entire transformation of this man, which is historically established, and, at the same time, to set aside the appearance of Christ, as if it had not actually occurred, not only does violence to the testimonies before us, but would also rob one of the greatest and most momentous events that ever occurred, of its historical basis, and involve the whole transaction in a deeper mystery than that which attends the miracle itself. Is it conceivable that the actual appearance of Christ near Damascus, on which (in addition to the transactions that immediately succeeded in the city) the conversion of Paul, all his vast labors, his sufferings, too, for Christ’s sake, and his whole doctrinal system, essentially depend, should have been a mere vagary of his fancy, that is, a fanatical self-delusion and an empty conceit? And how could Paul have acquired such influence, or have been so fully recognized by the other apostles and the whole church, not simply as a converted Christian, but as a commissioner of Christ, as an apostle, (all which is undeniably true), if his call to the apostolic office had not been, objectively, an established and undoubted fact? Insurmountable difficulties meet us at every step, when we discard the evidences before us, deny the reality of the appearance of the exalted Christ, and attempt to invent and support a different course of events for which no proof is adduced. The conversion of Paul and his call to be the apostle of the Gentiles, cannot possibly be made intelligible, when they are represented to be exclusively the natural development of his original character and recent experience. But the whole transaction becomes clear when we view the transformation that occurred in Saul, as the result of the miraculous interposition of God in the paths of the human spirit, and in the operations of the powers of nature, namely, of a real appearance of the exalted Redeemer, or one which the senses could perceive. We cannot, with some writers, find a positive preparation for this momentous event, but we do find the condition on which both the possibility of its occurrence, and Saul’s susceptibility in reference to it, depended, in the following two circumstances: first, the original tendencies of his moral nature, in so far as he possessed sincerity of heart, decision of the will, honesty and fidelity to his convictions, and the fear of God; secondly, the preliminary knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth and the church, which he had obtained.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Act_9:1. And Saul, yet breathing out, etc.—God often permits men to proceed as far as their feelings will lead them, in order to show the great depth from which he can extricate them. (Quesn.).—The Lord our God is an artificer who takes pleasure only in performing a very difficult work, or one that is not of a trivial character; and he most of all delights to work on the raw material. He has, therefore, at all times preferred very hard wood and very hard stones and then the masterpieces which he produces, exhibit his great skill. (Luther).
Act_9:2. And desired of him letters.—Letters and documents, and the services which they can render even at a distance, have often extended the blessings which the kingdom of God imparts. But Satan has availed himself of the same means for scattering his seed and communicating his spirit. (K. H. Rieger).—That … he might bring them bound.—A false religion is bloodthirsty; the true church suffers persecution. (Starke).
Act_9:3. He came near Damascus.—Then came his hour; for no heart is so hard, even if it were like granite or adamant, that it could, under such circumstances, resist without breaking. (Luther).—No apparition is ever seen at mid-day (Act_22:6); hence it was not possible that Saul should be misled by his imagination. (Williger).—In our greatest need, divine aid is nearest at hand; demonstrated, I. In the case of Saul; when the power of sin had reached its height, the Lord saved him; II. In the case of the Christians of Damascus; when the enemy was already at the gate, the Lord said: “Hitherto—but no further.” [Job_38:11].—Suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven.—It was different from the “glory of the Lord” which “shone round about” the shepherds in the field near Bethlehem; still, it was essentially the same. Here, too, Christ was born in the darkness of a benighted heart.—Even yet a twofold light streams from heaven into the heart, when a sinner is converted: I. The alarming gleam of the divine law; II. The cheering light of evangelical grace.
Act_9:4. And he fell to the earth.—We, who are by nature haughty and proud, cannot receive aid, until we fall to the ground. (Starke).—Saul, Saul!—The repeated and impressive mention of the name (as Abraham, Abraham! Gen_22:11; Samuel, Samuel! 1Sa_3:10; Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Mat_23:37; Simon, Simon! Luk_22:31), admonishes Saul to reflect, I. On the perverseness of his heart. “This loud and emphatic mention of his name, was, perhaps, intended to give a distinct impression to Saul of Tarsus, who was a Benjamite as well as Saul, the son of Kish, of his resemblance in nature and character to the rejected king of Israel. For as the latter went forth, impelled by the evil spirit, in order to seize and slay Israel’s anointed one, so the former, overflowing with a deadly zeal, proceeded on his way with his retinue, in order to persecute Christ, the Anointed One, in his members, and to consign these to death.” (Baumgarten). II. On the Lord’s gracious purpose with respect to himself. “Saul” signifies: “Asked for (of God).” Now Jesus here redemands Saul, as one that had been asked of God, and was His property, so that the words are applicable: “He shall have the strong as a prey” [Isa_53:12, Germ, version.].—Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?—Jesus is far above all the heavens, but his feet are on the earth: the head is in heaven, the body on earth. Now when Saul struck and trod on the feet, the head exclaimed: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Augustine).—Thus God seizes Saul in his sins, and charges him with having shed the blood of His Christians, insomuch that it would not have been strange if Saul had fallen down dead on the spot; for the man will find little consolation whose heart and mind suddenly and with affright become conscious of the guilt of having persecuted God. (Luther).—Saul … me?—Saul persecuted Jesus, and Jesus persecuted him. Saul persecuted Jesus in madness, and sought to extirpate His name, His word, and His church; Jesus persecuted him in grace, and called to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? He seemed to say: What have I done unto thee? How have I injured thee, that thou so relentlessly persecutest and afflictest me in my members? Behold, how easily I could destroy thee, and, with a single thunderbolt, cast thee into hell! But I will not recompense thee according to thy desert. I, whom thou hast hitherto hated, have loved thee, too, from eternity; I have shed my blood even for thee, although thou hast thirsted for the blood of my saints.—The apostle’s own language is: “I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Php_3:12); [κατελήφθην, caught and seized in the course, (Wiesinger); held fast (Schenkel); laid hold of. (Robinson).—Tr.]. When I least of all thought of it—he says—and, like a madman, was hastening to hell, my most precious Redeemer seized me, and plucked me as a brand out of the fire. [Zec_3:2]. “Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” 1Ti_1:16. (Scriver).—With what terror Saul must have heard the words pronounced: Why persecutest thou me?! He had, in his whole course, intended to promote the honor of Jehovah, and may have expected to receive the approbation of heaven. But, behold, his works are pronounced accursed, and his zeal for God is termed a persecution of Jehovah. And this is the sentence of the Lord himself, whose voice from heaven reveals to Saul that He speaks. (Leonh. and Sp.).
Act_9:5. Who art thou, Lord?—When Saul asks this question, he takes a step forward; he inquires after God. He submitted to the dispensation which hedged up his way with thorns [Hos_2:6], and, at least, offered no resistance. Many of you have reached the same point in your inner life. The piercing tones of this call have reached you also. They awaken you in the morning, and disturb you in the evening; they attend you on your journeys, and imbitter your dreams. You feel a sting within you, from which you cannot escape; your whole life is pervaded by a deep sense of distress, which you cannot yourselves explain. You have an indistinct consciousness that our salvation depends in a certain mysterious manner on Christ, but you feel that you are still separated from this Saviour.—Ask, I beseech you, ask, at least: ‘Who art thou, Lord?’ Ask in prayer, search the Scriptures, and the Lord will reveal himself to you. (Jaspis).—I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.—A light here dawned on Saul that terrified him; he learned, I. With respect to the Lord Jesus: (a) that he lives, and is exalted in heaven; (b) that he dwells with his people on earth, and regards their sufferings as his own. II. With respect to himself: (a) that he had, in his sinful delusion, striven with God; (b) that he had, for that reason, labored in vain.—Saul … persecutest.—The law and the Gospel are combined in this address of the Lord; I. In the question: “Why persecutest thou me?” the law is proclaimed, convincing Saul of his sin. II. In the declaration: “I am Jesus,” the Gospel is proclaimed, in so far as the Lord therein reveals and offers himself to Saul, as the Redeemer of the world, and, consequently, also as his own Redeemer.—I am Jesus.—We can partially understand how precious this name of Jesus was to the converted Saul through his whole life, if we, too, have ever been conscious in our experience of an hour in which the heart was so moved by the words: “I am Jesus,” that we saw both that our sin abounded, and also that His grace did much more abound. (Besser).—It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.—[For Exeg. see below, Act_26:12-14.—Tr.]. Did the Lord then compel him to retire from the course on which he had entered? By no means; for almighty grace does not take hold of us in opposition to our will, but it is precisely our will that takes hold of grace, so that we joyfully and unconditionally submit to it, having now distinctly seen the way of salvation. (Palmer).—It is hard, etc.—These words warn men not to resist the power which rules the world: I. The manner in which the warning was given to Saul; by means of an external, miraculous occurrence, it is true, but at the same time, not without deep internal impressions which directed him to the way of truth. II. The purport and intention of the warning; not that he should yield to an external, compulsory power, in opposition to his convictions, but, first, that he should become convinced of the folly of supposing that God designed to bestow salvation solely on the people of Israel, and not on all, and should no longer be controlled by such a prejudice; secondly, that he should not resist the impulse to diffuse among others the light which had dawned on him, that is, should obey his vocation to be the apostle of the Gentiles. (Schleierm.).—It is hard for thee.—Who may place his naked feet on burning coals, or attempt to break the diamond with a blow of his hand? These words, however, do not merely describe the fruitlessness of any human effort to repel the goad of divine wrath, but also exhibit all the riches of divine mercy and, grace; for it is, in truth, very difficult, to extinguish the burning coals of God’s love to his enemies, by adopting the resolution: “I will not be converted.” (Besser).
Act_9:6. And he trembling and astonished, said.—The terror which filled the soul of Paul at this moment, furnished him also, in a brief period, with that experience which the other disciples acquired during the several years of their continuance with Jesus in his temptations. [Luk_22:28]. (Rieger).—The roaring lion is now converted into a patient lamb; the breathing out of threatenings has given place to trembling and astonishment. Saul is now changed into Paul, that is, little [παῦλος, (not found, in this sense, in the N. T.), equivalent to παῦρος, small, inconsiderable. (Passow).—Tr.], and must confess: “O Lord, thou hast persuaded [Germ, version; see Robinson’s, Gesenius, p. 875, Piel. 1.—Tr.] me, and I was persuaded; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed.” Jer_20:7. His trembling and astonishment were signs of contrition and penitence, but the birth of faith also occurred amid these legal terrors, for he immediately terms that Jesus whom he had persecuted, his “Lord,” whose will should henceforth control his life. (Leonh. and Sp.).—The Christian’s two vital questions: they refer, I. To the knowledge of God: “Who art thou, Lord?”; II. To his will: “Lord; what wilt thou have me to do?” (Act_9:6).—Go into the city and it shall be told thee, etc.—Paul received his apostolical dignity and the necessary qualifications afterwards, from the Lord himself, but it was ordered that he should become a Christian in the ordinary way, i.e., by the ministry of others. (Rieger).—Although God speaks with Paul from heaven, he is not willing to abolish the ministerial office, nor adopt an unusual course in favor of any one; he directs all to the pulpit or the pastor in the town:. they are told to hear and learn there all that is to be learned. The Lord our God will employ special and singular means in no case, but bestows his baptism and Gospel on the whole world, on the one as well as on the other. (Luther).
Act_9:7. And the men which journeyed with him.—It was so ordered that Saul’s associates in sin, should be the witnesses of his change; it was fitting that the conversion of a man, whose excessive enmity against Christ had gleamed far and wide like a burning torch, should occur, not in a retired chamber, but in public, in the presence of many witnesses. (Leonh. and Sp.).—Stood speechless.—Behold the effect of the Gospel! All hear it, but few understand it with their heart. (Starke).—The conversion of Paul, a mirror in which every converted heart may be seen: it reveals, I. The zeal and great aim of the natural heart, but also the Lord’s voice: “Why persecutest thou me?” II. The question of the defiant heart: “Who art thou?” but also the Lord’s reply: “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.” III. The question of the humbled heart: “What wilt thou have me to do?” but also the Lord’s reply: “Repent, and believe in in me.” (Florey).
Act_9:8. And Saul arose from the earth.—A genuine conversion implies not only distress of mind and good resolutions, but also active obedience. (Starke).—He saw no man: but they led him by the hand.—All the features of the external miracle are images of those which the conversion of his heart exhibit. This man, who attempted to guide all others, before God cast him to the ground, now needs a guide himself. Others lead him like a child; his natural strength is gone, and he Willingly submits to their guidance. The false light in his soul is extinguished, and, in the darkness which envelops him, he ardently longs to see the true light. (Gerlach).—And brought him into Damascus.—He had not expected to enter the city in this manner. He had intended to bind the Christians, and then lead them forth out of Damascus, but now the Lord leads him as one bound, into the city. (Starke).
Act_9:9. And he was three days without sight.—This blindness was intended to prove a blessing, by aiding him in surveying in his soul with deep attention that Saviour who had revealed himself, and in acquiring a spiritual knowledge of him. Jesus was revealed in glory in his heart, and hence he was not allowed to see the men and the vain objects around him. (Ap. Past.).—We must become hungry, before we are satisfied with food; and blind before we can see. (Starke).—These three days were a blessed period, well suited for collecting the thoughts. We often devote days and weeks to our preparations for a journey to medicinal springs, or for a visit to our friends, and neglect the duties which our office or household imposes. But who has at any time devoted three successive, days to self-examination and to the healing of the soul? (Rieger).—The eunuch, the keeper of the prison, Cornelius, etc., were not subjected to such a long delay. But God deemed it wise to wait in the case of. Paul, in order to deliver him effectually from his pharisaical pride and his deep-rooted hatred of the cross of Christ. (Ap. Past.).—During these three days Paul wrestled with God like Jacob; he has himself described that struggle in Rom_7:7-25. (Leonh. and Sp.).—The inner man, buried during three days: I. Old things pass away [2Co_5:17] entirely during this period: the old light is extinguished; the old enjoyments no longer satisfy; the old vigor is impaired; the old friends have disappeared. II. All things are peacefully becoming new: a new light is enkindled in the soul; a new salvation begins to dawn; a new vocation infuses new strength; new friends are at hand.
Act_9:10. And there was a certain disciple … named Ananias.—Saul was only apparently forgotten during the three days of his blindness. The faithful shepherd does not for one moment neglect the sheep that is found again, but has already provided abundantly for its wants. Even after this truly miraculous conversion of Saul, he is directed by the Lord to proceed in the ordinary path of the means of grace, in accordance with the appointed order of salvation.—Ananias was not a distinguished teacher, but simply “a disciple.” The blessing which attends the pastoral office does not depend on the brilliant talents and the high rank, but only on the fidelity, of the servant. [1Co_4:2], The selection of Ananias, was, moreover, wisely made, in reference to Saul. It was intended that the learned Pharisee [ch. Act_22:3; Act_23:6; Act_26:5] should be humbled by receiving an unlearned Christian as his teacher. If Peter or any other eminent apostle had been sent to him, he might have, on the one hand, become proud, and, on the other, have seemed to depend on human authority. (Ap. Past.). [See above, Doctr. and Eth. No. 3.]
Act_9:11. Go into the street which is called Straight.—Go! the brief but expressive word of the Lord in addressing his servants: I. It demands implicit obedience; II. It puts the doubts of a weak faith to shame; III. It contains a promise of the Lord’s aid and blessing. (Comp. Act_9:15).—The street which is called Straight.—God is well acquainted with every street, every nook, every obscure spot; he knows all that occurs in them, all the occupants, yea, all their thoughts. (Starke).—Behold, he prayeth: a very beautiful saying respecting a converted sinner. I. It is descriptive of the state of his heart; (a) he prays—then he no longer blasphemes Jesus, but, as an humble supplicant, entreats the Lord whom he had previously persecuted; (b) he prays—then he is no longer a persecutor of the Christians, but has cast away the sword, and folds his unarmed hands in peace. II. It attracts loving hearts to him; (a) the Lord himself looks down with love from “the high and holy place” [Isa_57:15] on the contrite heart, that humbly addresses him in prayer; (b) it becomes the duty of the Church of the Lord to approach him with tender pity, and no longer consider him as a dangerous and lost man, of whom it is once said, Behold, he prayeth!
Act_9:12. And hath seen in a vision a man.—Why does the Lord adopt so many extraordinary means in the case of Saul, namely, visions and direct revelations? I. On account of his future apostolic office, that he might be able to say: “I have received of the Lord, etc.” [1Co_11:23]. II. On account of his previous pharisaical mode of thought, that he might understand that grace is not produced by man’s own powers of reason, or by carnal learning.—Hath seen a man … coming in, and putting his hand on him.—It seems then that the ordinary means of grace continued to be of primary importance. Even when the individual’s experience is of a peculiar nature, it is always necessary that he should be directed to the word and the ministry, Christ himself says to the ten lepers who were miraculously healed: Go shew yourselves unto the priests. [Luk_17:14]. (Ap. Past.).
Act_9:13-14. Ananias answered, etc.—His hesitation arose partly from human infirmity, from which even saints are not free, and partly from a laudable caution; for we should not trust that which professes to be an extraordinary revelation, without proving it. (From Starke).
Act_9:15. Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me.—Go, (comp. Act_9:11.)—He is, etc.—The mystery of the divine election of grace was publicly magnified by the preaching of the apostle Paul; for he. is himself a glorious illustration of the power of free grace in the hearts of lost sinners. (Besser).—The words: He is, etc., a glorious description of the evangelical ministry: I. The divine authority by which it is sustained: “He is a chosen vessel unto me”; II. The heavenly blessing which it confers: “To bear my name:” III. The wide sphere of action assigned to it: “Before the Gentiles … Israel.” (The external or internal position of no man is so exalted, or so lowly, that the ministry has not received a message for him).—He is, etc.—Behold the wonderful power of divine grace! It converts the ravening wolf, first of all, into a peaceful lamb, and then even into a faithful shepherd. It first breaks off the point of the persecutor’s menacing spear, and then converts the latter into the shepherd’s protecting crook.
Act_9:16. . I will shew him how great things he must suffer.—Ananias is merely the messenger; the Lord himself will do the rest. The former proclaims the grace of God to Saul; Jesus will qualify him for his office, and show him the way wherein he should go. He will, moreover, reveal to Saul the purpose of the sufferings which await him, and will fill his heart with the courage of faith, and with joy. (Ap. Past.).—How great things he must suffer.—The more abundantly God grants his grace to a soul, the greater are the afflictions which he sends. (Starke).
Act_9:17. Ananias went … and putting his hands on him, said.—How well it is when a teacher follows the directions of the Lord with simplicity of heart! Ananias finds all, even as the Lord has said—the house indicated to him—Saul, to whom he was sent—the work assigned to him—the result which was promised. (From Ap. Past.).—Brother Saul, etc.—The address of Ananias, a model of pastoral wisdom: “Brother”; behold the gentleness of love with which a bruised heart should be approached. “The Lord—hath sent me;” behold how he points heavenward, whence alone the salvation and help of the penitent sinner can come. “That [who] appeared unto thee”; behold the cheering reference to the beginning of the work of grace which had already been made. “In the way as thou earnest”; a gentle reference to his former sinful way. “That thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost”; a consolatory statement of the glorious purpose of God’s gracious work.
Act_9:18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales.—Many souls that wander from one celebrated pulpit orator to another, in order to obtain an assurance of salvation, would have often come to the light by resorting to a devout layman. (Williger).—The sinner is enlightened when the scales of his own vain imagination are taken away from his mind by the Holy Spirit, through the word and prayer, and when the light of heaven streams into his soul. (Starke).—What progress a soul can make in a few brief days, if it is willing to obey grace implicitly! (Ap. Past.).—Arose, and was baptized, etc.—The restoration of Saul’s sight was not the main purpose for which Ananias came; it was merely the forerunner or earnest of that salvation which was to be imparted to him through Baptism. (Leonh. and Sp.).—Ananias rightly regarded any instructions and any preparations for the baptism as superfluous. [See Doctr. and Eth. above, No. 6. ult.]. Such a provision for the proper understanding of baptism in the name of Jesus had here been made, as had never yet been known, and never can be repeated. (Baumgarten).
Act_9:19. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.—Like views and feelings are a bond of union. After Paul had been ingrafted in Jesus by baptism, he was also ingrafted in the communion of the members of the church; the immediate purpose of this process was, that his new life might be invigorated, and that he might be recompensed for having lost the friendship of the world; but it was the ultimate purpose that he might communicate to others, and labor independently in strengthening the church and spreading the Gospel.
ON THE WHOLE SECTION, (Act_9:1-19 a.).
(See Couard,: Predigten, etc. [Sermons on the conversion of the apostle Paul.] Berlin. 1838.). Saul is changed into Paul: I. Saul’s last journey; II. The crisis in his history; III. The beginning of Paul. (Ahlfeld).
Jesus glorified by the conversion of Paul: in so far as He reveals, I. His patience; II. His mercy; III. His power; IV. His wisdom. (Knapp).
The grace of Christ which calls the sinner, glorified in the conversion of Paul—“a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” [1Ti_1:16]: I. Who was called? II. How was he called? III. How did he receive the call? (W. Hofacker).
The conversion of Saul, a miracle: in view, I. Of the character of the man; II. Of the circumstances attending it; I III. Of the impressions which it made. (Lisco).
The instructions furnished by the conversion of the apostle Paul: I. By the fact itself; (a) it illustrates the depth of divine wisdom in calling men to the faith, and (b) the greatness and omnipotence of divine mercy. II. By the deportment of the apostle; (a) when he asks: “Who art thou, Lord?” and receives the answer; (b) when he asks: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” and receives the answer. (Lisco).
Doubts respecting the conversion of others—first, founded on their previous conduct, and on special instances of an apparent but false conversion; but, secondly, not justified by our faith in the almighty, power of grace, nor by cases which have furnished indubitable evidences of a genuine change of heart. (Lisco).
The salutary lessons which the conversion of Paul affords to excellent, but unconverted men. (Nitzsch.)
The great miracle of the conversion of Paul: I. He who had persecuted Jesus, now enters his service; II. He who had not known Jesus, becomes his chosen vessel; III. The learned Pharisee now first begins to learn: IV. He loses his sight, whose spiritual eyes are opened; V. He who is appointed to bear the Lord’s name [before Gentiles and Jews, Act_9:15], is waiting in solitude and silence. (Beck: Homilet. Rep.).
The conversion of Paul: I. Saul, the persecutor, is suddenly converted; II. Paul, the converted man, is exercised in patience, (ib.).
The conversion of Paul—a fulfilment of the words: “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” [Pro_16:9]. (Beck: Christl. Reden).
Paul, the man who sold all that he had [Mat_13:44]: in his joy on finding the treasure in the field, he sold all that he had, and bought that field. What did he abandon for the sake of Jesus? I. His circumcision, viewed as a claim on God; for he now rejoices in Christ Jesus, and has no confidence in the flesh [Php_3:3]; II. His birth as one of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; he is now born again, of water and of the Spirit; III. His nationality, as a Hebrew of the Hebrews; he is now a Christian, and, consequently, of Abraham’s seed, and an heir according to the promise; IV. His position as a Pharisee; he is now a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle; V. His legal zeal, with which he persecuted the Church; he is now a beloved brother, and a partaker of Christ’s sufferings [1Pe_4:13]: VI. His righteousness, with regard to which he was blameless [Php_3:6]; he now has the righteousness of faith by grace; VII. Finally, he yielded up the world to the cross of Christ, by whom the world was crucified unto him, and he unto the world. Gal_6:14. (Fr. Kapff, Pastor in Wilhelmsdorf: “Saul, Paul”).
The difficulties which the Lord places in the way of man’s destruction: I. In the Law, He threatens him with the curse of hell; II. In the Gospel, He draws him by the promise of grace; III. In the walk of believers, He exhibits the blessedness of faith; IV. In the wonderful ways of His Providence, He reveals to him His power and goodness; V. In the ministers of the Church, He sends to him guides unto life. (Leonh. and Sp.).
On Regeneration: I. Its necessity, Act_9:1-2; even in the case of those who do not, like Saul, breathe out threatenings and slaughter; II. Its nature, Act_9:3-6; the way is prepared for it by the knowledge which we acquire of our own sins, and of divine grace; it is completed when an entire change is effected in all our modes of thought, in our feelings, and in our will; III. Its results; they are, at first, concealed from the world, Act_9:7, but are gradually manifested by love to the Lord, which extends to his people, Act_9:15, by joyfulness in sufferings, Act_9:16, and by zeal for the honor of God and the salvation of the world, Act_9:20-22. (Lisco).
The glory of Jesus Christ revealed in his victory at Damascus: I. In protecting his friends; II. Subduing his foes.
The great day of Damascus: I. Clouds and storms in the morning; II. Burning heat and thunder-storms at noon; III, Serenity and holy peace in the evening.
The spiritual contest on the battle-field of Damascus: I. The mighty foes who there encounter each other; the raging Saul with his warlike escort, and his weapons of human learning and carnal zeal; Christ, the Crucified and Exalted One, with the marks of his wounds, and in his celestial glory, followed by the hosts of the angels, in whose presence there is joy over one sinner that repenteth. II. The violent struggle which succeeds; Christ assaults, Act_9:3-4, Saul defends himself; Act_9:6. III. The glorious victory; Saul and his men yield, Christ triumphs, ver 6, 7. IV. The rich spoils; “he shall have the strong as a prey” [see above, Hom. Act_9:4], Saul is led away as a captive, Act_9:8, not, however, to death, but to life, Act_9:9 ff. V. The joyful Te Deum sung by the Church, Act_9:19 ff.
The personal experience of the apostle Paul at his conversion, the foundation of his whole subsequent preaching: I. Concerning the power of sin; we are all by nature sinners and enemies of God; the law can pronounce only a sentence of condemnation; our works do not justify us before God. Such was his experience in the vicinity of Damascus, and during the three days of his blindness; II. Concerning the power of grace; it is revealed to the world in Christ) the prince of life; it is offered to all without distinction of birth or race. Repentance and faith conduct to salvation. All these truths were made manifest to him from the time in which the light of Jesus shone about him, and he heard the voice: “I am Jesus!”, until Ananias laid his hands on him and conferred baptism.
(On the festival of the Reformation [Octob. 31] —on which the pericope, Act_9:1-20, in the series adopted in Würtemberg, is sometimes read as the evening Scripture lesson). Paul and Luther, two chosen vessels of the Lord: I. The manner in which he prepared them for his service; (a) He selects the appropriate material; a Pharisee, for overthrowing Pharisaism—a monk, for overthrowing Popery; in each case precisely the fitting instrument; (b) He brings them forward at the proper time; it was a critical time, when that scene occurred near Damascus, but it was also the proper time. And when the Lord called forth Luther, the proverb was applicable: “When the need is greatest, God is nearest”; (c) He forges them in the right fire; the fire is the flame of repentance, enkindled by the Holy Spirit—the hammer is God’s weighty word [Jer_23:29]. It was by means of such a fire and such a hammer that Paul was made the noblest of Damascene blades [allusion to the celebrated Damascene sword blades. —Tr.]; the same fire and the same hammer were applied to Luther in the cell of the monastery of Erfurt. II. The manner in which he employed them; (a) in subduing His enemies; Paul and Luther were both soldiers of the Lord—sharp swords—not constituted like John [the Evangelist] and Melanchthon; (b) in defending his friends; the pastoral fidelity of Paul—the zeal of love in Luther; (c) in blessing us all—not that we should depend on the name of man, or hazard our all on the word of a mere man, but that we should suffer ourselves to be guided to Him whose servants and chosen vessels were also Paul and Luther.
The history of Paul’s conversion, a type of the history of the Reformation: in both cases, I. Previously to each event (a) Christ was persecuted; (b) believers were harassed; II. When each event occurred, (a) there was light from heaven; (b) repentance in the heart; III. Thereafter (a) evangelical preaching in the Church (Act_9:20 ff.); (b) evangelical missions in the world. (Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles).
[The mission of Ananias, the disciple of Damascus: I. Its purpose; (a) its special purpose—to encourage Ananias—to direct Saul; (b) its general purpose—to promote the interests of the infant church—to confer a permanent blessing on the church. II. His qualifications for it: (a) his childlike faith; (b) his entire consecration to God. III. His mode of accepting it, (a) illustrates the weakness of the flesh; (b) and the power of divine grace. IV. Its results; (a) it gave the inspired apostle Paul to the world; (b) it will eternally glorify God. —Tr.]
Footnotes:
[6]Act_9:10. The following order of the words, ἐν ὁράματι ὁ κύριος, is far better attested [A. B. C. E., Cod. Sin., and adopted by Lach., Tisch., and Alf.] than ὁ κύρ. ἐν ὁρ. [in the text. rec. and G. H.]
[7]Act_9:11. Lachmann, in accordance with B., has adopted ἀνάστα [imperative form, Win. Gram. § 14. 1. h.], but the participle ἀναστάς [of the text. rec.] is here, as well as in Act_10:13; Act_10:20, fully sustained [by Cod. Sin., etc., and is adopted by Tisch., and Alf.—Tr.]
[8]Act_9:12. a. The words ἐν ὁράματι before ἄνδρα are [found, in this order, in E. G. H., but in B. C. before ει̇͂δεν; they are] wanting entirely in A., [and Cod. Sin.] and some versions [Vulg., etc.], and have been very properly cancelled by Lach. and Tisch., [and Alf. on account of the various position]; they were transferred, as an explanation, from Act_9:10.
[9]Act_9:12. b. In place of χεῖρα [of text. rec.], Which is found in G. H., as well as in some versions and fathers, A. and C. [and Cod. Sin.] exhibit χεῖρας; B. and E., besides, prefix the article, τὰς χ. derived from Act_9:17, where no various reading occurs. The plural is unquestionably the more usual form (“always in the Acts, except here” (Meyer)], and was, precisely for that reason, substituted as a correction of the singular, [χεῖρα is adopted by Meyer and Alf.; the plural by Lach., Vulg.—Tr.]
[10]Act_9:13. ἀκήκοα [of text. rec.] is supported only by G. h. [Chryst. etc], whereas ἤκουσα [adopted by Lach., Tisch., Meyer and Alf.] occurs in A. B. C. E. [and Cod. Sin.].
[11]Act_9:16. αὐτόν [before ὅσα] in place of αὐτῷ [text. rec. Cod. Sin., etc.] is not sustained by weighty authorities [found in G., but not recognized by later critics.—Tr.]
[12]Act_9:18. The text. rec., in accordance with E. G. [and Syr.] inserts παραχρῆμα after ἀνέβλεψέ τε; but the word is not found in A. B. C. H. [Cod. Sin. Vulg.] and minuscules, and is obviously an interpolation. [Omitted by Lach., Tisch., and Alf.—Tr.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv10–18 a certain disciple . . . named Ananias--See on…
a certain disciple . . . named Ananias--See on Act 22:12.
to him said the Lord--that is, Jesus. (See Act 9:13-14, Act 9:17).
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 vv10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 2. Ananias Baptizes and Authenticates Saul, Act_9:10-18.
2. Ananias Baptizes and Authenticates Saul, Act_9:10-18.
10. Disciple… Ananias—A permanent resident of high reputation (Act_22:12) at Damascus. How came so settled a Christian there? (See note on Act_9:19.)
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 vv10–18 10–22. Saul’s sight restored. He preaches in Damascus
10–22. Saul’s sight restored. He preaches in Damascus
10. And [Now] there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias] Of this disciple we have no further mention in Holy Writ except in chap. Act_22:12, where St Paul describes him as “a devout man according to the Law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt” at Damascus. Whether he had become a Christian during the life of Jesus, or was among the Jewish converts on the day of Pentecost or at some subsequent time and had been forced to flee from Jerusalem by the persecution which followed on the death of Stephen, we are not told, but we can gather, from the words which he employs in expressing his reluctance to visit Saul, that he had much and trustworthy communication still with the Holy City, for he knows both of the havock which the persecutor has caused, and of the purpose of his mission to Damascus. On the name Ananias see Act_5:1, note.
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and to him said the Lord in a vision] As Saul had been prepared for the visit by a vision, so Ananias is by a vision instructed to go to him. Dean Howson’s remarks (Life and Epistles of St Paul, i. 101) on this preparation and its similarity to the preparation of Peter and Cornelius deserve to be dwelt on. “The simultaneous preparation of the hearts of Ananias and Saul, and the simultaneous preparation of those of Peter and Cornelius—the questioning and hesitation of Peter and the questioning and hesitation of Ananias—the one doubting whether he might make friendship with the Gentiles, the other doubting whether he might approach the enemy of the Church—the unhesitating obedience of each when the Divine will was made clearly known—the state of mind in which both the Pharisee and the Centurion were found—each waiting to see what the Lord would say unto them—this close analogy will not be forgotten by those who reverently read the two consecutive chapters, in which the baptism of Saul and the baptism of Cornelius are narrated in the Acts of the Apostles.” When so much criticism has been expended to shew that the Acts is a work of fiction written at a late period to minimize certain differences supposed to exist between the teaching of St Paul and that of St Peter, it is well to know that others have seen, in these undoubted analogies, proofs of the working of a God who is ever the same, and who would have all men to be saved through Jesus Christ.
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 vv10–18 (10) A certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias.—In Act_22:12…
(10) A certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias.—In Act_22:12 St. Paul speaks of him as a “devout man” (the same word as in Act_2:5; Act_8:2) “according to the law,” well reported of by all the Jews who dwelt at Damascus. The name was so common that any identification must be in some measure uncertain, but the account which Josephus gives (Ant. xx. 2, § 4) of the conversion of Izates, King of Adiabene, to the faith of Israel by a Jewish merchant who bore the name of Ananias, and who taught that it was enough for men to worship the God of Israel without being circumcised, suggests, as probable, the thought that he too was a preacher of the gospel of Christ as St. Paul preached it. The arrival of another teacher, Eleazar of Galilee, who worked on the young king’s fears and compelled him to be circumcised, presents a striking parallel to the manner in which the Judaisers followed on the track of St. Paul in Galatia and elsewhere (Gal_2:4; Gal_4:17). The narrative here leaves it uncertain whether this Ananias had been a disciple during our Lord’s ministry or had been converted since the Day of Pentecost. In relation to St. Paul the name had a two-fold significance. He had come from one Annas, or Ananias, the Sadducean high priest, he was to be received by another. The meaning of the name—identical with that of Jochanan, Joannes, John, “the Lord is gracious”—was itself an omen and prophecy of pardon.
To him said the Lord in a vision.—It is clear from Act_9:16 that the writer is speaking of the Lord Jesus. The ready acceptance of the command seems to imply either personal discipleship or previous visions of the same nature.
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 vv10–18 Now for and, A.V.; and the Lord said unto…
Now for and, A.V.; and the Lord said unto him for and to him said the Lord, A.V. Behold, I am here. The regular Hebrew answer (Gen_22:1; 1Sa_3:4, 1Sa_3:6, 1Sa_3:8, etc.)
Vers. 10-18. Christ"s treatment of us and our obedience to him.
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I THAT CHRIST MAY CALL US TO WORK WHICH WILL BE AT FIRST PERPLEXING. (Vers. 10-14.) Nothing which Christ could have given Ananias to do would have surprised him more than the duty with which he was entrusted. It filled him with astonishment and perplexity. Instead of immediately acquiescing, he raised a strong objection (vers. 13, 14). It seemed impossible to him that this should be his mission; nevertheless it was so, and the obedient disciple of Damascus never did a better morning"s work than when he conveyed sight to the eyes and gladness to the heart of the last and greatest of the apostles. We may be summoned by our Lord, either through the promptings of his own Spirit or through the instrumentality of his Church, to do work which at first seems surprising, undesirable, useless. We may be invited to appeal to those we deem unlikely to welcome us, to address ourselves to apparently unremunerative toil, to cultivate ground which looks sterile to our eye; but it may be that we are really called of Christ to do a most needed and useful work.
II THAT CHRIST ONLY KNOWS WHAT IS THE RANGE OF OUR SPIRITUAL CAPACITY. (Ver. 15.) There may be very much more of spiritual power resident in us or in our neighbors than we have any conception of. How many have lived and died with vast possibilities of good in their nature never realized! Their talent has been buried. Has not our Master some good or even some great work for us to achieve? May we not, like Ananias, be instrumental in leading forward some servant of Christ who has great capacities of usefulness in him? We must make the most and best of ourselves and of others; only our Lord and theirs knows how much it is in us and in them to accomplish.
III THAT CHRIST MAY CALL US TO THE HIGHEST POST IT IS EVER GIVEN TO HIS SERVANTS TO FILL. (Ver. 16.) He may summon us to "suffer for his Name"s sake." We never reach so lofty an altitude, never come so near to the Master himself, never so nobly serve our kind, as when we willingly and cheerfully suffer for the kingdom of heaven"s sake; then we may "rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is our reward in heaven.
IV THAT THE SPIRIT OF OBEDIENCE IS NEVER MORE TRULY MANIFEST THAN WHEN WE DO WORK FROM WHICH WE SHRINK. (Ver. 17.) When it is in our human nature to shrink from any duty, but when, from regard to our Master"s will, we address ourselves to it, then we do that which is acceptable to him. It is at variance with our material interests, against our inclinations, opposed to our tastes and views; "nevertheless at Christ"s word we will" do what is desired. (see Luk_5:5) Ananias shrinks from approaching the arch-persecutor; nevertheless at Christ"s bidding he goes, takes a friendly tone and does a brotherly deed.
V THAT WE SHOULD AT ONCE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR DIVINE REDEEMER. (Ver. 18.) As soon as the scales had fallen from his eyes and he received sight, as soon as he had been favored with this further confirmation that he was under the teaching and leading of the Son of God himself, Paul "arose and was baptized." No interval elapsed between the time when he was free to act as one redeemed and healed of Christ, and his action of open acknowledgment of conversion to the faith. We do well to wait till we are thoroughly assured of our whole-hearted reception of Jesus Christ before we confess him before men; but as soon as we clearly see that he is our Lord and that we are his disciples, it is
(1) our simple duty, as it is
(2) our valuable privilege, to honor our Redeemer by an open declaration of attachment to him, and to join ourselves to his disciples (ver. 19). C.
Vers. 10-19. Saul and Anaemias.
I THE MINISTRY OF MAN TO MAN. After the direct revelation through the terror of the lightning and the thunderbolt, comes the mediate revelation through the familiar voice and manner of one"s fellow-man. Ananias is not an apostle; he is a disciple, a member of the Church simply, entrusted with no particular office or position. Possibly the reason for this was that Paul might not be dependent on any of the other apostles, tie was, he said, "an apostle, not from men nor by men, but by Jesus Christ." But the general lesson is on the unofficial service of Christians to others. Officialism often brings Christianity into suspicion. The genuine service of private Christians is always of value and always an evidence of the Spirit of Christ.
II THE HOPEFULNESS OF THE ACT OF PRAYER. The good disciple is directed to go to Saul, "for behold, he prayeth!" A pregnant word by which to describe the condition of a converted sinner. He prays; therefore he is no longer a persecutor of Jesus, but a captive of his grace, subject of his love. He prays; therefore his heart is emptied of its former hate towards the brethren, and is filled with meekness and charity. The expression also betokens the gracious mind of the speaker. The Lord looks down with pity on the broken heart prostrate before him in prayer. And the Church are in like manner to turn to him, as one though lost yet found, no longer a foe but a friend. "Behold, he prays!
III THE IMPRESSIONS ATTENDING CONVERSION. Saul has seen the messenger of Christ coming in and laying his hands on him that he may receive his sight. It is by its associations that any great event in the outward world or in the mind fixes itself on the memory. Paul was to look back upon those days as an inexhaustible fund of deepest spiritual impressions. He shall be able to say, "I received my office as apostle not from man but from Jesus Christ." He shall be forever cured of his Pharisaic wisdom and pride of the flesh. He was not reasoned into Christianity, but the living Christ was revealed in him, in ways too manifold and various to be mistaken.
IV THE STARTLING CHANGE OFTEN INVOLVED IN CONVERSION. Ananias hesitates. The acts of men are standing evidence of their disposition. What safer guide can we have? Yet the Divine voice quells the hesitation of Ananias. Saul is a chosen vessel, instrument, or tool, fashioned by the Divine hand and for the Divine purposes. In the mysterious world of the human heart all things are possible to God even as elsewhere. The volcanic fire which is working beneath the convulsions of the earthquake is a formative as well as a destructive agent. The passionate outbreaks of a man against a principle or a party are often a sign of internal change going on. Saul was to be fashioned as an instrument for the greatest work, perhaps, ever committed to man the bearing of the Name, i.e. the message and doctrine of Christ to the Gentiles, to confront and shake the powers of the world with the power of the crucified One. Such a missionary must need no common training. He must have known the depths of the evil of his own heart, the heights of redeeming grace. That Christ could conquer the proud and stubborn Pharisee, and turn Saul into Paul, was a prophecy of the nature of his progressive conquests over mankind.
V CHRIST"S CHOSEN ONE CHOSEN FOR SUFFERING. (Ver. 16.) Christ will show the newly caned, not what things he is to enjoy, what honors he is to reap, but what things he must suffer. Never was prophet called of God without some adumbration of future suffering, of struggle painful to flesh and blood. With us all there is something awful and repellent in the forms of duty. It is the "stern daughter of the voice of God." Yet in obedience alone can we enjoy true freedom and the presence of God in the soul. And the greater the strength given, the greater will be the struggles imposed, the pain to be endured, the inner sense of joy and triumph to be experienced. To follow Christ truly is no soft and sentimental thing it is an enterprise which taxes manhood to its utmost. To him may be applied the words of the poet
Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead"s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face.
VI DELIVERANCE AND STRENGTH IMPARTED BY CHRIST. Ananias comes with his cheering message and his inspired acts to emancipate the body and soul of Saul.
1. He is to see again. The first view of new truth "blinds with excess of light." Presently the scales fall, and the eyes are found to have new powers of perception. We may find a parable here. The exchange of fleshly wisdom and narrow views for spiritual insight and wide command of the field of vision scorns at first a loss. We can see nothing for a time; the old horizon has vanished. Presently the darkness lifts, the dawn appears; we are in a new scene, and "behold, all things are become new.
2. He is to be filled with the Holy Ghost. The moment of the break-down of all our old system of thought and life is that of extreme weakness. It is that self-emptiness which is utterly painful, but prepares for the incoming and indwelling of Divine power the Holy Spirit.
3. Baptism as an epoch of life. It closes one era, it opens another. The putting on of Christ the essential thing in baptism involves renunciation on the one hand, fresh choice on the other. God sets us free that we may serve him.
I myself commend Unto thy guidance from rids hour. Oh, let my weakness have an end I
To live out in our own experience the call, and conversion, and initiation of Saul is to get to the heart of human nature and of the relation of Christ to that nature. J.
Vers. 10-19. Baptism of St. Paul.
While the conversion was independently of human agency, the new life awakened was immediately called up by Divine appointment into fellowship with the life of the Church. The baptism is here plainly a Divine seal upon the individual, an invitation to the privileges of the Church, a consecration to higher life and service.
I THE CHOSEN VESSEL MARKED OUT BY THE LORD. By the supernatural signs
1. The vision; the communication of Ananias and its results; the opened eyes of the new convert.
2. The introduction of Saul among the circle of believers at Damascus. They would receive him as not only a converted man, but one of whom the Lord predicted such things.
II THE TWO BRETHREN UNITED IN PRAISE.
1. The joy of Ananias over Saul; the joy of Saul in the salutation of
brotherly love.
1. An answer to prayer. Darkness turned to light.
2. A release from the captivity of an anxious solitude. Such a mind needed quickly to be delivered from the danger of too great a reaction. The sympathy of an experienced Christian with a young convert is unspeakably precious. The introduction to Ananias was an introduction to the Church at Damascus, which, while no doubt wholly Jewish, was yet prepared by its training in that city for the reception of such a man. They would be less startled then at the announcement that he would go to the Gentiles. Thus God works all things according to the good pleasure of his will. The converted Saul opens his eyes in Damascus.
III SPECIAL CONSECRATION of the newly won soul to higher service by the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
1. The baptism was an acceptance on Saul"s part of the Lord"s commission. He knew that he would have much to do for Christ. He remembered the past and desired to make up for it by entire devotedness to him whom he had persecuted.
2. Extraordinary conversion is a preparation for extraordinary service.
The days of darkness are days of wrestling prayer. The foundations of the new life were laid deep. Augustine; Luther; Bunyan; Chalmers. Grace abounding to one who has felt himself the chief of sinners becomes abounding strength to do the Lord"s work. Preachers who have no deep experience to fall back upon cannot speak to the hearts of others.
3. The special gifts of the Holy Ghost bestowed through the ministration of Ananias. A miraculous power at once descended on Saul, and he felt himself lifted out of the ordinary current of his life and set in a higher level of experience and faculty. R.
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 vv10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus called…
Act_9:10-18
And there was a certain disciple at Damascus called Ananias.
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Ananias of Damascus
1. Most people have watched a little steam tug busily towing some great ship down stream or out into the sea. The tug is almost extinguished by the giant hull that floats behind, and returns unnoticed into port, while, observed of all observers, the big ship spreads her white sails to the breeze, and, like a noble bird upon the wing, speeds her silent but majestic flight across the waves. The conversion of Saul, and the glorious work which he achieved, are household words in our Christian communities, and evidences of our Christian faith. Every one is familiar with the start of that goodly vessel, with the voyages it made, and the precious cargoes which it carried. But that ship also had its steam tug, who appears at the crisis, does the work appointed to Him and then vanishes.
2. How a Christian Church had grown together at Damascus we know not; but some of the scattered disciples, doubtless, fled thither after Stephens death, and converts were added from among the native Jews. Thus far Jews and Christians seem to have lived on peaceable and even friendly terms, far removed from the controversies of Jerusalem. Ananias himself was universally respected. He was known as a devout man according to the law, and had a good report of all the Jews which dwelt in Damascus. Such are the men whom our Lord loves to employ, men of unblemished character, sanctified and meet for the Masters use, etc.
3. It does not follow that Ananias held any official position in the Church. We have a perfect right to consider him a private Christian, with no special gift of public speech or pastoral authority, but holding the warrant which belongs to all disciples, to preach the gospel. Ananiass commission is only what may come to any one of us, and for which we should be prepared. True, the Lord spoke to him in a vision; but He may speak with equal emphasis by the whisper of His Spirit, or the indication of His providence; and our attitude, like his, must be that of the girded loins and watchful eye--Behold, I am here, Lord.
4. The work prepared for Ananias is now unfolded to him. In the street called Straight stood a house, belonging to a well-known citizen, Judas; and there lies a blind man, wanting help, which Ananias is to give. The man is expecting him: for he too has had a vision of such an one coming. And mark the motive for going. Behold, he prayeth; that is the sight which attracts the eye of the Lord, and ought to kindle the zeal of the disciples. Are you beginning to pray? The ear of Christ has caught the sound. It comes floating up to the high heavens, through all the thunder of the angels adoration, and the ceaseless murmur of the universe, heard as surely as an infants cry reaches the mothers ear amidst the bustle of the house. He sees you; and He will stir up some Ananias to come to you.
5. The street is called Straight, the house is the house of Judas, and so far all is plain; but the man in the house--what is his name? The sound of his name fell like a thunderbolt; inquire for one called Saul of Tarsus. Shall Ananias put his head into the tigers mouth? Shall he carry the pearl of the gospel and east it down at the feet of its bitterest calumniator? Lord, I have heard by many of this man, and I had rather have nothing to do with him! How often has the same answer started to our lips at some distasteful call of duty. But these difficult errands are really our noblest opportunities. Go thy way, Ananias; thou art to have part in a work with the fame of which the world shall ring! That persecutor is a chosen vessel unto Me. To that devout disciple it is granted to take Saul of Tarsus by the hand, to introduce him into the Church, and to send him forth upon his mission of self-sacrifice. May there be no such honours waiting for us? John Bunyan was first enlightened by the simple Christian talk of some poor women, spinning on the summers evening at their cottage doors. Sir Hope Grant is said to have been brought out of utter indifference by overhearing a group of private soldiers at prayer. The mouse lets loose the lion. Only let us cultivate simplicity and faith, and yield a prompt obedience to the call of duty, and to us too may fail some glorious trophy of Divine favour.
6. Brave believer as he was, Ananias reached the house, and found the man. He seems like some skilful and friendly physician in his treatment of the difficult case, and shows us how to deal with the inquiring.
(1) Before him lies the man whose hands have been imbrued in Christian blood. He would have had Ananias himself in prison before now, if he had not been hindered. But it is all forgotten and forgiven. Friendly hands are laid on those blind eyes, and a voice, full of pathos and pity, says, Brother Saul! The salutation with which one Christian was wont to salute another--breathing so different a spirit from rigid Pharisaism. It seemed to take in the poor forlorn sinner to a family fireside, with its warmth and light. If we want to do men good, they must be our brothers. Never stand, like some old pillar saint, on your high pedestal of virtue and talk down to the people at your feet. Go and sit at their side; put your hands on them; make them feel at home with you; and even if you have to do with the most wicked, speak to him as man to man, on the common footing of the love of God.
(2) There, is moreover, a cheerful assurance in the tone which Ananias takes. He might have come to that chief of sinners with stern words of condemnation. He comes with words of hope and with acts of blessing. The falling of the scales from Sauls eyes was but a symbol of the spiritual enlightenment which Ananias was permitted to bring to his benighted soul.
7. What a commission we Christians have and with what alacrity should it be done l Happy must be the surgeon who with delicate skill can give sight back to the blinded eye, and bid it look out once more on sky and earth, and springing flowers, and human faces. But higher and happier still the calling of the disciple, who may send forth a brother man rejoicing on his pilgrimage to the eternal sunshine of heaven.
8. Nor does Ananias reckon his task yet complete. We preach the gospel to men, and then too often let them go. It matters much to a young disciple that he should be clearly told what to do next. And now to Sauls eager inquiry, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? comes the appropriate answer, Arise and be baptized, and then, join thyself to the disciples. Was it not a joyful day when Ananias entered the Christian assembly, leading by the hand that changed and humbled man, and witnessed the good profession which he made? And have you been the means of guiding a soul to Christ? That is good; but now complete your work. Bring your friend into the Church, among fellow Christians, whose experience may instruct and edify him, and with whom he may find a spiritual home. (W. Brock, jun.)
The good Ananias: a lesson for believers
I. The man.
1. He was simply a private person. He is not described as pastor, or evangelist, or deacon: yet he was the channel for communicating the Holy Ghost to the great apostle. The Lord did not send to Paul an apostle, lest any should have said that Paul received his commission at second hand from those already in office. I see in many of you special qualifications for certain uses, which your being church officers or preachers might take from you.
2. He was a disciple. He sat at Jesus feet and learned of Him, and therefore was ready to instruct Saul. How can you teach others that which Christ does not teach you?
3. He was a devout man (Act_22:12). Nowadays we greatly need more devout men, men of prayer, devoted men: for the strength of the spirit of man lies in fellowship with the Spirit of God. And he that has power with God will not fail to have power with men.
4. He had a good report of all the Jews which dwell in Damascus. They hated Christians, but they could not help respecting this devout man. The world had then, as it still has, a respect for those who walk with God. If we are to be useful to our fellow men we must deserve their esteem.
5. He was thoughtful for the Church of God. He was grieved at the afflictions of the saints in Jerusalem, and he feared for his brethren in Damascus. He is the first to call Christians saints, or holy ones. He had evidently noticed with delight this point of their character. All the servants of God should take an interest in the condition of the Church. It is one mark that a man is right towards God when he is right towards the family of God.
II. His posture. He was familiar with the Old Testament, and remembered how the Lord said, Abraham, and the patriarch answered, Here am I, and how Samuel and Isaiah said the same. Did not this indicate that--
1. His heart was responsive to the Divine voice? God speaks to us many times and gets no answer. Happy is he who can say with David, When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, etc. If there be a call to duty, or a prompting to sacrifice, does your spirit say at once, Here am I?
2. He was ready. He did not ask, What for? but Here am I, ready for anything. Are we free from reservations? Whatsoever the Lord saith to us, are we prepared to do it? What drawbacks there often are! But blessed is that man who says Ready, aye ready!
3. He was all there. Ananias. Here am I. In prayer, in singing, how often it happens that the mind is wandering--we are not there. There is such a thing as preaching, and doing service for God with a portion of yourself. I often see upon a sunny wall a chrysalis, and when I go to take it down, I find that the summers sun has shone upon it and the insect has developed, and left nothing but an empty case behind. How often in the pew we find the chrysalis of a man, but where is the man? Wait till tomorrow morning, and see him in his shop; there is the man; or, to follow up the figure, there is the butterfly. But if ever a man ought to be all there, it is when he is called to the service of God. He should marshal all his faculties, and every faculty should reply, Here am I. The whole of a living man is something worth having, but a fragment is only fit to be buried.
III. His direction. When he had thus said, Here am I! the Lord gave him his orders in detail. I do not say that the Lord will give us orders verbally, and I would have you not mistake your own whims for Gods voice; but I do say believe that Gods voice is calling you to that service which providence places in your way. God still guides His servants when they are willing to be guided. Ananias had his orders as to--
1. Where he should go. The Lord knows the street and house where the sinner lives who is to be blessed by you. Only wait upon Him, and if you go in His name He will take care that you are not sent to the wrong person.
2. To whom he was to go. The Lord knows the individual whom you are to bless, and all about him. Though you have no verbal directions, yet the person who falls in your way, if you will but seek to do Gods work to him, will turn out to be the person whom God intends you to bless.
3. When to go. Perhaps he had not yet left his bed, for it was a vision of the night; but he was to Arise and go. Gods errands are so important that we must not delay their performance. Why he was to go. Because the Master was there already. God had inspired the prayer of the blinded persecutor, and now he was about to answer it by Ananias. Where God has ploughed we are to sow. Of that preparation you know but little, but your own duty is clear enough.
5. What he was to do when he found Saul; he was to lay his hand on him. There is a great deal in the touch of an earnest man. If you stand half a mile off from a man, and throw the gospel at him, you will miss him; but if you go close to him, and lay hold upon him, and show that you have an affection for him, you will, by Gods blessing, lead him in the right way.
IV. His difficulties. These were--
1. Very natural. There is a promise that the leopard shall lie down with the kid, but it is not surprising that the kid should at first shrink from the monster; and so this simple-minded man was startled at the idea that he was to visit the malicious man who had sought the lives, of Christians.
2. Were such that he could tell the Lord about them; and whenever you feel any difficulty, if you can lay it before the Lord in prayer, there may be unbelief in it, but there will be no wilful sin in it.
3. Unfounded. If he had thought for a minute he would have concluded that if Saul prayed he must have ceased to persecute. Do we not lose opportunities of doing good by dwelling too much upon the past characters of those to whom we are sent? Utterly hopeless people are often the most hopeful when we have faith enough to approach them. Be hopeful that He who placed this sinner in your way and you in the sinners way has designs of love which are about to be accomplished.
V. His comfort. The Lord reassured His servant by reminding him--
1. Of the doctrine of election. He is a chosen vessel unto Me. Here was one whom God had chosen to bless, though Ananias knew it not.
2. That He had chosen this man to a great purpose. To bear My name among the Gentiles. A great sinner is to be made a great saint. A great opposer is to become a great labourer. Who knows how largely God may use the sinner whom we seek to save? You teachers may be teaching Luthers or Melancthons, holy men and women who shall serve the Lord abundantly.
3. That He would go with him--For I will show him, etc. You are bidden to teach an individual and you fear that you have no strength, and, therefore, you cry, Lord, I cannot show this man the truth. The Lord replies, I will show him.
VI. His obedience. It was--
1. Prompt. He went his way with all speed.
2. Exact: he entered into the house, and, putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul. He did as he had been bidden. And if I deliver my Lords message just as He gave it to me, then my Lord is responsible for the success of it, and not myself.
3. Loving. Brother Saul. You cannot win souls by putting on a morose countenance. Do not be afraid to call the individual Brother; but take care that you mean it. Ananias did not use the term as a cant expression, but his spirit and feeling were brotherly.
4. Wise. He did not pompously say, I am an ordained official, and therefore speak with authority; but The Lord, even Jesus, that appeared, etc. When he alludes to Pauls former course, he only gives a hint of it--the Lord that appeared to thee. He does not say, as thou camest to persecute us, but he allowed conscience to do its own work. He gives the items of his errand--that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
5. Faithful. Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins. The tendency with many is to say nothing upon that point.
VII. The results. They were--
1. Immediate; for Paul received his sight, was comforted and baptized at once.
2. Extensive; for this Paul became a preacher of the gospel to every land. Go ye, then, wherever God sends you. Everybody is not a Paul, but yet you may find a Paul among your converts. The pearl fisher plunges into the sea; he does not know whether or no he shall bring up a pearl that will decorate an emperors diadem, but he searches the deeps in that hope. No matter though the fisherman himself may be coarse and rugged, yet he may light upon a priceless pearl. And you, whoever you may be, plunge into your work with whole-hearted devotion, and you shall yet discover some hidden jewel which shall adorn Immanuels diadem. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v10 Chapter 3
Chapter 3
THE NEW CONVERT AND HIS HUMAN TEACHER.
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Act_9:10-11
SAUL of Tarsus was converted outside the city, but the work was only begun there. Christ would put honour upon the work of human ministry, and therefore He directs the stricken sinner to continue his journey and enter into Damascus, where he should be instructed in his future course of action, though Christ Himself might have told him all that was needful. It was much the same on the occasion of the so-called conversion of Cornelius, the pious centurion. The Lord made a revelation to the centurion, but it was only a revelation directing him to send for Peter, who should instruct him in the way of salvation. God instituted a human ministry that man might gain light and knowledge by the means and assistance of his brother-man, and therefore in both cases the Lord points the anxious inquirer to men like themselves, who could speak to them in Christs stead and guide them into fuller knowledge. Why could not Christ have revealed the whole story of His life, the full meaning of His doctrine, without human aid or intervention, save that He wished, even in the very case of the messenger whose call and apostleship were neither by man nor through man, to honour the human agency which He had ordained for the dissemination and establishment of the gospel? If immediate revelation and the conscious presence of God and the direct work of the Spirit could ever have absolved penitent sinners from using a human ministry and seeking direction and help from mortals like themselves, surely it was in the cases of Saul of Tarsus and Cornelius of Caesarea; and yet in both cases a very important portion of the revelation made consisted in a simple intimation where human assistance could be found.
Saul after the vision rose up from the earth and was led by the hand into Damascus. He was there three days without sight, wherein he neither did eat nor drink. This period of his life and this terrible experience is regarded by many as the time to which may be traced the weakness of eyesight and the delicate vision under which he ever afterwards suffered. The question has often been raised, What was St. Pauls thorn, or rather stake, in the flesh? Various opinions have been hazarded, but that which seems to me most likely to be true identifies the thorn or stake with severe ophthalmia.
Six substantial reasons are brought forward by Archdeacon Farrar in defence of this view.
(1) When writing to the Galatians St. Paul implies that his infirmity might well have made him an object of loathing to them; and this is specially the case with ophthalmia in the East. {see Gal_4:14}
(2) This supposition again gives a deeper meaning to the Apostles words to these same Galatians that they would at the beginning of their Christian career have plucked out their eyes to place them at his service. {Gal_4:15}
(3) The term "a stake in the flesh" is quite appropriate to the disease, which imparts to the eyes the appearance of having been wounded by a sharp splinter.
(4) Ophthalmia of that kind might have caused epilepsy.
(5) It would explain the words "See with how large letters I have written unto you with mine own hand," as a natural reference to the difficulties the Apostle experienced in writing, and would account for his constant use of amanuenses or secretaries in writing his Epistles, as noted, for instance, in Rom_16:22 and implied in 1Co_16:21.
(6) Ophthalmia would account for St. Pauls ignorance of the person of the high priest. {Act_23:5} This question has, however, been a moot point since the days of the second century, when Irenaeus of Lyons discussed it in his great work against Heresies, book 5. chap. 3., and Tertullian suggested that St. Pauls stake in the flesh was simply an exaggerated head-ache or ear-ache.
Let us now, however, turn to the more certain facts brought before us in the words of the sacred narrative. St. Paul was led by the hand into Damascus just as afterwards, on account, doubtless, of the same bodily infirmity dating from this crisis, he "was sent forth to go as far as to the sea," and then "was conducted as far as Athens." {cf. Act_17:10; Act_17:14-15} From this time forth the kindly assistance of friends and companions became absolutely necessary to the Apostle if his footsteps were to be guided aright, and hence it is that he felt solitude such as he endured at Athens a very trying time because he had no sense of security whenever he ventured to walk abroad. He became, in fact, a blind man striving to thread his way through the crowded footpaths of life. The high priests commissary must then have drawn near to Damascus under very different circumstances from those which fancy pictured for him a few days before. We know not by what gate he entered the city. We only know that he made his way to the house of Judas, where he remained for three days and three nights, with his whole soul so wrapped up in the wonders revealed to him that he had no thoughts for bodily wants and no sense of their demands.
The sacred narrative has been amply vindicated so far as its topographical accuracy is concerned. Saul, as he was led by the hand, instructed his escort to go to the house of Judas, a leading man we may be sure among the Jews of Damascus. He dwelt in Straight Street, and that street remains to-day, as in St. Pauls time, a thoroughfare running in a direct line from the eastern to the western gate of the city. Like all Oriental cities which have fallen under Turkish dominion, Damascus no longer presents the stately, well-preserved, and flourishing aspect which it had in Roman times; and, in keeping with the rest of the city, Straight Street has lost a great deal of the magnificent proportions which it once possessed. Straight Street in St. Pauls day extended from the eastern to the western gate, completely intersecting the city. It then was a noble thoroughfare one hundred feet broad, divided by Corinthian colonnades into three avenues, the central one for foot passengers, the side passages for chariots and horses going in opposite directions. It was to a house in this principal street in the city, the habitation of an opulent and distinguished Jew, that the escort brought the blind emissary of the Sanhedrin, and here they left him to await the development of Gods purposes.
I. Let us now consider the persons who cluster round the new convert, and specially the agent whom Christ used in the reception of Saul into the Church, and see what Scripture or tradition tells about them. One man stands prominent; his name was Ananias, a common one enough among the Jews, as the Acts of the Apostles has already shown us, for when we have surveyed the first beginnings of sin and moral failure in the Jerusalem Church we have found that an Ananias with Sapphira his wife was connected therewith. This Ananias of Damascus deserves special attention, for his case reveals to us a good deal of primitive Church history and is connected with many ancient traditions, Let us first strive to gain all the information we can about him from the direct statements of Scripture and the necessary or legitimate deductions from the same. Ananias was a Christian Jew of Damascus. He must have held a leading position in the local Christian Assembly in that city, within five years of the Ascension, for not only did our Lord select him as His agent or medium of communication when dealing with the new convert, but Ananias was well acquainted, by information derived from many persons, with the course of conduct pursued at Jerusalem by Saul, and knew of the commission lately intrusted to him by the high priest. Ananias was probably the head or chief teacher of the local Christian or Nazarene synagogue. At the same time he was also in all probability one of the original company of Jerusalem Christians who had been scattered abroad by the first great persecution. We are told in Act_11:19 that "they that were scattered abroad upon the tribulation that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to none save only to Jews." Ananias was probably one of these fugitives from Jerusalem who came to Damascus, and there sought refuge from the rage of the destroyer. St. Paul himself tells us of the character which Ananias sustained at Damascus: "He was a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews that dwell there." {Act_22:12} It is the character given of Zacharias, and Elisabeth, and of Simeon. Ananias was, like all the earliest disciples, a rigid observer of the minutest particulars of Jewish ordinances, though he and they alike rested upon Christ alone as their hope of salvation. Further than this, the Scriptures tell us nothing save that we can easily see from the words of the various narratives of the conversion that Ananias was a man of that clear faith, that deep spiritual life which enjoyed perpetual converse with the Unseen. He was not perturbed nor dismayed when Christ revealed Himself. He conversed calmly with the heavenly Visitor, raised his objections, received their solution, and then departed in humble obedience to fulfil the mission committed to him. There is a marvellous strength and power for the man of any age who lives, as Ananias did, with a clear vision of the eternal world constantly visible to the spiritual eye. Life or death, things present or things to come, the world temporal or the world spiritual, all are one to him who lives in the light of Gods countenance and walks beneath the shadow of His wing; for he feels and knows that underneath are the everlasting Arms, and he therefore discharges his tasks with an assured calmness, a quiet dignity, a heavenly strength of which the tempest-tossed and feverish children of time know nothing. Beyond these facts and these traits of character, which we can read between the lines of Holy Scripture, we are told nothing of Ananias. But tradition has not been so reticent. The ancient Church delighted to gather up every notice and every story concerning the early soldiers of the Cross, and Ananias of Damascus was not forgotten. The Martyrologies both of the Greek and Latin Churches give us long accounts of him. They tell that he was born in Damascus, and make him one of the seventy disciples, which is not at all improbable. Then they describe him at one time as bishop, at another time as a simple presbyter, of the Church at Damascus. They relate his abundant labours at Damascus and in the neighbouring cities, terminating with his martyrdom under a Roman prefect called Lucian. But these details, though they may lend colour to the picture, add nothing of spiritual significance to the information vouchsafed in Scripture.
Judas, into whose house Saul was received, is another person brought before us, upon whom a certain eternity of fame has been bestowed by his temporary connection with the Apostle. He must have been a man of position and wealth among the Jews of Damascus to receive the official representative and deputy of the high priest. It is possible that he may have been numbered among those early trophies of St. Pauls zeal which he won in the earliest days of his first love, when he "confounded the Jews, proving that Jesus is Christ." Judas has been by some identified with that Judas who was sent with St. Paul, Silas, and Barnabas as deputies to console the Church at Antioch and restore it to peace when distracted with debates about circumcision. {Act_15:22}
And now, to conclude this portion of our subject, we may add that the traditional houses, or at least the sites of the houses, of Ananias and Judas, together with the fountain where St. Paul was baptised, were shown in Damascus till the seventeenth century, as Quaresmius, a traveller of that time, tells us that he visited the Straight Street, which is the bazaar, and saw the house of Judas, a large and commodious building, with traces of having been once a church and then a mosque; that he visited the place of baptism, which is not far off, adding withal a ground plan of the house of Ananias. Dean Stanley, however, declares that the traditional house of Judas is not in the street called Straight at all. Let us turn aside from these details, the mere fringes of the story, to the spiritual heart and core thereof.
II. The conversation between Christ and Ananias next claims our attention. Here we may note that it was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who appeared to Ananias, and when appearing makes the most tremendous claims for Himself and allows them when made by Ananias. We are so accustomed to the words of the narrative that we do not recognise their bold assumptions and what they imply. The Lord calls Ananias, as He called Samuel of old, and then receives the same answer as Samuel gave, "Behold I am here, Lord." Ananias speaks to Jesus Christ of the disciples, and describes them as "Thy saints, who call upon Thy name." He knew that prayer to Jesus Christ was practised by them and constituted their special note or mark. Our Lord describes St. Paul "as a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel, for I will show him how many things he must suffer for My names sake." While again, when Ananias came into the house of Judas, he is so completely dominated by the idea of Jesus Christ, His presence, His power, His mission, that his words are, "The Lord Jesus hath sent me that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." In these passages we have a view of primitive Christianity and its doctrine as taught by Christ Himself, by His earliest disciples, and as viewed and recorded by the second generation of Christians, and it is all the same from whatever point it is looked at. The earliest form of Christianity was Christ and nothing else. The personality of Christ dominated every other idea. There was no explaining away the historical facts of His life, there was no watering down His supernatural actions and claims; the Lord Jesus-and His ordinary human name was used-the Lord Jesus, whom the Jews had known as the carpenters son, and had rejected as the prophet of Nazareth, and had crucified as the pretended king of Israel, He was for Ananias of Damascus the supernatural Being who now ruled the universe, and struck down the persecutor of His people, and sent His messengers and apostles that they might with Divine power heal the wounded and comfort the broken-hearted. Ananias felt no difficulty in identifying Jesus the despised, the crucified, with the Lord of glory who had appeared to him, upon whose name he called and with whom he communed. Jesus Christ was not for him a dream or a ghost, or a passing appearance, or a distinguished teacher, or a mighty prophet, whose spirit lived with the souls of the good and blessed of every age at rest in paradise. The Jesus of Ananias was no inhabitant or child of earth, no matter how pure and exalted. The Jesus of Nazareth was the Being of beings, who had a just right to call Gods people "His saints," and to describe the great work of His messengers and ministers to be that of "bearing His name before the Gentiles," because the Christianity of Ananias and of the earliest Church was no poor, weak, diluted system of mere natural religion regarding Jesus Christ as a Divine prophet, but as nothing more. It theorised not, indeed, about the Incarnation and the modes of the Divine existence. It was too much wrapped up in adoring the Divine manifestations to trouble itself about such questions, which came to the front when love waxed cold and men had time to analyse and debate. For Ananias and for men like him it was sufficient to know that Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh. For them and for the earliest Church that one fact embodied the whole of Christianity. Jesus Christ, the same when living in Galilee, suffering in Jerusalem, ascending from Olivet, reigning on the right hand of the Majesty on high, or manifesting Himself to His people, was the beginning and end of all religion.
This is a very important point to insist upon in the present age, when men have endeavoured to represent the religion of the primitive Church in quite a different light, and to teach that St. Paul was the inventor of that dogmatic system which insists upon the supreme importance and the essential deity of the Person of Jesus Christ. St. Lukes narrative in this passage seems to me quite decisive against such a theory, and shows us how Christianity struck an independent mind like that of Ananias, and how it was taught at a distant Christian Church like Damascus within five or at most seven years after the Ascension of Jesus Christ.
Then, again, we have in the vision granted to Ananias and the revelation made to him a description of Christs disciples. The description is a twofold one, coming on the one hand from Christ, and on the other from Ananias, and yet they both agree. Ananias describes the religion of Christ when he says, "Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem"; and then he proceeds to identify His "saints" with those that called on Christs name at Damascus. We have already noted prayer to Christ as a distinguishing feature of His people; but here we find, for the first time in the New Testament, the term "saints" applied to the ordinary followers of Christ, though in a short time it seems to have become the usual designation for the adherents of the crucified Redeemer, as we shall see by a reference to Rom_1:7, 1Co_1:2, Eph_1:1, and to numerous other passages scattered throughout the Epistles. Our Lord Himself sanctions the use of this title, and applies it Himself in a different shape in the fuller account of the divine words given us by St. Paul in his speech before King Agrippa. {Act_26:18} Christ tells St. Paul of his destined work "to turn the Gentiles from darkness to light, that they may receive an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me." The followers of Christ were recognised as saints in the true. sense of the word saint-that is, as separated, dedicated, consecrated persons, who had been made to drink into one Divine Spirit, had been made partakers of a new life, had been admitted to a kingdom of light and a fellowship of love, and who, by virtue of these blessings, had been cut off from the power of Satan and the kingdom of darkness. And all this had been and ever is to be effected "by faith that is in Christ." Christs saints or separated people are sanctified by faith in Christ. Not that the bare exercise of a faculty or feeling called faith will exercise a sanctifying influence upon human nature, -this would be simply to make man his own sanctifier, and to usurp for his own poor weak wretched self the Work and power which belong to the Holy Ghost alone, -but when Christ is realised as including all the parts of Gods final revelation, when no partial or limited view is taken of Christs work as if it were limited to the Incarnation alone, or the Atonement alone, or the Resurrection alone, but when the diverse and various parts and laws of His revelation are recognised as divinely taught, and therefore as tremendously important for the souls health. When the Holy Ghost and His mission, and good works and their absolute necessity, and Christs sacraments and His other appointed means of grace are duly honoured and reverently received, then indeed, and then alone, faith is truly exercised in Christ, and men are not merely separated by an external consecration, such as the Jews received at circumcision, and which qualified even that hard-hearted and stubborn people to be called a nation of saints; but when Christ is thus truly and fully received by faith into the hearts and affections of His people, they walk worthy of the high vocation called upon them. Many a mistaken exposition has been offered of St. Pauls Epistles, and many an effort has been made to explain away the plainest statements, because men will apply a false meaning to the word saints which Ananias here uses. If we first determine that the word saint could only have been applied to a truly converted man, clothed in the robe of Christs imputed righteousness, elected from eternity to everlasting salvation, and who could never finally fall away, and then find the term so defined applied, for instance, to the Corinthian Church as a whole, we shall come to some strange results. If truly converted men, true saints of Christ, could be guilty of sins such as were not named amongst the heathen, or could be drunk at the Lords Table, or could cherish all that long and dreary catalogue of spiritual! crimes enumerated in the Corinthian Epistles, then indeed the words true conversion have completely changed their meaning, and Christianity, instead of being the principle and fountain of a regenerate life, becomes a cloak under which all kinds of maliciousness and evil-doing may have free course and be glorified.
Our Lord protests beforehand unto St. Paul against such a perversion of the gospel of free grace with which His great Apostle had all his life to struggle. Antinomianism is as old as St. Pauls doctrine-so very much misunderstand-of justification. Our Lord raises His voice against it in His earliest commission to St. Paul when He sends him to the Gentiles "to turn them from darkness to moral and spiritual light," and "from the power of Satan unto God." And the New Testament often enough tells us what is meant by "the power of Satan." It was not any mere system of false beliefs alone, but it was a wicked and impure practice; and St. Pauls work was to turn the Gentiles from a wicked faith, combined with a still more wicked practice, to a life sanctified and purified and renewed after the image of a living Christ.
III. Finally, we notice in this conversation, and that only very briefly, the title given by our Lord to St. Paul, which became the favourite designation of the Apostle of the Gentiles, especially among the Western doctors of the ancient Church. "Go thy way," says Christ to Ananias, "for he is a chosen vessel unto Me," or, as the Revisers put it in the margin, translating still more literally from the original. "for he is a vessel of election." "Vas Electionis" is the usual title for St. Paul in St. Jeromes letters, as also in St. Chrysostoms homilies, and it expresses a side of his character which is prominent throughout his writings. Sauls early life was so alienated from Christ, his career had been so completely hostile to the gospel, his conversion had been so entirely Gods work and Gods work alone, that he ever felt and ever insisted more than the other New Testament writers on Gods electing love. If we compare the writings of St. John with those of St. Paul, we shall see how naturally and completely they reflect in their tone the history of their lives. St. Johns life was one long continuous steady growth in Divine knowledge. There were no great gaps or breaks in that life, and so we find that his writings do not ignore Gods electing love and preventing grace as the source of everything good in man. "We love Him because He first loved us" are words which show that St. Johns gospel was at bottom the same as St. Pauls. But St. Johns favourite topic is the Incarnation and its importance, and its results in purity of heart and in a sweet consciousness of the Divine Spirit. St. Pauls life, on the other hand, was no continuous upgrowth from youths earliest day to lifes latest eventide. There was a great gap, a tremendous yawning chasm separating the one portion from the other, and Paul never could forget that it was Gods choice alone which turned the persecuting Rabbi into the Christian Apostle. His Epistles to the Romans, Ephesians, and Galatians amply testify to the effects of this doctrine upon his whole soul, and show that the expositors of the early Church displayed a true instinct and gauged his character aright when they designated him by this title, "Vas Electionis." And yet the Apostle proved his Divine inspiration, for he held and taught this truth in no one-sided manner. He combined the doctrine of electing love with that of intense human free will and awful personal responsibility. He made no effort intellectually to reconcile the two opposite sides of truth, but, wiser than many who followed him, he accepted both, and found in them both matter for practical guidance. Gods eternal and electing love made him humble; mans free will and responsibility made him awfully in earnest. Two passages, drawn from different Epistles, sufficiently explain St. Pauls view. Gal_1:15-16 -"When it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mothers womb, and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me"-are words which show how entirely St. Paul viewed himself as a "Vas Electionis." 1Co_9:27 -"I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage, lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected"-are words showing how real and profound was his fear of final defeat and ruin, how convinced he was that no display of Divine grace or love assured him of his own final perseverance. It is well that people should notice this difference between the tone and spiritual experience of a Paul and of a John. At times sincere Christians have been troubled because their spiritual experience and feelings have been very different from St. Pauls. They have limited to a large extent their own reading of Scripture to his writings, and have not noticed the clear distinction which Scripture makes between the tone and ideas of St. Paul and St. Peter, St. James and St. John; and why? Just to meet this very tendency, and to show us that spiritual experiences, feelings, temptations, must vary with the varying circumstances of each individual. No saintly life can be taken as a universal model or standard; and, above all, the conversion of a persecutor and blasphemer like St. Paul is not to be taken as the normal type of Gods dealings with men, who grow up, like St. John or like Timothy, in the paths of Divine love from their earliest childhood.
There is one common feature, however, which can be traced in all religious lives, where sternly and even violently ordered like Sauls, or gently guided like St. Johns. They all agree in presenting one feature when the fresh breath of the Spirit blows upon them and the deeper sense of lifes importance first dawns upon the vision, and that is, they are all marked by prayer. Of every sincere seeker the Divine watcher, ever on the outlook for the signs of spiritual life, repeats "Behold, he prayeth." Saul, we may be sure, had never forgotten his duty in the matter of the prescribed round of Jewish devotions; but now for the first time he rose above the level of mere mechanical saying of prayer to spiritual communion with God in Christ; now for the first time he prayed a Christian prayer, through Christ and to Christ; now for the first time perhaps he learned one secret of the spiritual life, which is this, that prayer, is something, wider and nobler than mere asking. Prayer Is communion of the spirit with God reconciled in Christ Jesus. That communion is often deepest and most comforting when enjoyed in simple silence. Saul, the converted persecutor, could know but little yet of what to ask from Christ. But in the revelations made in those hours of darkness and penitence and silence, there were vouchsafed to him renewed proofs of the truths already gained, and of the awful trials which those truths, realised and acted out, would demand from him. "I will show him what things he must suffer for My sake."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18 10. A certain disciple … named Ananias. He is…
10. A certain disciple … named Ananias. He is named nowhere but in connection with the conversion of Saul. As in the case of Philip sent by the angel to the eunuch, so he is sent by revelation to Saul. A revelation was needful from the fact that Saul was a terror to the church and all would avoid him.
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 v10 Act_9:10. That Ananias (see on Act_9:1) was one of…
CRITICAL REMARKS
Act_9:10. That Ananias (see on Act_9:1) was one of the Seventy is an unsupported conjecture; that he was a “devout” man Saul afterwards asserts (Act_22:12); that he had previously heard of Saul he himself declares (Act_9:13). Luke styles him a disciple, but leaves unrecorded whether his conversion occurred before or after Pentecost. Not the Ananias mentioned by Josephus (Ant., XX. ii. 4) as a Jewish merchant, who converted Izates, King of Adiabene, to the faith of Israel.
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Act_9:11. The street which is called Straight.—This name is still borne by a street in Damascus, which runs westward from the East gate, dividing the Christian from the Jewish quarter. (See Picturesque Palestine, vol. ii., p. 175.) “The houses of Ananias and of Judas are still shown” (Ibid., p. 179). “The ‘street that is called Straight,’ near the Jewish quarter, still merits its ancient name, as it traverses the entire city in a right line” (Wanderings in the Holy Land, by Adelia Gates, chap. xv.). Tarsus.—First mention of Saul’s birthplace. See on Act_9:30.
Act_9:12. In a vision is omitted in the best MSS. Putting his hand on him should be laying the hand, or hands, on him, in token of the benefit about to be conferred. Compare Act_6:6, and contrast Act_12:1, where a similar phrase denotes the infliction of injury.
Act_9:13. I have heard.—Perhaps through letters received from Christians at Jerusalem, or through statements made by Saul’s companions.
Act_9:15. A chosen vessel.—Lit. a vessel of choice. A common Hebrew idiom. Kings.—Paul witnessed before the governors of Cyprus (Act_13:7), Achaia (Act_18:12), and Judæa (Act_24:10, Act_25:6); before Herod Agrippa (Act_26:12), and probably before Nero (2Ti_1:16).
Act_9:16. I will show him may signify either by revelation (De Wette), or more likely by experience (Bengel).
Act_9:17. And Ananias … said.—Ananias’s address is more fully reported in Act_22:12-16. Brother.—Not by nationality merely (Act_2:29, Act_21:1, Act_28:17), but by grace.
Act_9:18. As it had been, but not in reality. Scales.—Compare Act_2:3, Act_6:15. Luke would no doubt derive this information about the sensation Saul experienced from the apostle himself.
Act_9:19. Certain days.—Those which followed immediately on his recovery of sight were spent in intercourse with the disciples, but not in learning from them the gospel he afterwards preached (Gal_1:12).
HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS.—Act_9:10-19
The Mission of Ananias; or, the Baptism of Saul
The missioner.—
1. His name. Ananias, like Annas, the Greek form of Hananiah, or “Gracious is Jehovah,” borne by the high-priest (Act_4:6) and the false disciple (Act_9:1), as well as by himself. In his case only did the character of its bearer correspond with its import.
2. His residence. Damascus (see on Act_9:2, “Hints”); but whether a native or a fugitive who had found shelter there cannot be determined.
3. His standing. Not one of the Seventy. A devout man—i.e., a pious Jew (Act_22:12), who waited for the consolation of Israel, he was also a Christian disciple who had found the Messias, the date of his conversion being unknown, though tradition reports that he afterwards became bishop of Damascus and a martyr.
4. His character.
(1) Of good report among the Jews (Act_22:12). “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches” (Pro_22:1).
(2) Intelligent, not only wise unto salvation, but keeping himself acquainted with all that concerned the welfare of the Church (Act_9:13).
(3) Timid, disposed to shrink from meeting such a ravening wolf as rumour affirmed Saul to be (Act_9:14). Brave men often shrink from danger. Yet
(4) Courageous, and ready to obey when he clearly understood the Lord’s will (Act_9:17). Veniat, veniat verbum Domini, said one, et submittemus ei sexcenta si nobis essent colla; let but the Lord’s word come, and we will submit to him six hundred necks if we had them (Trapp). And
(5) Sympathetic, uttering words of kindly cheer the moment he entered Saul’s presence (Act_9:17).
5. His calling. Having in a vision been summoned by Christ, as Samuel formerly had been by Jehovah (1Sa_3:4), and having answered as Samuel did, “Here am I, Lord,” he was further instructed about the mission on which he was forthwith to be sent. Pure romance is Renan’s idea that Paul, having often heard of Ananias, and “of the miraculous powers of new believers over maladies,” sent for him, under the conviction that the imposition of his hands would cure him of his disease (The Apostles, p. 161).
II. The mission.—
1. Its purport.
1. To repair to Saul’s presence without delay. A formidable task for a Damascus Christian; like thrusting one’s head into a lions’ den or a wolves’ lair. Yet that Christ intended this commission to be carried out Ananias must have gathered from the particularity of the instructions given, in which were, first, an order to be prompt, Arise; next, a specification of the street in which Saul would be found, the street called Straight, and of the house in which he lodged, that of Judas; and lastly, the condition of mind and body in which he would be found, as to his mind in the act of prayer and in a state of expectancy, as to his body enfeebled and blind.
2. To put hands upon Saul’s eyes, and so restore his sight. Such an act, if not required for the strengthening of Ananias’s faith, would serve to deepen Saul’s humility in that he should be ministered to by one of the very Christians he had purposed to murder, while it would help him to connect the restoration of his sight with Christ, whose ambassador Ananias was (Act_9:12), and thus be an assurance to him that Christ had put away his sin and received him into favour.
2. Its occasion.
(1) Saul’s need of such assurance of Christ’s grace and mercy, which was the need that every darkened understanding has to be illumined, every troubled heart has to be appeased, and every unpardoned soul has to be forgiven; while over and above it was the need which arises from the pressure of all these unappeased wants upon an anguish-laden spirit.
(2) Saul’s preparedness for the reception of these heavenly blessings, which was shown by two things—the prayers he was pouring forth (Act_9:11) and the vision he had seen (Act_9:12).
(3) Saul’s selection by Christ to be a chosen vessel to bear His name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel (Act_9:15). This Christ told Ananias was the crowning reason why his mission could not be set aside or even delayed.
3. Its execution. At first timidly reluctant, as Moses of old had been reluctant to undertake the task of bearding Pharaoh in his palace (Exo_3:11), Ananias at last carried through the business entrusted to him,
(1) promptly, hesitating nothing after Christ had removed his fears;
(2) faithfully, implementing it to the letter;
(3) tenderly, saluting the quondam persecutor as Brother Saul; and
(4) successfully, laying his hands upon Saul’s sightless orbs, so that immediately “there fell from his eyes as it had been scales,” “he received sight”—it is preposterous to say that Saul’s blindness was only nervous, and that on hearing Ananias’s words Saul believed himself cured (Renan: The Apostles, p. 161)—his soul was “filled with the Holy Ghost,” “he arose” from the dust of despair, “he was baptised,” he partook of food, and recovered strength.
Learn.—
1. That souls once truly awakened are sooner or later conducted into spiritual peace.
2. That the best occupation for an awakened soul is to keep calling upon God and Christ in prayer.
3. That Christ can always find suitable agents to execute His commissions on earth.
4. That the highest honour Christ can put upon a person is to make him a bearer of Christ’s name before his fellow-men.
5. That those who run on Christ’s errands should cultivate a spirit of love.
6. That Christ’s people should rejoice when they have an opportunity of returning good for evil.
7. That those who come to Jesus Christ enter into light.
8. That the greatest of men may be helped to salvation by the least.
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Act_9:10. The Two Ananiases.
I. Ananias of Jerusalem.—
1. An insincere disciple.
2. A tool of Satan.
3. A minister of unrighteousness.
4. A warning to evil-doers.
II. Ananias of Damascus.—
1. A sincere disciple.
2. A messenger of Christ.
3. A servant of righteousness.
4. An example to Christ’s followers.
Act_9:10-17. The Two Visions of Christ.
I. Ananias’s vision resembled Saul’s in being—
1. A supernatural presentation to the soul’s eye of the glorified Son of man.
2. Such a presentation that Ananias could recognise and answer the voice of Christ when it addressed him.
3. Such a presentation that when the vision passed the soul’s ordinary conciousness retained a recollection of what had transpired in the vision.
II. Saul’s vision differed from that of Ananias in this respect, that over and above the revelation of Christ to the soul’s eye, there was a distinct manifestation of the Saviour’s glorified form to the bodily eye (compare Act_22:14). That Saul afterwards regarded Christ’s appearance to him on the Damascus road as something more and higher than, and essentially distinct from the “visions and revelations of the Lord” subsequently enjoyed by him, as a phenomenon the same in kind with the appearances of the Forty Days, he showed by—
1. Claiming, on the ground of it, an apostleship equal in validity with that of the Twelve (1Co_9:1; 1Co_15:8-9),—a “sight of Christ” being the specific warranty of apostle ship, as distinguished from prophethood, of which “receiving visions” was the seal.
2. Basing on the reality of it the doctrine of a resurrection of the body (1Co_15:14), which he could not have done on a mere vision, since persons who have not risen might appear in vision (Mar_9:4; Act_16:9).
Act_9:11. Behold! he prayeth.—Note four points:—
I. Prayer addressed to Jesus Christ is one of the first indications of a new life.
II. Prayer, as a first symptom of the religious life, is always the result of a spiritual vision of the Son of man.
III. Prayer which is the first utterance of a new-born soul is never unobserved by Christ.
IV. Neither is it ever left unanswered by Him.
A Strange Sight.—Saul of Tarsus praying!
I. A persecutor of the Christians calling on the Lord of Christians.
II. A self-righteous Pharisee supplicating Heaven’s mercy.
III. A learned Rabbi confessing his ideas of religion had been wrong.
Act_9:13-14; Act_9:17. Ananias’s Theology.
I. The divinity of Jesus.—Lord.
II. The personality of the Spirit.
III. The brotherhood of believers.
IV. The Sanctity of Christians.—Saints.
V. The essence of religion.—Calling on the name of Christ.
The Ideal Minister or Missionary.
I. His fundamental qualification.—He must be “a chosen vessel.” Chosen:
1. To be a vessel of Divine grace, to be a recipient of heavenly mercy (Rom_9:23)—i.e., he must be a sincere convert to the faith he seeks to preach. 2. To be a vessel of heavenly truth (2Co_4:7), since many sincere converts have small knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
II. His lofty commission.—To bear—
1. The grandest theme. Christ’s name.
2. Before the widest audience. Jews and Gentles, kings and subjects, princes and peasants—i.e., before humanity.
III. His severe trials.—“I will show him how great things he must suffer.” Few ministers or missionaries have been or are called upon to endure such hardships as the Apostle (2Co_11:23-27); yet should none enter on the office who are not prepared (with Christ’s aid) to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
IV. His strong encouragement.—“For My Name’s sake.”
1. The highest name (Php_2:9).
2. The worthiest name (Rev_5:9; Rev_5:12).
3. The most powerful name (Php_4:13). The most enduring name (Psa_72:17).
Act_9:1-18. Doctrinal and Practical Lessons.
1. Jesus is supreme Lord and King in His own right and in the majesty of His power and the glory of His grace, while His enemies indulge their hatred and devise wicked schemes against Him.
2. In the conversion of Saul we have a striking illustration of the sovereignty of Divine grace in the salvation of the chief of sinners, saving them sometimes in the heat and fanaticism of their folly and guilt. How different the entrance of Saul into Damascus from his intentions and expectations! How was he humbled, and yet exalted in moral quality!
3. All the features of the scene show a complete and perfect design on the part of the Lord. Ananias, quite unexpectedly to himself, is made an instrument in the scheme of infinite wisdom, power, and love. The very house and street where Saul was fasting, meditating, and praying, and also all his exercises of mind and heart, were accurately and exactly known to the sovereign and governing Jesus.
4. The resources of Jesus the Lord are infinitely abundant for every emergency. He is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. He can at any moment turn the wrath of men to His own praise. He is mighty to save.—C. H. Read, D.D.
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 vv14–15 14. . . .“to bind all those who call…
14. . . .“to bind all those who call on the name of the Lord.” This is the universal designation of God’s people, i. e., calling on the name of the Lord. Prayer moves the arm that moves the world, and turns the key that unlocks heaven.
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 v17 Act 9:1 - Act 9:12; Act 9:17 - Act…
Acts
GRACE TRIUMPHANT
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Act 9:1 - Act 9:12; Act 9:17 - Act 9:20.
This chapter begins with ‘but,’ which contrasts Saul’s persistent hatred, which led him to Gentile lands to persecute, with Philip’s expansive evangelistic work. Both men were in profound earnest, both went abroad to carry on their work, but the one sought to plant what the other was eager to destroy. If the ‘but’ in Act 9:1 contrasts, the ‘yet’ connects the verse with Act 8:3. Saul’s fury was no passing outburst, but enduring. Like other indulged passions, it grew with exercise, and had come to be as his very life-breath, and now planned, not only imprisonment, but death, for the heretics.
Not content with carrying his hateful inquisition into the homes of the Christians in Jerusalem, he will follow the fugitives to Damascus. The extension of the persectution was his own thought. He was not the tool of the Sanhedrin, but their mover. They would probably have been content to cleanse Jerusalem, but the young zealot would not rest till he had followed the dispersed poison into every corner where it might have trickled. The high priest would not discourage such useful zeal, however he might smile at its excess.
So Saul got the letters he asked, and some attendants, apparently, to help him in his hunt, and set off for Damascus. Painters have imagined him as riding thither, but more probably he and his people went on foot. It was a journey of some five or six days. The noon of the last day had come, and the groves of Damascus were, perhaps, in sight. No doubt, the young Pharisee’s head was busy settling what he was to begin with when he entered the city, and was exulting in the thought of how he would harry the meek Christians, when the sudden light shone.
At all events, the narrative does not warrant the view, often taken now, that there had been any preparatory process in Saul’s mind, which had begun to sap his confidence that Jesus was a blasphemer, and himself a warrior for God. That view is largely adopted in order to get rid of the supernatural, and to bolster up the assumption that there are no sudden conversions; but the narrative of Luke, and Paul’s own references, are dead against it. At one moment he is ‘yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord,’ and in almost the next he is prone on his face, asking, ‘Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?’ It was not a case of a landslide suddenly sweeping down, but long prepared for by the gradual percolation of water to the slippery understrata, but the solid earth was shaken, and the mountain crashed down in sudden ruin.
The causes of Saul’s conversion are plain in the narrative, even though the shortened form is adopted, which is found in the Revised Version. The received text has probably been filled out by additions from Paul’s own account in Act 26:1 - Act 26:32 First came the blaze of light outshining the midday sun, even in that land where its beams are like swords. That blinding light ‘shone round about him,’ enveloping him in its glory. Act 26:13 tells that his companions also were wrapped in the lustre, and that all fell to the earth, no doubt in terror.
Saul is not said, either in this or in his own accounts, to have seen Jesus, but 1Co 15:8 establishes that he did so, and Ananias {Act 9:17} refers to Jesus as having ‘appeared.’ That appearance, whatever may have been the psychological account of it, was by Paul regarded as being equal in evidential value to the flesh-and-blood vision of the risen Lord which the other Apostles witnessed to, and as placing him in the same line as a witness.
It is to be noted also, that, while the attendants saw the light, they were not blinded, as Saul was; from which it may be inferred that he saw with his bodily eyes the glorified manhood of Jesus, as we are told that one day, when He returns as Judge, ‘every eye shall see Him.’ Be that as it may,-and we have not material for constructing a theory of the manner of Christ’s appearance to Saul,- the overwhelming conviction was flooded into his soul, that the Jesus whom he had thought of as a blasphemer, falsely alleged to have risen from the dead, lived in heavenly glory, amid celestial brightness too dazzling for human eyes.
The words of gentle remonstrance issuing from the flashing glory went still further to shake the foundations of the young Pharisee’s life; for they, as with one lightning gleam, laid hare the whole madness and sin of the crusade which he had thought acceptable to God. ‘Why persecutest thou Me?’ Then the odious heretics were knit by some mysterious bond to this glorious One, so that He bled in their wounds and felt their pains! Then Saul had been, as his old teacher dreaded they of the Sanhedrin might be, fighting against God! How the reasons for Saul’s persecution had crumbled away, till there were none left with which to answer Jesus’ question! Jesus lived, and was exalted to glory. He was identified with His servants. He had appeared to Saul, and deigned to plead with him.
No wonder that the man who had been planning fresh assaults on the disciples ten minutes before, was crushed and abject as he lay there on the road, and these tremendous new convictions rushed like a cataract over and into his soul! No wonder that the lessons burned in on him in that hour of destiny became the centre-point of all his future teaching! That vision revolutionised his thinking and his life. None can affirm that it was incompetent to do so.
Luke’s account here, like Paul’s in Act 22:1 - Act 22:30, represents further instructions from Jesus as postponed till Saul’s meeting with Ananias, while Paul’s other account in Act 26:1 - Act 26:32 omits mention of the latter, and gives the substance of what he said in Damascus as said on the road by Jesus. The one account is more detailed than the other, that is all. The gradual unfolding of the heavenly purpose which our narrative gives is in accord with the divine manner. For the moment enough had been done to convert the persecutor into the servant, to level with the ground his self-righteousness, to reveal to him the glorified Jesus, to bend his will and make it submissive. The rest would be told him in due time.
The attendants had fallen to the ground like him, but seem to have struggled to their feet again, while he lay prostrate. They saw the brightness, but not the Person: they heard the voice, but not the words. Saul staggered by their help to his feet, and then found that with open eyes he was blind. Imagination or hallucination does not play tricks of that sort with the organs of sense.
The supernatural is too closely intertwined with the story to be taken out of it without reducing it to tatters. The greatest of Christian teachers, who has probably exercised more influence than any man who ever lived, was made a Christian by a miracle. That fact is not to be got rid of. But we must remember that once when He speaks of it He points to God’s revelation of His Son ‘in Him’ as its essential character. The external appearance was the vehicle of the inward revelation. It is to be remembered, too, that the miracle did not take away Saul’s power of accepting or rejecting the Christ; for he tells Agrippa that he was ‘not disobedient to the heavenly vision.’
What a different entry he made into Damascus from what he expected, and what a different man it was that crawled up to the door of Judas, in the street that is called Straight, from the self-confident young fanatic who had left Jerusalem with the high priest’s letters in his bosom and fierce hate in his heart!
Ananias was probably not one of the fugitives, as his language about Saul implies that he knew of his doings only by hearsay. The report of Saul’s coming and authority to arrest disciples had reached Damascus before him, with the wonderful quickness with which news travels in the East, nobody knows how. Ananias’s fears being quieted, he went to the house where for three days Saul had been lying lonely in the dark, fasting, and revolving many things in his heart. No doubt his Lord had spoken many a word to him, though not by vision, but by whispering to his spirit. Silence and solitude root truth in a soul. After such a shock, absolute seclusion was best.
Ananias discharged his commission with lovely tenderness and power. How sweet and strange to speaker and hearer would that ‘Brother Saul’ sound! How strong and grateful a confirmation of his vision would Ananias’s reference to the appearance of the Lord bring! How humbly would the proud Pharisee bow to receive, laid on his head, the hands that he had thought to bind with chains! What new eyes would look out on a world in which all things had become new, when there fell from them as it had been scales, and as quickly as had come the blinding, so quickly came the restored vision!
Ananias was neither Apostle nor official, yet the laying on of his hands communicated ‘the Holy Ghost.’ Saul received that gift before baptism, not after or through the ordinance. It was important for his future relations to the Apostles that he should not have been introduced to the Church by them, or owed to them his first human Christian teaching. Therefore he could say that he was ‘an Apostle, not from men, neither through man.’ It was important for us that in that great instance that divine gift should have been bestowed without the conditions accompanying, which have too often been regarded as necessary for, its possession.
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv10–18 10-12. While this scene of anguish was transpiring in…
10-12. While this scene of anguish was transpiring in the presence of the astonished Jews who surrounded Saul, the Lord was not unmindful of the promise he had made him. As he had sent him to Damascus to learn what to do, he provides him with a teacher. (10) " Now there was a certain disciple in Damascus, named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias! And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. (11) And the Lord said to him, Arise, and go upon the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas, for one named Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, (12) and has seen in a vision a named named Ananias coming in and putting his hand upon him that he might receive his sight. " It will be observed, that, in these directions, the Lord does not tell Ananias what to tell Saul to do. This omission only proves that Ananias already knew perfectly what such a person should be told to do, and corresponds with the fact that the things in which he was to be instructed were "the things appointed for him to do."
It is well to pause for a moment here, and inquire what progress has been made toward the conversion of Saul, and by what means the progress made has been effected. That he is now a believer, it is impossible for any man who has followed the narrative intelligibly to doubt. That he is also a penitent is equally certain. But the Holy Spirit-by whose direct agency alone, it is taught by man, a man can be brought to faith and repentance-has not yet been imparted to him, nor does he receive it till after the appearance of Ananias. Such an agency of the Spirit, then, is not necessary to faith and repentance. Moreover, as we have already observed, the only influence yet brought to bear upon him was that of the words of Jesus, proved to be of divine authority by the miraculous vision. He was convinced, then, by the same means that the eunuch and the three thousand on Pentecost had been, by the word of the Lord miraculously attested. His case differs from both of those, in that the Lord himself was his preacher, instead of an inspired man; and from that of the eunuch, in that the miraculous attestation was a physical display in his case, and the fulfillment of prophesy in the eunuch's. The nature of the influences was the same in them all.
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Saul is now a believer, and a penitent believer; but he is not yet justified. The theory, therefore, drawn from his own words in the epistle to the Romans, that a man is justified by faith only, the moment he believes, is proved false by Paul's own experience. He says, "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God." But he had faith for three days before he was justified, or obtained peace with God. Interpreting his words, then, by his experience, we conclude that men are justified, not by faith only, nor the moment they believe, but when they are led by faith, as he was, to do what is appointed for penitent believers to do.
There is another fact in the case worthy of notice just here. There is some such necessity for the co-operation of a fellow man, in order to one's conversion, that, although the Lord himself has appeared to Saul, and conversed with him, he can not find peace of mind, though he weeps and groans and prays for three days and nights, until Ananias comes to him. In this particular, also his case is like that of the eunuch, whose conversion could not be effected, though an angel had been sent from heaven, and the Spirit had operated miraculously, until the man Philip took his seat in the chariot. The necessity, in his case, differs from that of the eunuch, in that he needed not the man to preach Jesus to him; for this had already been done by Jesus himself. But there was something to be done before he obtained pardon, which a man must do; and the sequel will show what that something is. In the mean time, let it be observed, that all these pretended conversions of the present day, which are completely effected while the subject is in his bed at night, or alone in the grove, or praying in some solitary place, lack this something of being scriptural conversions. No man was so converted in the days of the apostles.
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.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv10, 13, 17 The Lord commissions Ananias:
The Lord commissions Ananias:
v. 10. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
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v. 11. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus; for, behold, he prayeth,
v. 12. and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight.
A certain disciple there was at Damascus, one of those whose life and liberty Saul had set out to seek. His name was Ananias ("Jehovah is gracious"), more appropriate in this case than in that of his namesake, chap. 5. Whether he was a presbyter of the congregation at Damascus, as some commentators have suggested, cannot be determined. To him the Lord appeared in a vision, whether in a dream by night or in a condition of ecstasy by day, is not stated, and called him by name. Ananias, in immediate obedience, signified his readiness to hear the command of the Lord, for he recognized in the speaker his Lord, Jesus Christ, the Head of His Church. And the Lord at once gave him the necessary, explicit directions. He was to arise and to proceed to the street which bore the name Straight, conspicuous even today in a city full of crooked and curved streets, as having only a few slight angles in the length of a mile. It runs westward from the eastern gate into the heart of the city. On this street there lived a man by the name of Judas, and in his house Saul had found lodging. The Lord had directed Saul to go to the city, where he would be told what he should do. For a matter of three days the stricken man, in total darkness, had waited for the promised message. It is often a part of God’s specific plan to lay inactivity upon some person, by sickness or by some other affliction. At such a time the heart has sufficient opportunity for earnest, prayerful communion with God. The new spiritual life of Saul was giving evidence of its presence in prayer; in prayer he was obtaining strength and patience to endure the test of the Lord to the end. And a vision had also been granted to him in which he had seen the very Ananias to whom the Lord was now speaking come in to him and restore his sight by the laying on of hands. The vision had been granted Saul partly to give him the assurance of healing, partly to make him see the hand of God in all the things which were befalling him.
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 vv10, 13, 17 General Information:
General Information:
The story of Saul continues but Luke introduces another man named Ananias. This is not the same Ananias who died earlier in Acts Acts 5:3. You may translate it the same way though as you did in Acts 5:1. (See: How to Translate Names)
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General Information:
Though there is more than one Judas mentioned in the New Testament, it is likely this is the only appearance of this Judas.
Now there was
This introduces Ananias as a new character. (See: Introduction of New and Old Participants)
He said
"Ananias said"
go to the street which is called Straight
"go to Straight Street"
house of Judas
This Judas is not the disciple who betrayed Jesus. This Judas was owner of a house in Damascus where Saul was staying.
a man from Tarsus named Saul
"a man from the city of Tarsus named Saul" or "Saul of Tarsus"
laying his hands on him
This was a symbol of giving a spiritual blessing to Saul. (See: Symbolic Action)
he might see again
"he might regain his ability to see"
translationWords
disciple
lord
raise
Paul
Tarsus
vision
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 vv10, 15, 16, 17 9:10 Ananias: See also 22:12. The name Ananias was…
9:10 Ananias: See also 22:12. The name Ananias was quite common (note the husband of Sapphira, 5:1, and the Jewish high priest [AD 47–59], 23:2). • a vision: See “Visions” Theme Note.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.