why was ananias afraid of helping saul
It was a city in the days of Abraham, and at the time of the Israelite monarchy it was the capital of the most important Aramaean kingdom. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. To him be honor and might forever. also 2:14-17; 3:12-18; 4:1-18; 5:17-21; 6:13--7:1; Galatians 1:13-17; cf. A man once confessed to his pastor that even though he didnt think of himself as hating people, there was one person he really hated for the way the person had wronged him. ,%d/3o3o6jda=|4S-LJ3ajLcNfZyV;CkCl>390q {KQ0lQ)0>~cy:CJkP|4M-\v The remaining verses of this account describe the results of Sauls conversion, all of which serve as dramatic proof of his radical transformation as a result of his encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. Pauls opposition resulted in the scattering of the Christians from Jerusalem, thus taking the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and beyond (Acts 8:1; 11:19-21). This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9). Blindness, not willing to see, not willing to understand is all too common but Ananias cured Saul blindness by a touch. Saul was told at the time of his conversion that God had chosen him to bear witness to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the Jews (9:15). 17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. In His coming as the light, those who come to the light become lights to the world themselves: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2). 2. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. He summed up life in this one word: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:3-6). Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. And if Sauls blindness led to his own conversion, at least the blinding of Bar-Jesus contributed to the conversion of the proconsul (and perhaps too his own conversionwho knows?). Saul was also blinded, which identified him with the blindness of the nation Israel of which the Old Testament prophets wrote (see above). The obedience and faith that Ananias demonstrated in going to Saul and helping to restore his sight were incredible, to say the least. Saul went to other cities where he sought to arrest Christians and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. 138 Three times (8:3; 9:2; 22:4) this fact of persecuting women is mentioned as a special blot in Pauls cruelty (the third time by Paul himself) and one of the items in his being chief of sinners (1 Tim. What is meant by the competitive environment? They, too, were afraid of Saul and did not believe he really was a follower of Jesus Christ. Ananias would have lost a human beings greatest privilege, of being an agent of the Lord (like an angel of the Lord). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? The light from heaven brought Saul to the ground. And Jesus took the persecution of Christians very personally. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;* so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.h If there is one thing of which Saul is now convinced (by what he has so far seen and heard on the road) it is that whoever he is talking to is LORD. To Paul, his relationship, by faith, to Jesus Christ was also the beginning of his new relationship to the body of Christ, the church: Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christs afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. Fifth, faith must take the text on face value, as it is written, and believe it as Gods inspired, inerrant, authoritative word. My names sake". 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. 136 E. M. Blaiklock, The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Wm. Thus, it is grace which sustains the saint, in addition to saving him: Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were thus occupied were not benefited (Hebrews 13:9). He trusted that Christ had a future purpose for Saul (verse 15) even though Sauls past as he knew it seemed to point toward a different future. Even if he were not one of these men, he would surely have hated to hear the gospel. His career as a persecutor of Christians seems to have begun with Stephen, but it quickly spread to all of the Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 7:588:3). How much does horse riding lessons cost in Bangalore? by the sin of Adam. Like Stephen, the enemies of the gospel attempted to kill Saul when they could not silence him by means of debate. About three hours later, Sapphira arrived. From the fact that three different accounts of Sauls conversion are recorded in Acts, we know this event had to play a crucial role in the expansion of the church. 17(K)And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and (L)laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord [c]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and (M)be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. The only question is who is the LORD? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, here am I, Lord. 11 And the Lord said to him, Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. 13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.145 15 But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My names sake.. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. What is wrong with Ananias response to the Lord? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". It is not clear My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever, says the Lord. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. east-west thoroughfare through Damascus built by the Greeks after the city It is not just in the Book of Acts that the importance of Sauls conversion is evident. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15). God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for hypocrisy While their penalties seem extreme to us today, God judged them guilty of sins so serious that they threatened the very existence of the early church. If Ananias and Sapphira were born again believers and God judged them for their sin, it means that even though Jesus was judged for sin, God still judged them for their sin. The children will practice being giving and friendly with someone that they do not know. Copyright 2023 Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. All rights reserved. and the other is a deceptive, self-serving half-truth from people interested 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. Lesson Text Acts 9:1-19 Scripture Memory Verse Christian ministry be reconciled with the wealth and prosperity that He hears the voice of the Lord crying out to him. Thus, persecuting the church was persecuting Jesus Christ. Sauls Conversion. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Perhaps Ananias called a meeting of the church to discuss how they would deal with Sauls arrival. The result was the restoration of Sauls sight and, it would seem, Sauls reception of the Holy Spirit. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Who told Saul to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street? In different contexts, preachers might want to draw specific analogies concerning those for whom the congregation should be praying even though it cuts against our grain to do so. It would seem not to be there on the road to Damascus. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. The election of Saul to salvation was specific and thus, personal. We may not be able to identify the precise moment or the exact events which brought it about, but salvation does not happen in some kind of group way. Shortly afterwards, the Lord spoke to a disciple named Ananias, asking him to go to Saul, place his hands on him, and restore his sight. How do you write a good story in Smash Bros screening? When Saul stood up, he discovered he was completely blind, and the men who were with him had to lead him by his hand until they reached Damascus. The Old Testament passages which I have suggested bear to Saul (blind, light) are passages which speak of Israel in their original context. WebAnswer: > 10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. Here I am, Lord, he replied. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He has sovereignly chosen to use people to lead people to salvation, Spirit baptism, deliverance, and healing. `}Hq)l2hZ0r89asO70Da`qg (12) The same Saul who played a role in Stephens execution was to become, in large measure, his replacement. (3) Sauls conversion experience was quick and dramatic in one sense, but it also involved a process, a process of at least three days.135. The Book of Galatians is but one example of this. While Paul may not have brought about the execution of all those whom he arrested, including women as well as men (verse 2), verse 1 strongly suggests that this was his desire and ambition. They could not prove him wrong from the Scriptures. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (1 Corinthians 15:8-11). Handed down. (what was bad was that they lied about the amount). He realized that it was nothing which he had donenor ever would dobut only by what Jesus Christ had done that saved him. WebThe Lord called to him in a vision, o Ananias!. Ananias small act of obedience led to a great harvest for the kingdom. Presumably this is the case, however I still wonder a bit about this. Pauls language in Acts 26:11 seems to mean that Damascus is merely one of other `foreign cities to which he carried the persecution. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 114. Gods promises and purposes would not be stopped by this madman, Saul. They were to be a light to the Gentiles, but they failed. 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. There are all too many autonomous Christians, those who feel that coming to faith in Christ does not necessitate identifying with His body, the church. 17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. Present active participle of sunbubazo, old verb to make go together, to coalesce, to knit together. One is the truth from God Himself, This three-fold repetition is a clear indication of the importance of this event, especially in the themes Luke is seeking to develop in the Book of Acts. During the subsequent Roman rule, the Many are the plans in a mans heart, But the counsel of the LORD, it will stand (Proverbs 19:21). Even then he knew he wanted to live the life of a religious. Saul recognized that he was a sinner, and that his righteousness was but dung before God. They do not understand the gospel well enough. Fourth, if we had all the facts, there would be no problem. The risen Lord selected Saul out of the group with which he was traveling to hear, to see Him, and to understand His words. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. To Him be the glory forever. 1* Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,a went to the high priestb In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight (Acts 9:10-12). For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authoritiesall things have been created through Him and for Him. Now that the Lord had identified Himself as Jesus, Saul recognized that he was the sinner. Everyone is born in sin, and every part of their being is affected by sin (intellect, emotions, and will). Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped (Isaiah 35:5). But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). This can hardly be possible. What Paul learned about himself, personally, on the road to Damascus he came to understand and to preach concerning all men. How does Ananias ability to rise above his own feelings of hatred toward Saul encourage Saul to move The importance of Sauls conversion can hardly be overestimated. 146 It is possible, however, to understand the expression, Brother, as referring to Saul only as a fellow Jew. All of this account describes the two complementary divine visions which Ananias and Saul received. No one could fault the reluctance of Ananias. 15But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites,m The details of what was said and done when Ananias arrived are fuzzy. (5) There is a good deal of emphasis on the results of Sauls conversion. After he put his hands on Saul, the Bible only records that Saul received his sight. They are private Christians, living like islands rather than as a part of His body. One moment, Saul was persecuting the church; shortly thereafter he was seeking to fellowship with the saints. 3 Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? 35And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. What are 3 long term physical effects of tobacco use? Q What Israel failed to do, Jesus, the Messiah would do. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. 26:63; Luke 22:67, 70). * [9:26] This visit of Paul to Jerusalem is mentioned by Paul in Gal 1:18. In Jerusalem, as in Damascus, Saul spoke out boldly proclaiming Jesus to be the Christ, the promised Messiah. One cannot help but wonder if it did not send chills up and down Pauls spine when he cast the spell of blindness on the Jewish false prophet, Bar-Jesus: And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. Perhaps nowhere else is the radical change (of conversion) in Pauls life153 more readily evident than in his attitude toward the saints. Saul was the bad guy. What do Ananias actions, when asked in the passage to heal Saul, suggest about his feelings toward him? also 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33; cf. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him (Daniel 2:22). To the church, Saul turned out to be a friend, a fellow-believer, in fact, a flaming evangelist, who proclaimed Christ more clearly and powerfully than anyone had previously done in Damascus. Some would like the excuse to make some changes to make their life more comfortable. Sauls conversion was to play a crucial role in the expansion of the gospel. (5) Sauls salvation was an act of divine grace. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave and friendly. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Without Ananias prayer, Saul spends the rest of his life as a blind man wondering what his life might have been. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:12-14). Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. Israel was called of God and set apart to proclaim the way of salvation to the Gentiles. Note the following impressions gained from a reflection on the passage as a whole. The call of salvation is a call to holiness, and to obedience, and to fellowship, with God and with our fellow-believers. His conversion was by far the most vital influence in Pauls life. Luke 3:22), it expressed his unique relationship and fellowship with the Father. Ibid. (4) Sauls salvation was miraculous. One thing was certain; no matter how much time had passed, the apostles were not yet convinced of Sauls conversion. WebYou know someone is coming, perhaps to arrest you for being a Christian. Not all Christians are equipped to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers (Ephesians 4:11). 10 i There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. He answered, Here I am, Lord. 11 The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Saul was not content to punish some and to drive the rest from the holy city. He did not want to merely contain Christianity or to drive it from Jerusalem; he wanted to rid the earth of Christianity and its followers. The argument of the Book of Acts is essentially this: The expansion of the gospel through the church as it is empowered by the Holy Spirit. The expansion is three-fold: (1) The expansion from Christ, to His apostles, to His church, (2) The geographical expansion from Jerusalem to Rome. There is clearly no attempt to establish some kind of pattern or formula for evangelism here, at least as far as methodology is concerned. Ironically, Ananias could have become one of Sauls targets of persecution for following the Lord Jesus. We will next seek to learn how this description of Sauls conversion fits into and contributes to the development of Lukes argument in Acts. This would mean that the Gospel isnt as good as we thought it was and that God violates the law of double jeopardy where He punishes the same sin twice. Who has saved us and called us to a holy lifenot because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way,137 both men and women,138 he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Sauls conversion was a miracle, short and simple, but not so much the result of the external miracle of the bright light and the voice of the Lord as the internal transformation and illumination which God wrought: 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man (Galatians 1:15-16). It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. * [9:2] The Way: a name used by the early Christian community for itself (Acts 18:26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Amen. Saul was received as a true believer, as a brother.146 The laying on of Ananiass hands, however, was a distinct act of identification with Saul. There are two very important implications to the personal dimension of Sauls conversion. Jesus words, Why are you persecuting Me?, clearly implied that Sauls persecution of the church was a persecution of the Lord. 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul immediately began to preach about the Son of God in the synagogues. In spite of this, we are not told here that Saul did receive the Holy Spirit or what happened when he did. 1:11--2:10; Ephesians 3:1-13; cf. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). All rights reserved. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. In 47 B.C. Also, Paul experienced many hardships in his travels, and he was frequently thrown into jail for preaching about Jesus. 139 A. T. Robertson writes, It is open to question if kurie should not here be translated Sir as in 16:30 and in Matt. In this approach, preachers are offering their congregation a chance to relate to Ananias dream that leads him to overcome his preconception of Saul (a correct but now outdated preconception), come to see Saul as someone God has called, and respond faithfully. As he himself understood the heavenly voice which said to him at his baptism, You are my Son (Mark 1:11 par. Is the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 harsh? Ananias not only * [9:20] Son of God: the title Son of God occurs in Acts only here, but cf. There are two primary options for preaching from this text. Think about what happened as a result of this man overcoming his fear and obeying God. Barnabas, one of the Christians, assured them Sauls faith was genuine. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him, and said, You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? God changed him from being a man who did not believe Jesus was the Son of God and a persecutor of the Christians into a bold missionary who preached the Gospel wherever he went. Furthermore, in Acts 26:10 Paul testifies that he received letters from the chief priests, not just the chief priest alone. 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. ACTS 9:27 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. To whom did the Lord communicate "in a vision"? Why was Ananias afraid? 12And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight., 13Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, (C)how much [a]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. He officiated as high priest from about AD 47 to 52. These two shocking deaths served as an example to the body of Christ that God hates hypocrisy. 39So Peter got up and went with them. 7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one.g If the unity of Christ and His body, the church, were a vital truth with respect to Sauls persecution of the church, it was also a vital truth for him as a Christian. His disciples150 lowered him in a basket, from the window of a room which was in the wall of the city (9:25). The first question which must be asked with regard to the interpretation of this text is this: What is the meaning of this text in the context of the whole book? Luke has included this account of Sauls conversion in order to contribute to the argument which he is seeking to develop. Get the BEST VALUE in digital Bible study as you prepare for Easter. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! They, not unlike Ananias, were very reluctant to have anything to do with this Christian killer. 11:2328; 12:710; Gal. gJi\!2LITShA%)&bqd=/)@Eg*tttpt @V6wCAp{GyAGG9h d=u3zDca{y:&0}=!P`XX z;g3 {~paveta +w 23After a long time had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 37Now during those days she fell sick and died, so after washing her, they laid [her] out in a room upstairs. What a shock these words must have been to Saul, who up to this point, seems to have prided himself for his faithfulness to Judaism! Thus, whenever he spoke of his conversion and his call to ministry, he always spoke of this incident as an act of divine grace, of Gods unmerited favor, of an act of mercy toward him: I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:15-16). And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, Chapter 9. Paul would make much more of this point in the first chapter of Galatians. If this passage is profoundly important, it also poses its problems. 34Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. And now, he is preaching the same message. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time. And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.