He went on to write nearly half of the New Testament. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. My names sake" (Acts 9:16) even before his ministry began. Saul was also blinded, which identified him with the blindness of the nation Israel of which the Old Testament prophets wrote (see above). From 64 B.C. How much better to petition God to save those whom we are concerned about, a God who desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Web'And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2. (4) More space is devoted to the process of getting Ananias to Saul than is devoted to getting Saul to Damascus and to the home of Judas. by the sin of Adam. It does not store any personal data. The words of Jesus, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. 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. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 9:31). But his blindness was symbolic of his condition. 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. WebSauls Baptism. The details of what was said and done when Ananias arrived are fuzzy. They could hear the voice but they did not see anyone who was speaking. 2:7; 2 Tim. What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? This divine illumination is that miracle which God performs within a lost, blinded, dead soul, so as to bring about salvation: 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?d So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow-citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22). WebWhy was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? (Acts 9:17) and that Saul was to "be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17). When I look through the Gospels and the Book of Acts, I never find the gospel presented in the same way to different people. What are 3 long term physical effects of tobacco use? And, who knows, God may even answer those prayers and the persons life be blessed and changed in ways we cannot even imagine.. How old was Jesus when he was crucified? (8) The salvation of Saul made him a vital part of Christs body, the church. (You know, just in case God has forgotten something) Israel too will just as surely return to God; and when it happens, it will be all of God, all to His glory and praise: 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The first words spoken to Saul were, Saul, Saul, Why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9:4). 17 And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened. Get up and make your bed. He got up at once. WebExplain why Ananias was told that Saul was a 'Chosen Vessel' Give an account of the vision which Saul had while traveling on the road to the Damascus. So Ananias found Saul at Judas' house, praying for help. The church did not shrink or suffer for Sauls arrival, but it grew because of it. It strikes many readers as harsh, a return to Old Testament retribution. He sent me so that you can It does not store any personal data. But the gospel is good news for sinners. Ananias small act of obedience led to a great harvest for the kingdom. In our text Ananias was instructed to go to Saul and to lay hands on him so that he might receive his sight (9:12). This method of argument Paul continued to use with the Jews (Acts 17:3). Presumably this is the case, however I still wonder a bit about this. They too rebelled against God and forsook His word and persecuted His prophets. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God (John 3:19-21). * [9:29] Hellenists: see note on Acts 6:17. They are also very significant in what they conveyed to Saul. Then a voice said to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?, Saul asked the voice, Who are you, sir?, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 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. And yet while God had foretold the rebellion of Israel and their rejection, so He had also foretold of Israels restoration (cf. Pauls hatred for Christ and His followers was common knowledge. Sauls conversion was also his call to ministry, and this conversion experience is strikingly similar to that of one of his predecessors, Ezekiel: 1:4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the northan immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. . 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. WebThats when Ananias heard a word from the Lord. Not everyone can be Paul, but we all can and should be Ananias. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. We will next seek to learn how this description of Sauls conversion fits into and contributes to the development of Lukes argument in Acts. Were these people as eager as Saul to destroy the church? 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 59:15b60:13). Barnabas stood up for Saul and explained everything to the Jerusalem Christians. The Lord seeks and saves individuals, and thus our methods should be personal. How do you calculate working capital for a construction company? The men who traveled with Saul were frightened and confused. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5). Routing number of commercial bank of Ethiopia? Saul was not aware, until after our Lords words, that the One who had interrupted his journey was Jesus, and that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah, the LORD, but he was certain, at this point, that whoever this One was, He was the LORD. It is also bad news for the self-righteous. Saul seems to have been the instigator of the persecution of the church, which began at the death of Stephen in Jerusalem and worked outward from there. 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. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. Hd7/`l@TM0h#`C2 +u-AsQ3j++&?Fu7_[1_?a^J> It was Gods initiative all the way. . At length, in Gods good time, the door opened, and the events of half a lifetime assumed final and complete significance. E. M. Blaiklock, The Acts of the Apostles, (Grand Rapids: Wm. of him. 29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. [ a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads. After this incident with Paul we hear no more of him. Ananias (/nnas/ AN--NY-s; Ancient Greek: from Hebrew , Hananiah, favoured of the LORD) was a disciple of Jesus at Damascus mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible, which describes how he was sent by Jesus to restore the sight of Saul of Tarsus (who later was called Paul the Apostle) and . That Luke would narrate this conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. The words, Brother Saul must not have come easily to Ananias. (Acts 9:11)? In Sauls account of his conversion to His Jewish brethren, he added that when Ananias arrived, he instructed him to Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name (Acts 22:16). Ananias was used as Gods instrument in the conversion of Saul, but even he had to be pushed to go to Saul. Ananias Get up and go to the street called Straight, to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. Hebrew Baby Names Meaning: In Hebrew Baby Names the meaning of the name Sapphira is: Sapphire (gem); beautiful. Just as Saul had opposed those who believed, so Bar-Jesus opposed the proconsuls conversion. This is a miracle, a miracle which is all of God, and all of grace. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Even then he knew he wanted to live the life of a religious. 9 What happened to Sapphira in the Bible? No, I worked harder than all of themyet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of Gods grace given me through the working of his power. According to Acts 9:10, Ananias was living in Damascus. And they will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 22:5). He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Sauls eyes. Impatient men forget that God is not bound by time. Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? Charles Spurgeon once wrote: Prayer is the autograph of the Holy Spirit upon the renewed heart. God was sealing Saul to Himself. The salvation of Saul was to result in the gospel being preached to distant people and lands, and in the extension of the church to many key cities. Preachers working through the narrative lectionary with their congregations, then, will do well to explore this passage in detail in order to establish the character of Paul well for the second half of Acts (Acts 13-28; see how this role is foreshadowed in 9:15), which shifts the focus from the ministry of the Twelve in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria to his role in taking the gospel throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and even to Rome (see Acts 1:8). Julius Caesar confirmed those rights and privileges anew to the Jewish nation (although Judaea was no longer a sovereign state), and more particularly to the high-priesthood. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), pp. Saul recognized that he was a sinner, and that his righteousness was but dung before God. It was time for Saul to ponder what he had seen and heard. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave and friendly. a disciple from Damascus who received a phophetic dream telling him The Old Testament passages which I have suggested bear to Saul (blind, light) are passages which speak of Israel in their original context. I very much doubt anyone prayed that this Saul might be saved. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 23After a long time had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 11The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. The expansion is three-fold: (1) The expansion from Christ, to His apostles, to His church, (2) The geographical expansion from Jerusalem to Rome. (3) The racial expansion from the Jews to the Gentiles. It is some 150 miles Northeast from Jerusalem and watered by the river Abana from Anti-Lebanon. What do Ananias actions, when asked in the passage to heal Saul, suggest about his feelings toward him? Ananias was that kind of a disciple. He hears the voice of the Lord crying out to him. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.. 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. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company {photo-lithoprinted}, 1966), p. 90. 28He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. Did he still not realize who the Lord was? Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for, And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting, he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before, I will show him how many things he must suffer for My. Ananias was a disciple of Jesus who lived in Damascus and was Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira got caught up in a band-wagon effect. Indeed, this seems to be the rule. I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. This expression, calling on the name of the Lord seems to be one used consistently in the Old Testament. The "Straight Street" or Via Recta in Latin, was a straight When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple (vs. 26). 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. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:24-27). WebAnanias, I am sure. We know from Romans 7, for example, that Paul had struggles in his spiritual walk. There is a great deal of information we are not given, and thus we cannot be dogmatic about our conclusions. Saul, like Israel, had been blinded as to the meaning of the law because of his rejection of Christ (cf. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was the first recorded sin in the newly organized church. 1:11--2:10; Ephesians 3:1-13; cf. Jesus dealt with Nicodemus (John 3) very differently from the Samaritan woman (John 4). They could not out-argue him. Rather, he sought the arrest, trial, conviction, and punishment (with imprisonment the norm and death the ideal, it would seem) of those in Jerusalem. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. The only question is who is the LORD? Ananias who was 2 What do we know about Ananias in Acts 9? Not only does the narrator tell the story of Sauls transformation from persecutor to apostle in Acts 9, Saul himself re-tells the story twice when defending himself before persecutors (before the tribune in Jerusalem, Acts 22:1-21; and before Agrippa, Acts 26:1-23). 28 And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. This old city is the most enduring in the history of the world (Knowling). They wanted to keep Gods blessings to themselves. Present active participle of sunbubazo, old verb to make go together, to coalesce, to knit together. 1:26); but for Saul the one who bore a human form identified himself as a historical person: `I am Jesus. Few of Sauls distinctive insights into the significance of the gospel cannot be traced back to the Damascus-road event, or to the outworking of that event in his life and thought. This conclusion could be based upon Pauls argument in Galatians 1 and 2, along with the expression, when many days had elapsed in Acts 9:23. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 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. Blindness, not willing to see, not willing to understand is all too common but Ananias cured Saul blindness by a touch. 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. 16For (I)I will show him how many things he must suffer for My (J)names sake.. 1* Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,a went to the high priestb This silence is instructive, in my opinion. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. When he was still very young, Michael was hired out as a shepherd boy. It is impossible to overestimate the worth to the student of Christianity of this event from every angle because we have in Pauls Epistles his own emphasis on the actual appearance of Jesus to him as the fact that changed his whole life (1 Cor. (Philippians 1:4-9). You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company {photolithoprinted}, 1966), p. 91. Without Ananias prayer, Saul spends the rest of his life as a blind man wondering what his life might have been. Ananias had not only heard of how Saul had been systematically destroying the church in Jerusalem, hunting down men and women and turning them over to the If this passage is profoundly important, it also poses its problems. * [9:13] Your holy ones: literally, your saints.. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it . He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 3. Paul would make much more of this point in the first chapter of Galatians. Suppose you were a Christian who had just arrived in Damascus, and you had been able to learn the whereabouts of a group of believers. They found that their cause was literally shut down by Sauls arrival, and the wind was taken out of their sails by his conversion. Saul sought them out to persecute, even kill them, as an unbeliever; but he sought them out to worship and fellowship with them as a Christian. WebActs 9:1. Lesson Text Acts 9:1-19 Scripture Memory Verse It may be that Sauls conversion was the instrument God used to convert these followers of Saul, so that they really were his disciples, in a two-fold sense. And when this time comes, God will use their obedience to serve Him: For if their rejection be the salvation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15). Ananias son of Nebedeus (or Nedebeus) was a high priest who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, presided during the trials of the apostle Paul at Jerusalem (Acts 23:2) and Caesarea (Acts 24:1). Salvation may occur in a large group, such as those saved at the preaching of Peter at Pentecost, but each individual was saved because of a personal encounter with Christ. (7) Those who were saved by Sauls ministry were convinced by the power of the gospel message he preached and not by miraculous signs and wonders. 6:17; Phil. 28, p. 185. For Paul, the method of proclaiming the gospel must be consistent with the message itself, and so it was. It says nothing about him receiving the Holy Spirit. Unless otherwise noted, all material copyright 2023, Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. The light was the light of His glory. Saul, as it were, saw the light, but in addition, he was to become a light, a light to the Gentiles, as well as to his own people. After this, Saul broke his fast and was strengthened. But everyone can pray for and with those who have scorned the church and are scorned by the church. The first evidence of Sauls conversion was his immediate identification with the church in Damascus. * [9:1930] This is a brief resume of Pauls initial experience as an apostolic preacher. As he himself understood the heavenly voice which said to him at his baptism, You are my Son (Mark 1:11 par. 10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. So it would appear. All Ananias did was to obey Christs command to go pray with Saul so that Saul could do all those things. He sought to preach Christ in simplicity and not in a way that would detract from Him. Paul would later use this expression (in the plural) to address his unbelieving Jewish opponents, as in Acts 22:1. 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. Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? (11) Sauls conversion was a watershed event which greatly affected the history of the church. Amen (1 Timothy 6:16). Ananias baptised Saul in the name of Jesus - the one who had sent him to the vanquished enemy of the church. 26:63; Luke 22:67, 70). Straight Street was widened and colonnades added to it. 24n but their plot became known to Saul. Who told Saul to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street? Throughout his life and ministry Paul marveled at the grace of God shown to him and to other sinners. When the Christians learned that the Hellenists to whom Saul had preached were plotting to kill them, they helped him escape through Caesarea and on to Tarsus. on it belonged to the Roman province of Syria, but had a measure of municipal autonomy in the loose federation of cities called the Decapolis. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), p. 181. There would likely be another group of people meeting on the evening before Saul arrived in Damascusthose who did not believe in Jesus as their Messiah, and who eagerly sought the eradication of the church in their city. A devout Hellenistic Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, Saul was a member of the Pharisees and was taught by none other than Gamaliel, 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. Imagine for a moment that this is the week of Sauls arrival at Damascus. I. To both Ananias (Acts 9:10) and Saul (Acts 9:12). The first is this: every saved person must have a personal conversion experience. A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:32). He who had wanted to kill these saints now wanted to fellowship with them. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit because it was the Holy Spirit who dwelt in the apostles, giving them their power and authority. Did Peter and Paul meet? Discuss 2 ways in which Paul suffered as an apostle Encourage and rebuke with all authority. The children will practice being giving and friendly with someone that they do not know. What is remarkable about the Lord's directions to Ananias? Saul asked.I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. And what a comfort to know that God always finishes what He starts: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). No, God showed him "how many things he must suffer for Israel too will look on Him whom they have pierced and mourn. There is more space devoted to convincing Ananias than there is to the conversion of Saul. But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children (1 Thessalonians 2:7). Not knowing what had happened, she, too, lied about the offering and was also struck dead (Acts 5:111). 18 According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
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why was ananias afraid of helping saul
