Context No. 3927 of 4322 · Acts
Context · Reflection
Acts 9:11-16: in context
11The 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, 12and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. 14Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15But 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. 16For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
God sends the disciple Ananias to lay hands on Saul, the notorious persecutor of the church, and Ananias understandably protests: Lord, I have heard how much evil this man has done to your people, and he has come here with authority to arrest us. From every human angle, Saul is the last person to trust or approach. But God's answer overturns everything: go, for he is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the nations and kings and the people of Israel.
The great persecutor is to become the great apostle. Two things stand out. God's power to transform even a fierce enemy. Saul, the man breathing threats against the church, is chosen by God to be its great missionary; no one is beyond the reach of God's transforming grace. And Ananias's obedience: despite his fear and every reasonable objection, he goes, trusting God's word over his own understanding. And notice how God describes Saul's calling: I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. To be chosen by God is not a call to ease but often to costly service.
Do I trust that God can transform even those I would write off as beyond hope, and am I willing, like Ananias, to obey God's call even when it runs against my fears and my own understanding?
Sources
- Acts 9:15: "Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel."
- Acts 9:13: "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem."
- Acts 9:16: "For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake."