Who Are You, Lord? - Acts 9:1-6 (Easter 3C)

    Last week, we were with Peter while he and some other disciples are in court for preaching and teaching the Gospel. The Sanhedrin wanted to quash this new movement that has started with Jesus, so they are trying to root them out and silence them. 

    We come this week to a familiar passage, the conversion of Saul. The whole story continues from our passage today until verse 20, and I encourage for you to read the rest of it some time this week. It’s only another… fifteen verses or so, pretty easy. 

    Now, our main character this week is Saul. He’s what some may call a pretty bad hombre. He was a Pharisee, and was introduced in chapter 8 as the one who approved of the apostle Stephen’s killing, which he also witnessed. That’s kind of his background right now at the beginning when it says “STILL threatening and plotting against the disciples”, like a bull in a china shop, or a rabid animal after its prey. His story continues as he is asked by the high priest in Jerusalem to take letters to the temples in Damascus that anyone who sympathized with the enemy (people following “the Way” - which is what the Jesus movement was referred to) would be rounded up and brought back to Jerusalem. 

    That’s pretty extreme. I mean - at least in our modern days - we try to avoid rounding up large groups of people… especially who may have difference of beliefs. But the Pharisees were feeling still sore about the whole Jesus thing, and they didn’t want the word to spread. 

    It’s kind of incredible that they felt threatened by potential followers in Damascus, which is in Syria. Looking at the maps, it’s about 168 miles from Jerusalem, which means it’s about the distance from here to Bloomington, or for you non-IU fans, will get you to Muskegon Michigan, or southwest of Columbus, Ohio, near Hocking Hills State Park. That’s a long trip, even for us. But walking?? We are talking about 17 hours of walking, or at least three whole days of walking for 6 hours a day. That’s pretty intense. Especially to bring prisoners back from. 

    Anyway - back to Saul. He’s walking in the middle of the desert - or wilderness - when all of a sudden, a bright light lit up. Not sure if it was a star, or it seems like this was during the daytime, just - bright light. The text says, IMMEDIATELY he fell to the ground, and heard a voice. “Why are you persecuting me?” The Contemporary English Version translates this as, “Why are you being so cruel to me?” Before he could think of anything else, Saul’s first question is, “Who are you?” As if he’s confused by who could be blinding him into submission. The answer is simple - Jesus.

    And Jesus identifies as the one who he is actually causing trouble for. Not his disciples, not the church, him. Here Jesus is making no distinction between his followers and himself. And yet as Jesus is asking the question about what Saul is doing, he calls him by name. He didn’t go - hey you - stop harassing my people! Or find a different way of doing your job - I am Jesus! Or even the idea that God would offer his own condemnation before threatening to smite his wicked ways, like in the Old Testament. 

    Jesus continues to on, telling him to get up and continue on to Damascus, and he will find what to do next. That’s where our scripture ends that was read. But let’s find out what happens. So - Saul isn’t traveling alone, he has some men with him - whether they were servants or colleagues, it’s not said. All it says is that the men who are with Saul were speechless because they could also hear the voice but were not able to see what was happening. Saul was struck blind by Jesus. BLIND! He was so clear on his instructions, and where he was going in life, taking strides with his career, meeting his objectives and expectations, maybe even overperforming, since he’s gathered a name for himself. But now… he can’t do anything without someone else. He’s guided by the men with him the rest of the way. If that’s a humbling experience, I don’t know what is. These unnamed men were forced to be Saul’s literal eyes for at least the next three days, while he’s waiting on what’s happening next. All Saul knows is that he’s to go to Damascus and he’ll get more information there. So - he’s going to where he’s supposed to be, just not in the form that he expects. How can he crush those work goals that I’m sure that his supervisors expect from him? I wonder how much complaining there may have been on that road. I’m at least a little glad that we were spared of those details. But since these unnamed men have been raised up by Jesus in taking care of Saul, Saul has to listen to new voices. Maybe that’s a way for wisdom to come to us. Maybe we need to be quiet and let others speak around us. How can we be faithful if we just look to our own knowledge and experience? I know my experience as a white man in America is privileged beyond complete understanding. But how do I need to humble myself, like Jesus, like Saul? Whose voices am I ignoring? How are others experiencing Jesus that I could learn from? Some believe that the way of redemption and salvation is through a narrow gate, that it can only be experienced in limiting ways. How does that square away with our limitless God? Who are you, God, to my neighbor? 

    Regardless - They get to their destination, but the Lord is working in multiple ways. Apart from Saul’s story, we have another character, Ananias - who is a faithful disciple, the scriptures say. Ananias is told about Saul and where to find him, but he is skeptical. He knows Saul and his desire to hurt believers. God answers Ananias as, “I have chosen him as an instrument, and that he has to suffer for the sake of my name.” I have to say, I don’t blame Ananias for his reaction. Both Ananias and Saul have had their own moments with Jesus,

    So Ananias goes to where Saul is, God heals him, Saul eats (since he hadn’t in three days) and after a few days, goes to the temples he was assigned to, and proclaims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 

    What can we learn from this? That stories of transformation can happen anywhere… even when you’re in the middle of doing something that is in direct opposition to the work of the Kingdom. But what about that? Do we think that this sort of thing happens today? This must be some of the antiquated old-timey things that the Bible shows why it’s so outdated. 

    Now, I would disagree with that. Don’t get me wrong - this story is very dramatic, and not everyone will have this kind of story to tell. In fact, But it’s important to be in touch with the story you do have. We may not be able to pinpoint when the light blinded us, but we know when Jesus touched our heart to make a change in us. The first time this happened to me was at church camp. It’s kind of a common story - I went, to just go along with my friends at youth group, but the whole experience there… the different environment… the spiritual conversations we were able to have… brought me to a point that I knew that Jesus was someone I wanted to follow the rest of my life.  Has it been an easy road since I was 14? Absolutely not. But that first step on the journey was important. 

    But sometimes we are struck in a moment we can’t see past, blinded in our agendas and in those moments where it seems that the only way out is surrender… we need to ask, where are you, Lord? Who is guiding this? This story is repeated a couple of times later in the book by Saul (turned Paul the apostle), but it goes without saying that its importance cannot be understated. How can we have our hearts opened to all of the possibilities God has for the world? 

    Now that we’ve witnessed Saul’s transformation, what are some takeaways we can learn from the experience? First, there are some who outline this story as a “conversion” moment. This doesn’t seem accurate, since it doesn’t say anything about him giving up his faith, or that he believes in a different god, his eyes have opened to a wider vision of what the law says. We will continue to talk about this guy, and you may know him instead as Paul, which doesn’t happen until chapter 13, when he is in more Roman spaces. He doesn’t even abandon the name Saul, he becomes a Jewish apostle to the Gentiles (or non-Jews). Secondly, Paul sees himself as righteous and blameless. He wasn’t repentant, looking for salvation, and yet God acted, knowing his heart. He does talk about his regret at how he treated those following Jesus after this experience. Lastly, we can see the Lord’s presence outside of the walls of this building, even when we least expect it. If we are only here for about an hour a week, what are we doing for the other 167? Think about it. 

    In conclusion - If God could redeem Saul of Tarsus, a man dedicated to destroying those who followed Jesus, turning him into the great apostle that he was, then there is hope for our lost loved ones. People, we must return to the streets to reclaim both the helpless and the hopeless, the homeless and the destitute, gang members and prostitutes. We cannot afford to stop until everyone on the face of the earth recognizes just how loving and powerful God is! There is redemption in who we are, all in the name and spirit of who God is. 

Amen.