9:1 Then Saul, still
breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the
high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that
if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound
to Jerusalem.
3 As he journeyed he
came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then
he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are
you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are
You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I
am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the
goads.”
6 So he, trembling and
astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Then the Lord said to
him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who
journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. 8 Then
Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But
they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days
without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
The case of Saul is an interesting one. Why would Jesus even
bother with him? He was the most obsessed hunter of the followers of Jesus. He
stood by holding the cloaks of the men on the council who stoned Stephen. He
heard Stephen explain who Jesus was beginning with the writings of Moses. He
heard Stephen explain how in every generation the true men of God were
ridiculed, rejected, and even murdered. He saw the men of the council block their
ears and attack him like madmen. It didn't affect him in a positive way. It
didn't bring him to his senses. It had the opposite effect. He became
determined, driven, obsessed to squash the entire movement. His goal was to
extinguish the Name from the city of Jerusalem and eventually from the face of
the earth. From house to house he went with a group of men hunting out any who
believed in Jesus.
This Saul, the greatest enemy of the followers of Jesus was
on Jesus' list as a candidate for His kingdom? Jesus was running towards him
faster than Saul could run from him?
Clearly the love of God is far more radical than we
comprehend. When He said "Love your enemies" He wasn't asking us to
anything he wasn't willing to do Himself. Radical indeed.
Tomorrow we'll explore what it might look like to love our
enemies. Love itself is a concept we barely understand...
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