Acts 9:23-25 23And when many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24but their plot became known to Saul. And they were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25but his disciples, after taking him by night, let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
The length of time of many days is unknown, but Saul spent enough time in Damascus to get the Jews mad at him. He was an effective speaker and apologist for the gospel, even from the earliest days of his faith in Jesus as the Messiah. He mentioned later in 20:19 his difficulty with dealing with his own people. Many had become hardened in their hearts, like the Sanhedrin. They refused to accept the clear proof and biblical exegesis of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. Undoubtedly, many people became believers, but they are not the focus of this passage. As with many other places in his writing, Luke puts the positive and negative together. The positive is how, through the faithful witness of disciples, many people became believers. The negative is the response of hatred, persecution, or rejection by those who did not believe. Wherever the gospel goes out, people will respond in one of these two ways.
The Jews plotted to kill Saul lest he create more followers of Jesus. But Saul heard about this plot. Damascus was not a big city by today’s standards, but it was a substantial city of that time. Saul could hide for a time, but the Jews likely knew who the believers were. Preaching the gospel is not a private matter and is not meant to be hidden behind closed doors but shouted from the rooftops. The conspirators planned their premeditated murder and just needed the right time and opportunity. They were likely watching the city gates for the point when Saul would leave.
The Christians came up with an ingenious plan to help Saul escape: lower him in a basket from a window or opening in the city wall. Luke notes that this plan came from Saul’s disciples. These disciples were ultimately followers of Jesus, but Saul was their teacher. He had spent enough time in the city to establish himself as an important authority on the gospel. The escape plan was successful and must have taken quite a bit of effort to lower a full-grown man in a basket. Paul later mentioned this event in 2 Corinthians 11:32-33, where he writes that the governor was even helping the Jews find him. He was learning right at the beginning of his ministry what it meant to suffer for Jesus’ name. There are times to stay and face trouble, and there are times to flee so that ministry can continue elsewhere.
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