Acts 22:6-11 6And it happened as I was traveling and coming near to Damascus, about noon, a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me, 7and I fell down to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10And I said, ‘What will I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘After rising, go into Damascus, and there it will be told you all the things that have been appointed for you to do.’ 11And since I could not see because of the glory of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
Paul next recounted his Damascus Road vision. A few details differ in this account compared to Acts 9. A possible reason for this is that chapter 9 was Luke’s summarizing account, while chapter 22 is Paul’s own words. Additionally, the literary and historical contexts differ. Paul had be beaten, arrested, and chained when he gave this speech. He had to think quickly. When under stress like this, we often fall back to what is familiar, which suggests that Paul had given this testimony other times before this. The essential points of this recounting are consistent with chapter 9.
First, Paul adds the time of about noon. The bright light was not the sun at its peak, blinding Paul because he stared at the sun. Rather, the light was the Son shining from heaven. This was not a vision of nature but a divine encounter. Similar to 9:7, Paul adds that those who were traveling with him saw the light and heard sound but did not understand words the voice spoke. That is because Paul was the focus of the vision, not the other Jews traveling with him.
The first significant surprise of Paul’s speech comes in verse 8 and the mention that the light and voice were Jesus of Nazareth. Many of the older people gathered in the temple may have heard and seen Jesus in person. Others would have heard of him through the testimony of the early believers and the rejecting naysayers by that time, since several decades had passed. The mob probably had not heard about Paul’s vision but only of his heresy of Jewish teachings and tradition. He was now giving them the reason for all of this. His change was due to seeing someone many of them had heard was crucified, dead, and buried. If Paul’s testimony of his experience were true, and it could be confirmed by those who traveled with him and witnessed the event, then the people listening needed to take what he said next seriously. Paul recounted a significant connection between persecuting believers and persecuting Jesus. Jesus was connected to his followers. The implication for the listeners was that when they persecuted Christians, they were also persecuting the resurrected Messiah.
Next, Paul recounted how Jesus told him to go into Damascus to find out what to do next. There is no mention yet of his mission to the Gentiles, which comes later in the speech. Paul was building suspense, leading his audience to the point where they would need to make some type of decision about him and his claims. Because of the glory of that light from Jesus, Paul had to be led into the city by his companions. Many modern Bibles translate glory (doxēs) as “light,” but Paul may have chosen this specific word on purpose. Paul believed Jesus was the glorious representation of God (2 Corinthians 4:6). Paul experienced this glory first-hand in his Damascus Road experience. It was so overwhelming to him that it changed his life forever. A genuine encounter with the risen Jesus demands a response, either acceptance in faith, like Paul, or rejection, like many of the Jews in the mob would give.