Acts 9:19-22 19And he was with the disciples in Damascus for several days, 20and immediately, he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that “He is the Son of God.” 21And all who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this man not the one who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem with those who called upon this name, and here in this place has he not come in order that, after binding them, he might bring them before the chief priests?” 22But Saul greatly increased in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
The change in Saul’s life was immediate and radical. His change is one of the most dramatic recorded in Christian history. These verses verify the transformation with several important points. One is how the believers accepted Saul and hosted him in Damascus for several days. It likely took him a day or two to regain his strength. As often happened later, he relied on the hospitality of fellow believers. The believers in Damascus had to trust that this was no trick of Saul’s to infiltrate their group, find out the leaders, and arrest them.
The second point verified to any hesitant or doubting believers that the change in Saul was real, because immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues. How could he preach Jesus so quickly if he had not been taught by any of the apostles? There are three clear answers to this question. One is what he later wrote in Galatians 1:12, “For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” He received his message by direct revelation from Jesus. There is no reference when this revelation came, but it could have been on the road to Damascus or while Saul sat in deep prayer and contemplation afterward.
A second reason is that he was an Old Testament scholar who knew his Scripture. He could “prove” (verse 22, symbibazōn, putting together the pieces to make a whole) to other Jews from their own sacred text that Jesus was the Son of God. Everyone who heard Saul was amazed. No one could hold up to his argumentation, as the book of Acts indicates in later chapters. He was able to show how Jesus fulfilled ancient prophecy. His letters are full of quotations from the Old Testament. He shows how important the Old Testament is to the Christian faith.
Third, his own testimony proved what he said. The change in him was radical and obvious. The persecutor became the proclaimer. His reputation preceded him to Damascus. He was a celebrity among the Jews. To go the opposite way and preach the very message he came to eliminate was radical, contradictory, confusing, and attention-getting. One of the most powerful ways to preach the gospel is with the testimony of our changed lives. Like Jesus, Saul went to the place where he could make a difference and reach many people: the local synagogues. These were the people who should have recognized the truth of Saul’s message and accepted it in faith. As Luke continues his summary of those days in the following verses, Saul also received the same type of response as Jesus.
For older posts, click here.