Acts 9:1-18 "I Have Heard From Many..."

Observation: When Saul is struck blind by the Risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, he finally begins to see the truth of Jesus' identity as son of God. You can see his dawning realization in his words, "Who are you, Lord?" He addresses Jesus as Lord, even while still not ready to see that this "Lord" is Jesus. On the other hand, Ananias, a Christian leader who saw the truth of Jesus' identity from the beginning,  is blinded to God's purposes for Saul. He can't see how God can possibly take a violent persecutor of the church and turn him into a key evangelist. But really...can you blame him? 

Application: You can tell Ananias has been in the church a while because he already knows a Christian leader's five least favorite words, "I have heard from many..." Usually, when someone in a church comes with words like these--"A lot of people have been saying", or "I've heard several people complain"--that is usually a way of validating their own concern and resistance to a change. The concern may indeed be legitimate, and you have to admit Ananias' was, but we tend to hide behind a perceived consensus of others we've talked to (even if the conversation went like, "Hey, don't you agree with my opinion that..." and the other people just nodding their heads!). It's hard to be vulnerable sometimes and own up to our own concerns, our own fears. And it's hard to admit sometimes when our fears prevent us from seeing new possibilities. 

Saul was always a long shot. He was a sanctimonious, judgmental know-it-all who breathed threats and murder against God's people. But God saw in him what no one else could--that he was ready to be our sanctimonious, judgmental know-it-all, self-identified as "least" of the apostles, yet first to proclaim God's amazing grace for all of us sinners, Gentile and Jew alike. It's no wonder we couldn't see it at first. But we shouldn't be surprised that God, who looked at the chaotic deeps and saw the creation it would become, could look at this man and see St. Paul just fine. 

Prayer: God, thank you for the ministry of Saul of Tarsus, our brother and proclaimer of the Gospel of your grace. Help us to see others as you see them, with great potential to teach us new things about you.  Amen.