Acts 9:1-9
I have often joked that Saul’s conversion was easier than mine. Paul was knocked from his horse. (Really? Yeah, maybe not in the text, but check out the hundreds of paintings of Saul’s conversion!) And Jesus identified Himself and spoke directly to him! It took a young man named Jim 3-1/2 years to get through to me!! But like I said, I joke…!
I’m trying to imagine this “light from heaven” (v. 3). And what I see is a lightening strike that STAYED! Not a flash, but a prolonged presence, enough to blind Saul, all the while that Jesus was speaking to him.
In verse 2 we see the first use of the term “the Way” in reference to these new Christian believers. We’ll see this reference again in Acts 19:9, 19:23, 22:4, 24:14, 24:22. This is another item close to home for me… There is a pseudo-Christian group out there calling themselves “The Way (International)”. Many (if not most) Christian leaders would refer to this group as a cult, but to the uninformed they look very much like Christians and are particularly attractive to students and are strong on college campuses. On the day that Carol and I met – 40 years ago this past January 24th – I had been invited to a Bible Study by a student who had attended this Bible Study group. She had heard of groups like The Way and wanted me to see if this group was legitimate. (It was!) Carol was also invited that night for the first time. So a connection to “the Way” is what brought us together!
Slava Bohu!