How he saw the Lord on the road

 How he saw the Lord on the road

 

Acts 9:26-27 『When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple. So Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and told them how he had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.』

Through Barnabas’ assurance of Saul, Saul’s testimony of starting a new life, and his changed life, the church found stability. The churches in all of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria were firmly established. Now, the threat of death began to follow the changed Saul. The fact is that behind the firm establishment and revival of the church, Saul’s life, which was threatened with death, was presupposed. Behind the scenes of the church of God standing firmly on the outside, there were sacrifices and efforts of people like Paul who were changed and testified while risking the threat of death.

Barnabas introduces Saul to the other disciples in three ways.

 

First, he tells how he saw the Lord on the road. Acts 9:3 "As Saul was traveling, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him."

Regarding light, John 1:1 says, "In the beginning (en arche) was the Word (en), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And in 1:4 it says, "In him was life, and that life (he zoe) was the light (en to phos) of men (ton andropos).

En Arche (Ἐν ἀρχῇ) En (in) Arche (in the beginning, for the first time) is a combination of En and a dative noun, so it does not mean the beginning in time, but the first one. It is the same concept as Bereshit (in the beginning) in Genesis 1:1. The first one is none other than Ho Logos (Christ the Word) who leads the saints.

He zoe (this life) means Jesus Christ. En to pos (ἦν τὸ φῶς) means 'with that light'. Since there is an article, it means Jesus Christ as a special light, and those who received that light are the saints. The saints mean special people (ton andropos) who possess the light of Jesus Christ, and life means resurrection life. If we translate it again, it would be 'There was a resurrection life that ho logos illuminated, and this life (Christ) was the light of those people (the saints)'.

Therefore, the light that Jesus Christ shines means the life of resurrection. The saints who possess the life of resurrection hear the voice of Jesus Christ through the Word and spread that life of resurrection to others.

In Matthew 5:14, it says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Here, light is a special light (topos). The saints become those who possess the light of Jesus Christ (resurrection life). Jesus Christ becomes the light when He enters the saint’s heart. That is why they become one with Jesus Christ. The gospel is to reveal Jesus Christ through the saints. The saints first illuminate themselves in the darkness and then go out into the world to shine light.

The second is what the Lord said to him. In Acts 9:4, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul took the lead in killing Christians. He stoned Stephen to death, became a witness, and met Jesus on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians. The reason Saul persecuted Christians was that Christianity was a heresy in his view. Based on the law, only Judaism was the true people of God, and Jesus was crucified as a heretic, so Saul considered the disciples to be destroyed because they were shouting about the resurrection of Jesus.

However, Jesus appeared in the light and said to Saul, “Why do you persecute me?”

Today, believers who are obsessed with doctrines say that spiritual resurrection and present resurrection are heresies. So they persecute believers who say such things. However, these contents are recorded in the Bible, but their spiritual eyes are closed, so they cannot see or hear the Word. If Christ, the Word, does not appear to them and speak to them, they will be in a state where they cannot understand. When believers preach the Word, Jesus works. However, if they cannot hear the Word of Jesus through the Bible, they are spiritually blind.

Third, how he spoke boldly in the name of Jesus (en to onomati to Jesus) in Damascus.

 

『En to onomati to Jesus ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ.』 means in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus means speaking through Jesus. It is not simply speaking the name Jesus, but becoming one who is united with Jesus, hears His voice, and speaks His words. Saul speaks, but Jesus speaks through Saul’s mouth. Therefore, Jesus does not work in those who preach Jesus through doctrines, not the gospel. In order for Jesus to work, we must believe that He died on the cross with us and was resurrected with us, and Jesus works in those who believe. This is because the core content that Jesus preaches is the resurrection life.

Because the resurrection life is the only way for sinners to return to the kingdom of God. In John 11:25-26, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Sinners have their spirits imprisoned in the body. However, when they receive the resurrection life, they are freed from the body and seated in heaven. This happens while they are alive. In Ephesians 2:5-6, “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Even though we cannot see this happening with our flesh, we must believe with our spiritual eyes and faith that this has happened. God tells us through the Bible that it will happen according to our faith. That faith is a faith that comes from heaven. Galatians 3:22-24 “But the Scripture has confined all under sin, so that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, kept until the faith that would be revealed was revealed. So the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”