by Rev. A. M. Cattanach, M.A.
II — The Road to Damascus
The young man called Saul did not waste any time in his efforts to stamp out the faith for which Stephen had laid down his life. Such was his hatred of the disciples of the Lord Jesus that he determined to follow them, even as far as Damascus, and seek to “bring them bound to Jerusalem”. The opening verses of the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles presents us with a view of SAUL as a PERSECUTOR, to quote his own word in later life, when writing to young Timothy. Let us remember that it was Saul himself that went first to the high priest, to ask for those infamous letters to the synagogues — in other words, the initiative lay with Saul, not with the high priest. The request was readily granted, and soon Saul was on his way: how long the journey took, we are not told, but we may be sure that Saul would waste no time. The miles between Jerusalem and Damascus were almost covered, when the “time for favour” came, and the Lord drew near — “and as he journeyed, he came near Damascus”. (Acts ix, 3). The time and place, ordained in the purpose of Jehovah, had met together, in which the right hand of the Lord would do valiantly. The day of days for the great Apostle had dawned; the arrows of the King were to pierce the heart of one of the fiercest enemies of His cause, and bring him down in subjection to His rule. This was the moment when, for Saul, the truth was fulfilled — “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. (2 Cor. v. 17).
There are some events in a man’s life which stand out more than others, but none which can compare with the wonderful experience of the new birth — this is an event which has no equal. It can only happen once. What a wonderful day for Saul — this day on the road to Damascus, when Jesus, whom he was so intent on persecuting, appeared unto him, calling unto him from the excellent glory, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” We need not enter into the details of the transaction that day; rather let us gather together a few thoughts, which seem to sum up the reality of the work, and bear to us across the centuries, the lessons which we all need so much to learn.
One sign of the reality of the work is to be found in the complete change of purpose which Saul manifested, when he reached his destination that day. Instead of going to the rulers of the synagogues, as he had intended, to present to them his letters of introduction for his evil work, he is led by the hand to the house of Judas, there to pour out his soul in prayer to Him who is the Hearer and Answerer of the same. Saul was in no mood for searching out the disciples of the despised Nazarene now; oh, no, rather was he concerned with the perennial question, “How can a man be just with God?”
After much agony of soul, Saul found, by Divine instruction, the only answer to such a question — Christ as the end of the law for righteousness to them that believe. He found an answer to his prayer; he had not called on God in vain; the Divine mark, by which he was to be recognised by Ananias, was indeed fulfilled — “Behold, he prayeth”. Is it not true still? A truly converted man is still the praying man; prayer, in the true sense of the word, is still the life of the soul. Oh, may we have this precious mark of the Divine Spirit’s teaching in our hearts today. To live without prayer is to live without Christ. We have only to think of the precious examples of a living prayer, as these are unfolded to us in Paul’s Epistles, to see how truly changed this one-time Pharisee of many ‘prayers’ was. The very atmosphere of heaven seems to pervade them, as he pours out his soul for the saints, in this church, and that, scattered up and down the Roman Empire — take, for example, that wonderful prayer for ‘the saints which are at Ephesus’, recorded for us in the third chapter of that precious epistle (verse 14 to the end). The burden of it is that they may be filled with the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. May we ourselves be blessed with such heavenly blessings as those, which Paul desired for his friends at Ephesus.
Another sign that the change was real is to be found in the words of the nineteenth verse, “Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus”. The young man, who had but lately left Jerusalem, to seek out these very people, and carry them back to stand before the Sanhedrin for their faith, is now among them, as a brother. Oh the wonder of it; the Apostle himself never ceased to wonder at it, to the end of his days on earth, for he was wont to see in it the super-abounding grace of God. Instead of hastening to his fellow-Pharisees with his wicked letters, he is happy to join the company of the despised followers of Jesus of Nazareth, and abide with them for a few days. Have you ever wondered what happened to his letters? How good it was for the church of God that the bearer of them had no further use for them, from that day forward. It was said of his namesake, King of Israel, once, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel, 10, v. 11). The outcome, there, was not according to the early promise, but we can truly praise the Lord that Saul of Tarsus was indeed ‘among the disciples’ at Damascus, and never left their company any more. The student of Gamaliel and the disciples of Damascus sat together at the feet of Jesus, and enjoyed sweet fellowship in a common Lord. From that day forth, Saul of Tarsus could truly say with the Psalmist,
“I am companion to all those
who fear, and thee obey.” (Psalm 119, v. 63).
May we, too, be of that same company.
It has been rightly said that a man is known by the company which he keeps. If we would seek a sign for good within ourselves, let us ask ourselves this question. Which company do we keep? If our heart is set upon the company of the world, we may be sure that we have never tasted of the pleasures that are at God’s right hand, whereas, if our delight is to be found with those, who love the Lord, and fear His name, we may be encouraged to believe that we have tasted that the Lord is gracious, that, for us, too, “old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.
The third, and last sign, which we would give, that the work was real, is to be found in the twentieth verse, where we read, “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.” Again, we can only marvel at the grace of God, which wrought such a change in Saul of Tarsus, that, instead of going about his preconceived business in the synagogues of Damascus, here he is, “holding forth the word of life” in them, proving from the Scriptures, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. All the knowledge, which he had absorbed at the feet of Gamaliel; all the wonderful gifts, which had been bestowed upon him naturally; all the qualities, with which he had been endowed; all these talents, he now, by the constraining love of Christ, lays on the altar of service for Jesus. Saul is, indeed, a ‘man of Christ’, a new creature, a new creation. It is typical of the man, as we know him, from this book, and from his precious epistles, that he should plunge into the deep things of God, ‘straightway’, striking at the very core of the opposition of his fellow-countryman to Jesus of Nazareth, declaring to all and sundry, that this man is Christ indeed, the Son of God. THIS, above all else, is to be his watchword ever after; this task, above all else, is to be his life-work ever after.
The change was apparent to all, who cared to observe. Yet, not unnaturally we might say, some doubted; some had their queries. Is it genuine?; can it really have taken place?; is he really sincere?; will it really last?; may it not just be a passing phase?; ‘a morning cloud’?; the early dew? Some such thoughts may have lurked in the minds of those who heard him that day in Damascus — they were ‘amazed’. The word in the original is a strong one, meaning literally, to ‘put out of its place’, and frequently used in the New Testament to mean, to be beside oneself; perhaps it is not out of place, with all reverence, to see, in its use here, a suggestion that all who saw and heard the wonderful things which had transpired that day in the synagogues of Damascus, were so beside themselves, that they could hardly grasp the true significance of it all — it was almost incredible. It is in this sense that Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, uses the same word, ‘whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God’. (2 Cor. 5, v. 13). Amazed they truly were, with holy amazement, saying, Is this not he that destroyed them that called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? (v. 21). If they had their doubts, the way towards the clearing of them was quickly opened up for them, as the Lord Himself caused Saul ‘to increase the more in strength’, to wax bolder as he lifted high the banner of the Cross, so that, by Divine grace, he “confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ” (v. 22). Again, the word is a strong one — he threw them all into confusion; their well-laid arguments were all thrown upside down; the ground was taken from their feet — in other words, they had no answer to this apologetic. From the Scriptures, he ‘proved’ that Jesus was the promised Messiah; he demonstrated, by “joining together, and thus uniting into one”, the words in ‘Moses, and the Psalms, and the Prophets, concerning Him’, that in the Crucified and Risen One, in whom the disciples believed, these very Scriptures had found their final and fullest fulfilment. O how these poor, despised disciples at Damascus must have rejoiced, to hear such wonderful words, from one of whom they had, but yesterday, been so much afraid! And so we leave the Apostle, for the moment, at the beginning of his career, ‘preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ’ to his fellow-sinners at Damascus.
Would we seek another sign of good within ourselves? Let us find it, then, in this, that Christ is All to us. The outstanding lesson, which comes to us across the years, from the theme of our present meditation, is, that for Saul, from that day forward, ‘to live is Christ’. These are the very words which he uses, when writing to the church at Philippi, from his prison-house at Rome. Have WE been taught, as HE was, on the Damascus road, by the same Spirit of promise, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing this, been enabled to embrace Him, freely offered to us in the Gospel? God grant it may be so! Let us be measured, then, by this same rule. Are we a praying people? Are God’s people, our people? Is Christ, and Him crucified, our only hope? These are questions which we need to ask ourselves, and honestly answer, before the Lord. May the Holy Spirit teach us so to search ourselves, in the light of His own Word, that we shall come to know, if we do not already know, that ‘He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ’. (Phil. 1, v. 6).