If a heart can be changed in an instant, how long does it take to change a life?
This is the question we must ask of the Apostle Paul.
The last time I wrote to you, we were looking at Saul “breathing threats and murder” toward the followers of the way. He was journeying to Damascus to spread his fury and terror, when he encountered Jesus.
I think we can agree that Saul’s heart was changed immediately. The way he behaved, patiently waiting for Ananias to come and restore his sight, was 100% reversed from his previous approach.
But did he become the Apostle Paul right away?
Luke, in the book of Acts, gives us some clues. He provides three specific timelines.
IMMEDIATELY. (Acts 9:20)
Saul went to the very same synagogues of Damascus he had planned to visit before. Except, instead of looking for people to arrest, he went to testify that Jesus was the Son of God.
Obviously, this confused the Jews in Damascus. They had heard Saul was coming, and knew of his intentions. They understood he was coming to stamp out The Way (as it was called in those days).
But here was Saul proclaiming himself to be a follower of the way!
This just goes to show that the change of heart happened right away. It didn’t take Saul long to start to tell his story.
“I was coming along the way, almost here at Damascus when a light from heaven blinded me and Jesus Himself spoke to me. Now instead of persecuting his followers, I’ve become one of them!”
Saul applied his considerable intellect to proving that Jesus was the messiah (the anointed one). No one could argue the point against him and win. He made quite a name for himself.
AFTER MANY DAYS (Acts 9:23)
We don’t know how many days this was. But I would tend to think over the course of several weeks, Saul’s vocal proclamation of Jesus as the Son of God drew a different kind of attention.
The party that he used to belong to (the traditional Jewish party) got upset with this deviation from the master plan. They decided that they needed to get Saul off the scene.
So they decided to do it Mafia Style. In essence they put out a hit on him and planned to kill him. He was no longer useful to them.
Lest he escape, they posted men with thick necks and calloused knuckles at the gates to the city. If they could keep him locked down, they would eventually find and kill him. But if he ran for it, they would know and could follow him to deal with matters in a remote location…
Fortunately it was a poorly kept secret, and some of The Way and Saul’s friends got word of it. So they smuggled Saul over the wall in a basket and a rope.
WHEN HE HAD COME TO JERUSALEM (Acts 9:26)
Luke doesn’t say when this was. But Paul gives us an idea of the timeline and events that Luke skips over.
In Galatians 1:11-24, Paul shared a bit of his testimony with the churches in the region of Galatia (modern day Turkey). He said that he didn’t go straight away to Jerusalem to get indoctrinated by the other Apostles.
As a criteria of being an Apostle, Saul had to be commissioned and trained directly by Jesus. So Saul left Damascus and went away to Arabia, where he spent 3 years.
In Galatians we aren’t told what Saul did in Arabia for 3 years. However, in 2 Corinthians 12:2 Paul writes that he “knew a man” who was caught up into the third heaven (which is the abode of God). Most scholars think Paul is modestly referring to himself.
During his time in Arabia, he had direct interaction with the resurrected Jesus where he was trained for three years. Paul makes a big point of saying he’s no man’s puppet or mouthpiece. This is all based on his own experience directly with Jesus.
After the three years were gone. he returned to Damascus and then went up to Jerusalem where he met with Peter and James the brother of Jesus.
But they all remembered who he had been the last time he was in Jerusalem. So the apostles steered clear of him, fearing it was a ruse and he had been in hiding so they would forget about who he was or what he was trying to do.
It took one Barnabas to come along side of him and testify to his conversion before the others would take the risk to meet with him. Even then, they hustled him out of Jerusalem quickly and sent him North, back to his hometown, lest his conversion stir up the Jews even farther to bring persecution.
By piecing together Acts 9, Galatians 1 and 2 Corinthians 12, we start to get a picture of how Saul was converted, and discipled and prepared for what would become his life’s work for which we know him so well.
It wasn’t overnight (although, transformation was immediate). He had to go through a period of training and preparation. He had to be shown how he would suffer for the gospel.
It seems that Saul/Paul was 110% committed to whatever he believed in. Whether it was arresting Christians or making them, he didn’t hold back from anything.
This is a true testament to the power of the Gospel. Nothing short of a new heart could account for Saul’s behavior in Damascus – and the corresponding reaction of the Jewish traditionalists there.
I’m still on my path to develop a study for the book of Colossians. If you would like to be notified when that is ready, please let me know here. I hope to get the study out soon – which means I need to get working on it soon.
This is part of my plan for 2022 to have a study out for each of the New Testament epistle writers (Paul, James, John, Peter).
It promises to be a great year!
Until next time,
Peace to you.
Dennis
