why was ananias afraid of helping saul

3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 59:15b60:13). Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? Questions: Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? Saul asked.I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. 147 The more Saul preached, the more the Jews were confused. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1). A devout Hellenistic Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, Saul was a member of the Pharisees and was taught by none other than Gamaliel, The longer I study Sauls conversion, the more convinced I am that his conversion is typical. Ananias hesitation to visit Saul showed that he had good relationship with Jerusalem, for he knew of the trouble that the persecutor had raised against the early converts, and of the goal of his mission to Damascus. 1:16f. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, 27Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. With the help of a priest who knew his parents he was allowed to attend religious school. Have you had such an encounter? WebWhy was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? In 2 Corinthians 11:32 Paul speaks of an ethnarch of Aretas, the king of the Nabataean Arabs, who guarded the city to prevent him escaping from it. 148 I would assume that Saul was one of those who covered his ears so as not to hear the praise of Stephen, as reported in Acts 7:57. Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. 6 What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? . He went on to become a respected teacher and the founder of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Betharram. 16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:24-27). I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith (Philippians 3:1-9; cf. sunodia, Luke 2:44). F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), fn. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. What Paul learned about himself, personally, on the road to Damascus he came to understand and to preach concerning all men. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. How was Saul converted to Christianity? Working Preacher from Luther Seminary In different contexts, preachers might want to draw specific analogies concerning those for whom the congregation should be praying even though it cuts against our grain to do so. While Paul may not have brought about the execution of all those whom he arrested, including women as well as men (verse 2), verse 1 strongly suggests that this was his desire and ambition. As persecution was no longer needed to disperse the church and the gospel, peace was restored to the land. Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard (Isaiah 58:8). To Paul, his relationship, by faith, to Jesus Christ was also the beginning of his new relationship to the body of Christ, the church: Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christs afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. All Ananias did was to obey Christs command to go pray with Saul so that Saul could do all those things. All rights reserved. After he put his hands on Saul, the Bible only records that Saul received his sight. Sauls salvation was focused on one thing and on one thing aloneChrist. When one looks at all the references to this event, it was, in fact, a personal appearance of the risen, glorified Jesus to Saul (cf. Why were Ananias and Sapphira killed on the spot? A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:32). Paul would make much more of this point in the first chapter of Galatians. The expansion is three-fold: (1) The expansion from Christ, to His apostles, to His church, (2) The geographical expansion from Jerusalem to Rome. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Preachers can narrate verses 10-14, and then basically say, You see, Ananias didnt know what had just happened. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave Who was Ananias that help Saul in the Bible to regain his sight? 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. This silence is instructive, in my opinion. Saul seems to have been the instigator of the persecution of the church, which began at the death of Stephen in Jerusalem and worked outward from there. But Elymas the magician (for thus his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. The passage which we are studying can be divided into these major segments: We will begin this lesson by making some general observations concerning this account of Sauls conversion,134 after which we will examine the sequence of events leading up to Sauls conversion, the events surrounding his conversion, and the consequences of his conversion as depicted by Luke. Ananias Laid Hands on Paul Ananias did as the Lord commanded and went to Sauls house and laid his hands on him. But hidden in its shadows is another inspiring story, and one to which most people in the pew may more easily relate. Web17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 60:3). Who has saved us and called us to a holy lifenot because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. 9 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lords freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christs slave. Now this would have been a very bitter pill to swallow for many Jewish Christians. We can overcome our fears if, like Ananias, we trust that Jesus is directing the preaching work, Saul Visits Jerusalem. At first Ananias was afraid because he knew how Saul persecuted the Christians, but the Lord said that Saul had a special ministry he must fulfill. He spoke of it as the movement from darkness to light (Colossians 1:12-13; Ephesians 4:8-14) in which the new believer should now walk. At first he found himself in the position of being regarded as an apostate by the Jews and suspect by the Christian community of Jerusalem. How true are two of the proverbs, which read: The mind of a man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). Acts He was, indeed, Stephens replacement. But then the preacher can continue that even though Ananias didnt know about Sauls epiphany, he did as the Lord told him anyway. 17(K)And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and (L)laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord [c]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and (M)be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. The children will practice being giving and friendly with someone that they do not know. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. If he were viewed as a reactionary, a trouble-maker, perhaps there were some unbelievers who thought Saul was too much trouble. 131 . 129 By this time Saul has gained a reputation as the ringleader of the movement to make Christianity extinct. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, here am I, Lord. 11 And the Lord said to him, Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. 13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.145 15 But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My names sake.. He was a man of great respect and influence, and thus he realized that his actions would have broad ramifications. Who was Ananias of Damascus in the New Testament (1) Sauls salvation was the salvation of a sinner. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave and friendly. Thus, it is grace which sustains the saint, in addition to saving him: Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were thus occupied were not benefited (Hebrews 13:9). To whom did the Lord communicate "in a vision"? The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Matthew 4:16). He also warned those who would corrupt grace, to make it a pretext for sin (cf. CE!L;oza!sQjaTsg I do not question that he did receive the Spirit, but merely observe that this receiving of the Spirit (accompanied by the laying on of hands) was not something Luke wanted to emphasize. I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. Fifth, faith must take the text on face value, as it is written, and believe it as Gods inspired, inerrant, authoritative word. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? Did they send for Saul? Did God Judge Ananias and Sapphira for the same sin? Obedience is often not easy, but it is very likely the most direct way forward and the clearest way to honor God. 92 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 94 /H [ 1243 743 ] /L 503600 /E 43371 /N 16 /T 501642 >> endobj xref 92 42 0000000016 00000 n 0000001188 00000 n 0000001986 00000 n 0000002200 00000 n 0000002434 00000 n 0000002614 00000 n 0000002636 00000 n 0000004226 00000 n 0000004248 00000 n 0000005775 00000 n 0000005798 00000 n 0000008986 00000 n 0000009009 00000 n 0000012094 00000 n 0000012305 00000 n 0000013156 00000 n 0000014011 00000 n 0000014230 00000 n 0000014604 00000 n 0000014827 00000 n 0000023280 00000 n 0000023869 00000 n 0000024230 00000 n 0000024446 00000 n 0000024731 00000 n 0000024987 00000 n 0000025380 00000 n 0000026152 00000 n 0000026257 00000 n 0000029454 00000 n 0000029477 00000 n 0000032108 00000 n 0000032131 00000 n 0000034910 00000 n 0000034933 00000 n 0000037945 00000 n 0000040047 00000 n 0000040070 00000 n 0000043063 00000 n 0000043141 00000 n 0000001243 00000 n 0000001964 00000 n trailer << /Size 134 /Info 91 0 R /Root 93 0 R /Prev 501632 /ID[<3cb89dccfaad5f26269ffad0f6f6443b><3cb89dccfaad5f26269ffad0f6f6443b>] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 93 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 89 0 R >> endobj 132 0 obj << /S 672 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 133 0 R >> stream It is here that Paul took the leadership and became the dominant or leading individual, instead of Barnabas. 136 E. M. Blaiklock, The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Wm. It is impossible to overestimate the worth to the student of Christianity of this event from every angle because we have in Pauls Epistles his own emphasis on the actual appearance of Jesus to him as the fact that changed his whole life (1 Cor. Barnabas stood up for Saul and explained everything to the Jerusalem Christians. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. They could not prove him wrong from the Scriptures. The conversion of Saul is important in another way. The message of the gospel, to be sure, is always the same, but the approach is not. It does not store any personal data. In this occasion, no one seems to have prayed for Peters miraculous escape. The blindness to which Saul was subject for three days provided him with much time for reflection, meditation, and prayer. 1:11, Acts 20:23; 2 Cor. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lords wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. the citation of Ps 2:7 in Pauls speech at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:33). Those things in which Saul would have formerly trusted for his standing before God, he saw in an entirely different light after God found him and saved him: 4b If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.