Saul Unknowingly Persecuted Jesus
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
Acts 9:3-5, NIV
Saul was breathing out murderous threats against the early Christians. He was full of zeal with his beliefs in Judaism to the point of hurting those people who followed Jesus. He was one of the Pharisees who greatly persecuted those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. He never really realized who he was persecuting until he encountered the living God.
Perhaps Saul believed that He was doing God a favor by hurting those who didn’t follow Him. But the truth was, he unknowingly hurt Jesus. He was not just persecuting His followers, but Jesus felt the suffering of His faithful servants. Saul may not have realized this before, but Jesus was there when He was hurting those who tried to preach the gospel. However, his story doesn’t end there. Jesus personally introduced Himself and made him realize what he did. He used Saul’s life to become a vessel of His love for the Jews and Gentiles.
This is a very powerful reminder for all of us. Sometimes, we are too caught up with our own traditions, understanding, and beliefs, and we unknowingly treat what we know as our god. Just like Saul, we became so devoted to what the law says instead of following the maker of the law Himself. It’s a wake-up message for us not to ridicule and persecute those people who have different beliefs. At the end of the day, we are called to love and not to discredit other people’s efforts in sharing God’s word.
Saul may have a very strong zeal for his belief, but he was anchoring it in a wrong foundation. Thank God because he realized what it truly meant to love the creator of this World. Saul realized who Jesus was, and because he had an intimate relationship with Him, everything shifted in his life – from a person who persecuted the church to a person who would die for Jesus.
Prayer: Father God, thank you so much for giving me the chance to know you and your word. Please remind me not to anchor my faith in my beliefs. Instead, I need to put my relationship with you first. Teach me not to treat my knowledge or understanding as my god. May you always lead me to your love and grace. This I ask in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
