Paul Tells King Agrippa of His Conversion

In Acts 26:12-18, Paul shares his conversion experience with King Agrippa. He was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians there, when he saw a really bright light from heaven. He then heard a voice speaking to him in Aramaic, which was what ordinary people spoke and a language Saul understood. The voice was Jesus and he asked why Saul was persecuting Him. He told Saul that He would rescue Saul from his own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. Jesus also said He would send Saul to the Gentiles to share the Gospel of Jesus, so they would be forgiven of their sins. This was Paul’s testimony of his transformation, from persecuting Jesus and His followers, to loving and serving Jesus, His followers, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the Gentiles.

Let’s read Acts 26:12-18. This is the New Revised Standard Version. Paul is speaking to King Agrippa.

With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, when at midday along the road, your Excellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.” I asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you. I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles – to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

This is the third time in Acts that Paul shares his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. Let’s focus on verse 13: we are told the time of day Saul traveled:

… when at midday along the road …

Only the most zealous or desperate people traveled at noon, because it was really hot around that time. Most people found shade and rested, ate a light meal, or took a nap. Or all three. Remember, most people walked, and they didn’t have socks and comfortable shoes like we do; they had sandles. And the roads they traveled on were not like the paved sidewalks we have now; they were dusty and rocky. Walking on these roads were not easy, and when they had a long ways to go, most rested when it got really hot. Only those who had the most urgent business would force themselves to travel around noon. And Saul was one of them. He was eager to get to Damascus as quickly as possible to find followers of Jesus and persecute them.

I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. When we had all fallen to the ground…

Imagine seeing light that was brighter than the sun. If this happened today, we would probably remain standing, rub our eyes, and wonder what was going on. Like Saul, we would be blinded too. In the days of the Old Testament and the New Testament, people got on their knees and bowed to show humility and respect. Saul fell to the ground. Most likely, he was overwhelmed. Saul and those with him knew this light was no ordinary light and instinctively fell to the ground.

In verse 14, Jesus speaks to Paul in a gentle way. He does this by repeating Saul’s name:

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

The name is repeated to show both gentleness and importance. For all of Saul’s sins against Jesus, He had every reason to destroy Saul, but He did not. Jesus showed mercy as well as grace. Let’s look at a couple of examples of when God repeated the names of people to get their full attention.

Genesis 22:11-12:

But the angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

It was important that the angel of the Lord got Abraham’s attention right away, and in a gentle way.

Luke 10:41:

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Martha was busy serving Jesus and complained that her sister Mary was not helping her. In this verse, Jesus is gently reproving Martha for being overly anxious and troubled about all sorts of things. Jesus tells Martha that Mary had chosen better by sitting at His feet and listening to Him. Jesus is reminding Martha that while serving and hospitality are important, they should not distract us from what is truly important: being loved by God, loving God, and enjoying God’s presence.

Jesus repeated Saul’s name to get his attention, in a gentle way:

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Persecuting the followers of Jesus was the same as persecuting Jesus himself. Doing something bad against a Christian is the same as doing something bad against Jesus. Saul was persecuting the Christians and Jesus is telling Saul that he is persecuting Jesus Himself.

Before we move on, let’s talk a little bit about the name Saul. The person we know as both Saul and Paul had two names: most likely Saul was his Hebrew name, and Paul was his Roman name. As Saul, he was a Pharisee and a persecuter of those who followed Jesus. Later on, when he begins his role as a missionary to the Gentiles, he uses his Roman name, Paul, to leave the past behind and to show that he had a new purpose, which was to connect with the Gentiles and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In verse 14, Jesus says something interesting that might not be too familiar to those who do not farm. And that’s most of us. I had to do some extra studying to figure out the meaning of this:

“It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

What does this mean? In the days of Jesus, farmers used animals to pull heavy farming equipment such as a plow, usually oxen. Plowing soil means to till the soil, which means to dig, stir, and turn the soil over so that seeds could be planted later. Some farming equipment had plates with spikes jutting out at the front. When a stubborn ox refused to move, the farmer would encourage the ox by inflicting a little pain, but instead of obeying sometimes the ox would kick back in anger, driving its feet right into those spikes, and end up hurting itself.

Saul fought against Jesus in the same way. We do that too. Intentionally or unintentionally, we fight against Jesus and the Gospel. We resist Jesus. When we resist God’s leading, when we get frustrated and lash out at God, we end up hurting ourselves. It is hard and painful for us to kick against the goads. It is much better when we, not only yield to God, but gladly follow God. God is in absolute control over the entire movement of history – the past, the present, and the future – and God loves us. He proved that He loves us by sending Jesus to be sacrificed so that we wouldn’t have to be punished for our sins, so that we would be forgiven. God also promised that everything will work together for our good, for the good of those who love God. Following God where He leads us is most beneficial to us. God knows what is best for us. God is leading us to a most wonderful destination. Where we end up is not a place but a Person, God Himself.

Verse 15-18:

I asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you. I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles – to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Jesus answered that Saul had been persecuting Him, because Saul was persecuting the followers of Jesus. Saul had been doing whatever he could to destroy the followers of Jesus. That in turn meant that Saul was trying to destroy Jesus Himself. A great sin against God! But, instead of punishment, Jesus offered mercy and grace to Saul. And Saul’s mission was to take his experience of God’s mercy and grace to the Gentiles.

Paul was to share what he experienced with the Gentiles. And what was that? Jesus tells us that He will protect Paul from both the Jews and the Gentiles. Through Paul, Jesus will open the hearts and minds of the Gentiles and transform their lives, from darkness to light, from Satan to God. With their hearts and minds open by the light of God, Jesus will bless them with forgivness of their sins. And finally, Jesus will welcome those who have faith in Him, to His kingdom.

Verse 16:

“But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.”

Jesus appeared to Saul for a purpose: to give Saul a job, a purpose for his life. A job today is something we do to make money and is usually temporary, lasting a few months to maybe a few years. A long time ago, a job was what you did to provide for your family and it usually lasted your entire life. When Jesus assigned a job to Saul, this was what he would be doing for the rest of his life. It was more than a job, it was his calling. Jesus called Saul to be a completely different person: a servant and a witness for the rest of his life.

“… to serve and testify to …”

In the New International Version or NIV translation, it reads:

“I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.”

Jesus wants Saul to be a witness of what he has seen of Jesus and what he will see of Jesus. What does it mean to be a witness? A witness is a person who sees something happen. In Saul’s case, he saw a bright light, so bright that he was blinded for three days. Saul was a witness to the bright light, but couldn’t see anymore, so he was a witness of what he heard.

In the New Living Translation or NLT, it says:

“For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.”

What is important about being a witness? Saul saw and then he heard. Saul’s job was to share what he saw and what he heard. Jesus tells Saul that more will be shown to him, that he will witness more things in the future, and his job is to share that with others.

Jesus had a purpose for Saul to go to the Gentiles to open their eyes so that they would turn away from darkness and toward light. In other words, so that they would turn away from Satan and toward God. This is what happened to Saul as well. He was blinded and then his eyes opened. He turned from darkness to light, from persecuting Jesus to loving Jesus.

Verse 17:

“I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles…”

Jesus is preparing Paul so that he would be able to face his fears. Paul feared that he would be attacked and possibly killed by Jews and rejected by Gentiles. Jesus gave His word of protection so that Paul would be able to endure hardships, to carry his cross, to suffer and to sacrifice like Jesus did for him and for us.

Paul’s mission was to open the eyes of those who were spiritually blind, reconcile those who were separated from God, and bring salvation to those who were lost. But there was no promise that these people would joyfully receive Paul and his message. On the contrary. The harsh reality, then and now, is that the world often rejects and is hostile toward those who bring the message of God’s salvation.

Paul is warned that wherever he goes, of the people he wants to help, many will despise him, will try to hurt him, and try to destroy his ministry. Like Paul, many who preach the Gospel of Jesus today face opposition and persecution.

Jesus told Paul that he was appointed to be a witness to both Jews and Gentiles. At the time of Jesus, this was a radical concept. Jews and Gentiles were separate and unequal groups. Many Jews had political, social, and economic power; most Gentiles did not. Jews looked down on Gentiles. But Paul was to spread the Gospel of Jesus among them, equally. He was going against sinful, but established norms and traditions. Paul’s mission was to extend God’s love and forgiveness to all people, to both Jews and Gentiles.

The Jews hated Paul for this. Paul was including the Gentiles in God’s promise, which Jews believed were only for them. The Jews wanted to keep their status as “God’s chosen people” to themselves. They liked being special, and did not want the promise that God made with Abraham’s descendants to be dishonored by extending it to filthy outsiders.

Paul’s example encourages us to continue sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those in need, even when there are others who are trying to stop us. And everyone is in need of God’s mercy and grace. Like Paul, we will definitely face challenges and opposition, but we must persevere in sharing the Gospel of Jesus.

Verse 18:

“… to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. “

Only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts. Only Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, can free us from sin and death. Only God who has forgiven our sins, can adopt us into God’s family, into eternal fellowship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit, and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

However, God works together with His children to show the power of the Holy Spirit, whose supernatural works transform the hearts and minds of people. God does not send His followers to be inactive instruments or performers; God works through us in powerful ways. The power of the Holy Spirit is what makes the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by Christians effective.

Those who teach the Word of God are sent not to speak empty words into the air or make noise. Christians are to bring spiritual light to those who are blind, to reshape people’s hearts based on God’s righteousness, and to confirm God’s mercy of forgiveness of sins and salvation that is obtained only through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and God’s grace of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus. Christians cannot do any of these things, but only when God works through them. This makes sure that the work of Christians are not done in vain, and that all praise goes to God, because all the results come from God, and God alone.

In conclusion, like Saul, our sinful state is to want to have our eyes closed and be in darkness. We don’t want to open our eyes; we don’t want to see our sinfulness. We are ashamed. We want to hide the bad parts about us, the bad things we have done. When there is light, our sins will be exposed, and we don’t want that to happen. We don’t want to be embarrassed. We don’t want to be ashamed. We are afraid of what others might think of us if our sins are exposed. That is why we prefer to be in darkness. We might save ourselves from being embarrassed or ashamed. We might be able to maintain our relationships, as long as they don’t know. But there is a big cost to staying in the dark. We will be chained to the power of Satan. We will not receive forgiveness for our sins and start the process of becoming pure through faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

But when God opens our eyes to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus, and when we turn away from darkness, away from the power of Satan, and turn toward light and the power of God, there are some wonderful things that will happen. Our sins will be exposed, but our sins, all of our sins – past, present, and future – will be forgiven, blotted out, separated from us as far as the east is to the west. We will be completely forgiven. When we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, He will make us pure, as white as snow. We start becoming a new person, from the inside out. And then when our days are over, we will be resurrected, and will forever be with Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let the light of Jesus shine through. Let our sins be exposed so that we can be forgiven. Receive His forgiveness, start living a new life as a Christian, looking forward to when we can be with our Father in heaven, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus dramatically intervened in Paul’s life, knocking him down to humble him. Jesus caused him to reevaluate his actions and beliefs, and completely changed his life.

After Paul was humbled, Jesus lifted him up, and encouraged him to be brave. Isn’t our daily experiences similar? Well, except for being struck down by light that is brighter than the sun. As far as I know, that doesn’t happen too often. Life’s challenges, big and small, humble us and teach us humility. Just as Jesus lifted Paul, He lifts us from our low points and encourages us to continue. Jesus reminds us that He is our source of strength and wisdom.

Jesus appeared to Paul not to punish him for his past actions. Paul acted out of ignorance and unbelief, persecuting Christians, resisting the Gospel, and causing a lot of pain and suffering among the followers of Jesus. But, Christ did not appear to Paul to punish him for these actions.

Instead, Jesus appeared as a merciful Lord. His desire was to redirect Paul’s diligence and passion towards a good cause, making him a witness of the things he saw and would see in the future. From this experience, Paul learned that Jesus was really the Son of God. Paul was no longer arrogant, stopped rejecting Jesus, and instead acknowledged Him as the Son of God, his Lord and Savior.

May our eyes be opened to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May we receive forgiveness for our sins: past, present, and future. May we turn away from sin and turn toward God. May we look forward to our resurrection and our eternal lives with our Father in heaven, His Son Jesus our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit, and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.