Acts 26:16, commentary and pictures

On the road at Damascus the crucified and risen Jesus truly showed himself to Saul, the same Jesus who had walked Jerusalem, died on Calvary and risen from the dead, revealing himself as the Son of God and promised Messiah whom Saul had been persecuting. He bade him rise and stand because he had appeared for this purpose, to appoint him directly as a minister and a witness with apostolic authority. His witness was to cover both what he had already seen and heard and what Christ would yet reveal to him, especially that Jesus is risen and is the Son of God. He was sent to Jews and Gentiles to proclaim a risen Saviour, to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith. He obeyed by preaching repentance toward God, faith in Christ and works fit for repentance in Damascus, Jerusalem, Judea and far off to all classes, even before kings and rulers, and this appointment remains the pattern for every minister to do the same work in the Spirit's power.

Damascus Encounter and Call

At the gate of Damascus on the road there Saul truly saw and heard the crucified and risen Christ. It was the same Jesus who walked the streets of Jerusalem, died on Calvary, broke the bands of death and ascended to heaven. He saw and talked with Him as truly as Cephas, James, John and the other disciples saw and talked with Him.

In that appearance Jesus revealed Himself as the Son of God and the promised Messiah, crucified and risen. He was the very one Saul had hated and had persecuted by attacking His followers. The encounter thereby exposed Saul's error and showed him that Jesus was the one he had opposed.

The command to rise and stand upon the feet accompanied the commission and came after the vision that changed Saul from an enemy of Jesus into a believer and apostle. The vision that first filled him with terror became a source of consolation. By it he was made a sincere penitent and fervent believer. Those who held the differing detail taught that this particular account does not describe the commission to serve as a minister and witness stated in Acts 26:16.

Appointed Minister and Witness

Christ appeared for this stated purpose, to make Paul a minister and a witness. The call came directly from Jesus himself, and it was confirmed by the message through Ananias that he would witness to all people of what he had seen and heard. That direct appointment gave him his authority as an apostle.

He was to testify both of the things he had already seen and of the things in which Christ would yet appear to him, receiving both past sight and future revelations. The commission sent him to peoples, to Jews and to Gentiles, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God. Its aim was that they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Jesus.

The voice bade him proclaim the gospel of a risen Saviour and bear witness to the crucified and risen Savior. He was to include the resurrection in that testimony because he had himself seen and spoken with the risen Jesus, so that the resurrection could not seem incredible to him and he could not disobey the heavenly command. That appointment shaped his preaching around Christ and the cross, led him to study the Scriptures, and taught reliance on the Spirit's power rather than human wisdom.

Paul's Obedient Witness Worldwide

He obeyed the heavenly appointment by carrying its message into Damascus, into Jerusalem, throughout all Judea and into regions afar off, calling all classes to repent and turn to God and to do works fit for repentance. That obedience meant preaching repentance and faith in Christ and a changed life, to Jews and to Gentiles alike. What he had seen and heard at the gate of Damascus left him unable to disobey, so he fulfilled the commission by bearing witness of Jesus the crucified wherever he was sent.

His witness took the form of recounting how Jesus had revealed Himself to him and of boldly preaching that Jesus is the Son of God. The Holy Spirit strengthened that testimony, and divine light enabled him to explain the prophecies of Jesus' first advent and to show their fulfillment in His suffering, death and resurrection.

His conversion story and testimony about Jesus were presented before kings and governors, and while imprisoned his gospel was brought before princes and nobles. Even his imprisonment and sea journey became means by which others, including the ship's crew and Gentiles, witnessed God's power and heard about Jesus. In this his witness reached rulers, just as the gospel was later proclaimed before the lords of the empire. His witness led many to believe, though some who delayed responding lost the opportunity.

The appointment given to him is the pattern for every minister, who is to watch for souls as one that must give an account. The work given to Paul is given to all Christ's servants, to open eyes and to turn people from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may repent, confess their sins, receive forgiveness of sins, and have an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Jesus. To do it they must be endowed with the Holy Spirit to represent Christ in all places and at all times. That same message was applied to open the eyes of the Sydney church to discern its spiritual necessities.