Acts 9:22, commentary and pictures

After his blinding meeting with Jesus, his sight restored, his baptism and strengthening, and his days with the disciples at Damascus, Saul at once preached Christ in the synagogues there that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah and very Christ. His increasing in strength was growth in faith, preaching, reasoning and bold witness, continually strengthening disciples and making new converts to the faith he had once opposed. He proved his message from Scripture by showing the prophecies of the Messiah's first coming were literally fulfilled in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, with wise and conclusive arguments attended by God's power. The Jews dwelling at Damascus were astonished and confounded and unable to answer or withstand his evidence, then in hardened hatred plotted to kill him so the disciples lowered him over the city wall in a basket at night. His change from rigid Pharisaic persecutor hunting souls to penitent believer and devoted apostle shows transforming mercy can rescue even a hater of Christ into a life wholly given to preaching the gospel to every class.

Setting and Sequence at Damascus

Before this verse Saul set out from Jerusalem for Damascus armed with a commission and authority from the high priest to seize believers in Jesus as prisoners and bring them to Jerusalem, hunting souls to persecute and punish in mistaken zeal. His errand was known at Damascus, for his position at Jerusalem and his intent to destroy the believers there were understood by those who later heard him preach.

The verse belongs to the record of the Lord's work through the agency of angels, showing the wonderful connection between heavenly agencies and earthly agencies. It follows light from heaven, the voice of Jesus, three days without sight, the sending of Ananias, the restoring of sight, the filling with the Holy Ghost, baptism in the river at Damascus, receiving food and being strengthened, and certain days spent with the disciples at Damascus. Straightway after being strengthened he preached Christ in the synagogues, to the amazement of hearers who knew his persecuting intent.

The proving happened in the synagogues at Damascus to the Jews dwelling there and to the very believers in the city he had set out to destroy. It came soon after his short meeting with Peter and James, when he preached fearlessly in the same synagogue where he had disputed with Stephen, advocating the same cause Stephen died to vindicate. After returning to Damascus he preached boldly in Jesus' name there again, publicly arguing from prophecy that Jesus though crucified is the Son of God and the Christ.

Increasing Strength in Witness

Saul increased in strength by growing stronger in faith, in preaching, in reasoning, in ministry, and in zeal and bold witness in Jesus' name. At Damascus he preached boldly with wise and conclusive arguments from prophecy, proving from Scripture that Jesus of Nazareth literally fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah's first coming and is the promised Christ, and his reasoning was attended by God's power so the Jews dwelling there could not answer or withstand him. His conviction rested on the sure word of prophecy, and his change of faith was brought about by overwhelming evidence and not by impulse or fanaticism, though his opponents were astonished, rejected the evidence, hardened their hearts, and came to hate him as they had hated Jesus.

At once after being strengthened by food following his baptism by Ananias in the river at Damascus, he preached Christ in the synagogues that Jesus who had been put to death is indeed the Son of God and the Christ. He carried this message to the very believers in the city he had set out from Jerusalem to destroy, with a commission from the high priest to take them as prisoners to Jerusalem, which made his change especially startling. There he strengthened those who were already disciples and continually made new converts to the faith he had once so zealously opposed and used every effort to destroy.

He preached with the same zeal, learning and talents with which he had once opposed Christ, now redirected by Jesus to preach His name, to strengthen the disciples, and to take up the work Stephen had left and the cause Stephen died to vindicate. His former Rabbinical and Pharisaic education was turned to good account to sustain and support the gospel cause he had once tried to destroy. With arguments so conclusive and so attended by the power of God, the opposing Jews were confounded and left unable to answer, demonstrating to all hearers that his changed faith rested on compelling evidence rather than impulse or fanaticism.

His bold witness drew force from knowledge of Scripture and the Holy Spirit's guidance, for after his conversion he understood the prophecies about Jesus and showed they were fulfilled in His first coming, suffering, death and resurrection. His testimony together with his miraculous conversion convinced many that Jesus was the Son of God.

Proving Jesus Is Christ

Saul proved in the synagogues that Jesus who had been put to death and crucified is indeed the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and the very Christ. He did this by explaining from Scripture the prophecies of the Messiah's first coming and showing they had been literally fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, including His suffering, death and resurrection. His conviction rested on the sure word of prophecy as the foundation of his faith.

His arguments from prophecy were wise and conclusive, attended by God's power, giving overwhelming evidence in favor of the doctrine of Christ. He presented the evidences from prophecy as Stephen had done, advocating the same cause Stephen died to vindicate. He preached fearlessly in the same synagogue where he had disputed with Stephen, soon after his short meeting with Peter and James, relating his own wonderful experience of conversion with a heart filled with yearning for his Jewish brethren and former associates.

His change of faith was demonstrated to all who heard him to rest on overwhelming evidence, not impulse nor fanaticism. His former commission to arrest believers made the change especially startling, since his errand to Damascus had been armed with the high priest's commission to take believers in Jesus as prisoners to Jerusalem. As a learner with the disciples he learned that Jesus whom he had called an impostor is the Author and foundation of all the religion of God's chosen people from Adam's day, the Finisher of the faith, the vindicator of truth and fulfiller of all prophecies. He learned that Christ did not make the law of God of none effect but was the originator and foundation of the entire Jewish system of sacrifices, in whom type met antitype at His death, and who came expressly to vindicate His Father's law.

In the light of the law he saw himself a sinner where he had thought he zealously kept it, died to sin, became obedient to God's law, repented, believed in Jesus as Saviour, was baptized, and then preached Jesus as earnestly and zealously as he once condemned Him. His former conscientiousness in persecution did not leave him guiltless once the Spirit impressed his cruelty upon him.

Jewish Opposition and Escape

The Jews dwelling at Damascus were surprised, astonished and thoroughly confounded by Saul, and were unable to answer or withstand his reasoning and evidence. They knew his position at Jerusalem and that his errand to Damascus had been armed with a commission from the high priest to take believers in Jesus as prisoners to Jerusalem, which made his preaching that Jesus is Christ all the more confounding. His proving demonstrated to all who heard him that his change of faith was not from impulse nor fanaticism but was brought about by overwhelming evidence. The evidence he presented astonished his opponents, yet they rejected it.

After recovering from their surprise at his wonderful conversion and labors, many resolutely turned from that evidence and hardened their hearts. Their astonishment at his conversion changed into intense hatred of him like their hatred of Jesus. Because of that hatred he could not remain long in Damascus.

Unable to answer him by the wisdom of his arguments, they plotted to kill him and sought to silence him by force. The disciples therefore helped him escape Damascus by lowering him over the city wall in a basket at night. The same danger followed him to Jerusalem, where his testimony about Jesus and his miraculous change enraged the priests and rulers, who sought to kill him. He had thought his testimony would persuade them, especially because they knew his former persecution of believers and his part in Stephen's death, but Jesus told him to leave Jerusalem and sent him to the Gentiles.

God used the very circumstance of the true and faithful Stephen being stoned to death by the enemies of Christ to convert Paul, and through Paul's word thousands were brought to the light of the gospel. His conversion, his vision in the Jerusalem temple, his appointment to preach to the Gentiles, and the success of his efforts among them prepared him to turn from those who rejected his message and to recognize his duty to preach to the Gentiles.

Conversion Lesson and Application

The verse belongs to the transformation of Saul from rigid Pharisaic unbelief and determined, zealous persecution of the disciples of Christ into Paul the sincere penitent, fervent believer, devoted minister and apostle by the will of God. His eyes and heart were opened to feel the power of the truths he had once despised, and he turned from opposing the faith to preaching the gospel he had despised. The heavenly vision revealed Jesus in divine glory as the world's Redeemer, and through transforming mercy made him a believer called to apostleship. His sudden change gave his whole life to the Saviour and to preaching to people of every class.

Though religious before, Christ revealed Himself to him so that Christ became foremost and altogether lovely to him as a Christian. Near Damascus he encountered the Lord, saw his own unworthiness, received full and free forgiveness, and arose changed. Seeing the loveliness of God's character transformed him and stirred in him a desire to see others freed from sin.

The chapter stands as a lesson to all on the need for conversion. Before he was converted Saul hunted up souls to be persecuted as Satan's instrument, and without the converting power of God coming to the soul the same misuse will follow. Unconverted men will work with all their power against Christ as the satanic agencies did when they crucified Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God, and that history is to be repeated.

Even beneath hatred and contempt a soul can be rescued by Christ's grace from being a determined enemy of the gospel. That rescue makes a devoted and effective worker for Christ whose life is wholly given to the Saviour and to preaching the gospel to every class. Later suffering for Christ's cause then becomes a source of joy, not regret.