|
Such a fellow would be somewhat like a modern day St. Paul.
Paul, a young Jewish Pharisee, better known as Saul before his
conversion to Christianity, had a role in killing Stephen, the first
Christian martyr. Then with increasing zeal, Paul continued to make
murderous threats against disciples of the crucified Jesus
(especially Jewish disciples). This was a Jesus whom they proclaimed
as the Son of God who had been raised from the dead. Paul persecuted
these believers with fury, using punishment intended to make them
blaspheme, casting his votes to put them to death.
Few would have imagined Paul one day being at the forefront in
taking the Christian gospel to Jewish and then non-Jewish peoples in
many places. And few would have thought that one day this persecutor
of Christians would experience beheading because he preached and
acknowledged Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior.
Even several years after his conversion, in letters to Corinthian,
Galatian and Philippian congregations, Paul expressed his deep
regret over having violently persecuted the Lord’s Church. These
letters and others Paul wrote which are part of the New Testament
also provide further insight into what caused his “one-eighty”
turnaround to become an apostle of Christ.
His first letter to the church at Corinth included a reminder of his
having informed them about these matters of primary importance (1
Cor. 15:3-8): Christ’s death for our sins; his burial; his
being raised on the third day; his appearances to individuals
(the first two mentioned are Cephas (Peter) and James); and
his appearances to groups (three such appearances are
mentioned). Other parts of the New Testament mention these and
additional appearances of Christ to individuals and groups. Most of
these eyewitnesses were still living when Paul wrote. Many of them
were with Jesus on more than one occasion during the forty days
between his resurrection and when the apostles watched as he was
taken up into the clouds after talking with them.
Included at the end of that reminder about things of primary
importance is a special appearance Christ made to a third
individual, Paul himself, perhaps two (plus or minus) years after
the Lord’s resurrection: “Last of all, as to one untimely
born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles,
unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of
God.” (1 Cor. 15:8-9)
Another New Testament document, the Acts of the Apostles (“Acts”),
provides in chapters 9, 22 and 26, details about Paul’s going from a
persecutor of Christ’s Church to one of his apostles, all within a
few days.
Paul and those traveling with him were approaching Damascus on an
authorized mission to work through the synagogues in searching for
Christians in order to put them in chains and take them back to
Jerusalem. At midday a very bright and blinding light shone from the
sky. Paul and his associates fell to the ground. He heard a voice
which asked him, “Why are you persecuting me?” The speaker
identified himself as Jesus, who briefly told Paul about his new
assignment, also that he was to go into Damascus and would be told
more.
After 3 days without seeing, eating or drinking, Paul was visited by
Ananias, a disciple of Christ. Paul was then filled with the Holy
Spirit, regained his eyesight, was baptized, ate food, regained
strength and stayed with Christians at Damascus. Ironically, it was
in the synagogues of that city where he began proclaiming that Jesus
is the Son of God.
Other chapters in the book of Acts tell what, when, where, why and
how Paul preached and taught during his changed life – and how he
was persecuted for what he preached about a crucified and
resurrected Christ.
In his writings, Paul mentioned Luke as being a physician and his
companion. The early church regarded Luke as the author of both Acts
and the gospel bearing his name. In all likelihood, at least once,
if not on more occasions he heard Paul speak about what had happened
on the road to Damascus.
In some parts of the book of Acts, Luke refers to Paul and any with
him as “we” rather than “they.” Judging by where in the book these
“we” references occur, it seems that Luke was with Paul upon one of
his arrivals in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-18). While there, Roman
soldiers had to protect Paul from an angry mob. In defending himself
he also explained when and where Jesus appeared to him (Acts 21-22).
It seems that Luke was also with Paul when they later set sail to
Italy from Caesarea (Acts 27:1-2), where, at a hearing before a
Roman governor and Jewish king, Paul had again recounted his
memorable experience while going to Damascus to persecute Christians
(Acts 26).
[to top of second column]
|
Paul realized that whether Jesus’ resurrection was, in fact, a real
and tangible event in history is of critical importance. He wrote in
1 Cor. 15:13-20: “... if there is no resurrection of the dead,
then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been
raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We
are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about
God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that
the dead are not raised. .... And if Christ has not been raised,
your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also
who have fallen asleep [died] in Christ have perished. If in this
life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead ....”
He also wrote in Romans 10:9-10 that confessing with one’s mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believing in one’s “heart that God raised him
from the dead” is linked to being justified before God and being
saved.
Paul’s sudden encounter with the risen Christ had a life-changing
effect upon him. And it was not merely his experience. Those with
him saw the light, heard the voice but without understanding what
was said, and having also fallen like Paul, they too were on the
ground for at least a short time. We don’t know what happened to
these assistant persecutors or what they may have later heard about
Paul’s conversion.
And yet even though this special appearance of Jesus was a major
event in Paul’s life, his letters as a whole include only passing
reference to that appearance (1 Cor. 15:8) and to having been in
Damascus after his conversion (Gal. 1:17). Perhaps that was because
when previously meeting in person with most recipients of these
letters, he told them about his encounter with the Lord near
Damascus.
And maybe Paul also realized that for any generations to come after
his, which also would need to be reached by the gospel,
the future evidence value of Christ's multiple group appearances to
the apostles (or "the twelve") and his appearance to 500 at once
would be greater than the real but brief appearance to him. That was
an appearance where Paul could not see, where Jesus spoke only
briefly and where (so it seems) he did not touch Jesus. In Paul's
short list of resurrection appearances in 1 Cor. 15, the appearances
to groups included many many more eyewitnesses than the appearances
to individuals.
Several of these many witnesses had been with their Lord when he was
alive again on that Sunday after he died from crucifixion and was
buried on Friday, as well as at various times during the following
forty days that preceded his being taken up into the clouds as the
apostles watched him leave. They had walked and talked with the
Jesus after his resurrection, listened to him, even touched him and
ate with him. Most of these eyewitnesses were still living when Paul
wrote to the church at Corinth. They could, and did, personally
testify to what they had seen, heard and experienced, often in the
face of being jailed, beaten or put to death in horrible ways.
Their documented eyewitness testimony about this Jesus who died but
then arose victorious over death is contained in the New Testament.
When fairly considered with an open mind and not rejected out of
hand (for example, by rejecting in advance any possibility that
there might be a God who could be able and willing to work a miracle
when it suits his purposes), that eyewitness testimony is still used
by God to convert people to faith in His Son as their Savior and
Lord. These can include those who are skeptical or even hostile
toward Bible-based Christianity. Converted former skeptics include
C.S. Lewis, Josh McDowell, Charles ("Chuck") Colson and Lee Strobel.
These are just a few authors whose writings include their personal
stories along with discussion of historical testimony, evidence and
other reasons for believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, the only Savior and Lord, and for placing faith and trust in
him.
[Bible passages quoted in this article are from the 2001
English Standard Version.]
Roger David is a pastor and frequent
guest preacher at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lincoln. He can
be available to talk further about the subject of this article and
related matters. In a joint ministry with his wife Rose, they
sponsor and lead Foundational Fellowship, a weekly Sunday morning
gathering of nursing home residents for hymn singing and Bible
study. |
