Why is Paul’s Conversion so Important?

We need to remember that authors of books in ancient times didn’t have the luxury that modern writers have of adding a few pages here and there for color and depth. In the first century CE authors like Luke were limited to the length of a scroll. They had to be concise and choose carefully what they wished to say in order to successfully express the theme behind their work. Luke chose to record Paul’s conversion three times (Acts 9, 22 and 26)! Why? Wouldn’t once have been sufficient, knowing that space was limited? Looking back, our vision is 20/20; Paul turned out to be one of the most significant figures of western civilization. What he did, or rather what God did through Paul, changed the direction of the whole continent of Europe and ultimately of the Americas, and to some degree even how the East developed into our modern societies. But, Luke didn’t know this, so why did he take such an interest in Paul’s conversion?

 

Was Paul Converted or Called?

Luke treats Paul’s Damascus road experience as a very important event in his thesis, mentioning it three times. First, he describes the event as part of an historical narrative concerning the spreading of the Kingdom of God (Acts 9). However, later he has Paul recall the event, describing what occurred in his own words to the Jews at Jerusalem, including the Jewish authorities (Acts 22). Finally, Luke has Paul recall the event before King Agrippa, while other important authorities listened, including the Roman governor, Festus (Acts 26).

 

Paul’s Initial (Un)Success

Everyone I read, who writes about Paul’s early years, generally agrees that he was the ‘great’ Apostle from the very start of his ministry. The whole idea in metaphor has him leaping tall buildings in a single bound, first running headlong persecuting every believer in Jesus, then doing a 180 on the head of a pin. Immediately he is turned into Christianity’s superhero, Paul, the evangelist and great Apostle we have come to know and love.

 

Removing the Barriers

A few weeks earlier Jesus had spoken of his body being the Temple of God (John 2:19-21), but he was misunderstood by the rulers of the Jews. The Temple was divided into courts that separated the priests from the rest of the Israelites, these were still divided between men and women, and last of all there was a court for the gentiles, which was to the extreme limit of the Temple complex. No one was to go beyond the place provided for his status before God as spelled out in the traditions of those ruling the Temple. Yet, in Christ, the living Temple of God, there are no barriers. The wall of separation between us is torn down (Ephesians 2:13-14). In him there is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, bond or free (Galatians 3:28). He is our Temple—we dwell in him, and in him there is no discrimination of any kind.

 

The Atypical… Jesus!

Did you ever notice that Jesus just will not fit into a box? He just doesn’t fit our preconceptions. John was astonished to find that Jesus was the Messiah (John 1:31, 33). The rulers of the Jews just could not understand his message (John 2:20). They were exceedingly impressed with his miracles, but simply could not understand what he was trying to say (John 3:1-2, 4, 9). Why was this so? Why didn’t anyone who read and were devoted to the Scriptures understand who Jesus was (John 1:11)? I believe the answer to these questions is that those who were devoted to God and the Scriptures had preconceived notions about what God was telling them through Moses and the Prophets.

 

Saul the Persecutor of the Way

Did you ever wonder what it was like in Judea just after Stephen was martyred? The persecution was leveled at the liberal branch of the Way—the Hellenist believers, but this doesn’t mean other believers escaped. The Apostles were beaten in Acts 5 for preaching the Gospel and this would have been no different. When the persecution broke out, Saul entered house after house dragging off both men and women to prison and to appear before the council (Acts 8:3). Many scattered throughout Judea and Samaria and along the coast of the Mediterranean (Acts 8:1)

 

The Imprisonment of John

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Before we leave Jesus baptizing along the Jordan River near Judea, I think I would like to address John’s imprisonment. Notice that The Gospel of John specifically says that just after the first Passover in Jesus’ public ministry, both John and Jesus were baptizing around Judea, because (the text says) “John had not yet been cast into prison” (John 3:24). The Synoptic Gospels tell us that Herod put John the Baptist in prison and later beheaded him (Matthew 14:3-12; Mark 6:17-29; Luke 3:20, 9:9), but can we know when Herod had done this and the circumstances surrounding his arrest? The Scriptures are not very clear on this subject, but they do reveal some very interesting information upon close consideration.

 

The Gift of Life from the Murdered One!

Before I leave the discussion of Jesus with Nicodemus, I wish to consider again John 1:14. Here Jesus made reference to Numbers 21:4-9. What an odd reference to compare with Jesus! The serpent is often a figure of the Enemy—Satan. It has been since Genesis 3 where man fell into rebellion against God. There God promised that the Seed of the woman would be at war with the seed of the ‘serpent.’ In this battle the ‘serpent’ would receive the death blow (to the head) but the Seed of the woman would be wounded (per the heal).

 

God’s Love Fleshed out in Jesus

Did you ever wonder why John refers to Jesus before his birth as the Word? Many folks think that John was borrowing from Philo the Jew who was a philosopher living in Alexandria, Egypt, about the time of Jesus’ public ministry. However, there is probably a more appropriate explanation that comes out of the Jewish writings called the Aramaic Targums.

 

Do We Know Jesus?

I cannot help but wonder what Nicodemus thought as he listened to Jesus so long ago. Jesus as much as told him that he was the Messiah; certainly John the Baptist was telling others Jesus was the Messiah. It was no secret that this is what Jesus was claiming to others, and many in Israel looked for the coming of the one of whom Daniel spoke and counted the days that pointed to his arrival (Daniel 9).

 

Jesus Must Be Lifted Up

I need to revisit Nicodemus’ conversation with Christ once more. Nicodemus couldn’t understand what Jesus was saying mainly because he and all the other teachers of Israel had only investigated a portion of what God had said concerning the coming Messiah through his servants, the Prophets. When Jesus spoke of his death in John 2:19 the rulers of the Jews didn’t understand (John 2:20) and therefore couldn’t believe. When Jesus spoke of man’s need to be reborn spiritually (John 3:3), even Nicodemus, who had come to seek answers, couldn’t understand and therefore couldn’t believe, because the teachers had not considered their need (Ezekiel 11:19: Jeremiah 4:4; 17:9; 31:30-34).

 

The Importance of the Whole Truth

Nicodemus talked with Jesus from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry at Jerusalem. Nicodemus believed Jesus was sent by God, but he had great difficulty understanding what Jesus was saying. Why is that? We are presented with a paradox right here in chapter three of John’s Gospel. John presents Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night. He was an important man in Jerusalem, and he came to Jesus saying they, that is, he and the other important people or rulers of the Jews at Jerusalem, realized that God had sent Jesus to them (John 3:2). In other words, Nicodemus believed at the very least that Jesus is a prophet from God. Just admitting this was a controversy, because some Jewish writings of that day speak of the Jews no longer hearing from God through a prophet—the prophets of God have stopped coming back around the time of Ezra. Yet, here is Jesus, whom Nicodemus claimed he believed was sent by God.

 

You Must Be Born Again!

When Nicodemus came to speak with Jesus about the Kingdom of God, he was astonished to understand that as a Jew and son of Abraham, he had no right to the Kingdom of God. Even as a disciplined Pharisee, devoted to the Law, he had no right to the Kingdom of God. He couldn’t inherit this right; he couldn’t earn this right and the right could not be bestowed upon him by any man, no matter how lofty his position! This thought utterly astonished Nicodemus, and it ought to give us pause as well. How can I come into God’s Kingdom, if I cannot enter through my Christian parents, if I cannot enter through righteous discipline, or it cannot be bestowed upon me by a religious or legal authority or ceremonial act? How can I become a child of God?

 

When Did Paul Confront Peter in Antioch?

Often, when reading about the events that Paul mentions in his letter to the Galatians I am told that Paul’s confrontation in Antioch with Peter occurred after the Jerusalem council. The reasoning behind this is that Paul addresses Peter’s own words that salvation rests not in works but in faith alone. Notice:

 

How Not to Become a Christian

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Reading John 3 causes me to pause and revisit John 1:12-13 to consider its meaning once more. Nicodemus (John 3:1) was a very religious man who followed the Law of Moses meticulously. In fact, as a Pharisee, he also followed another law—the Oral Law. Traditionally, it is supposed to have been handed down from Moses, but its source is probably among the traditions brought back from Babylon following the captivity.