When we left Paul last time, he had just encountered Jesus on the plain southwest of Damascus. Luke tells us in Acts 9:8-9, “Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” The men who were with him on the plain heard the sound of Jesus’ voice, but did not see him or comprehend what was said. We don’t know or hear anything else about them.

Imagine the thoughts that were running through Paul’s head. Jesus had just revealed that his persecution of the church was going against God and that Paul was resisting God (kicking the goads). God left Paul blinded for three days to force him into reflection and contemplation. In essence, God had chosen to place Paul in “Time Out” to give him time to think about his actions. I mentioned in the Life of Paul 6 post that this story is recounted three times in the book of Acts. In the first two accounts we read the similar statement that Jesus told Paul to go into Damascus and there he would be told all that is appointed for him to do. In the third account (Acts 26) he indicates that Jesus told him a little more: “I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering 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, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.“

This account indicates that Jesus promised Paul that he would be appearing to him again to give him further instructions. However, I do not believe that that happened during these first three days of “Time Out”. I believe that Jesus left him alone to reflect on what he’d already heard. He does see another vision (which we’ll look at in a moment), but I don’t believe it was to give him any more instruction that what he’d already received in that encounter outside Damascus.

In the Our Daily Bread video series In Pursuit of Paul (which is very good), the host, Constantine Campbell, introduces Israeli pastor Meno Kalisher (time marker 10:20 in the video). Meno relates a story from the Israeli army in which one of their fighter jet pilots had been on a war-time mission and was returning home when he spotted an armored caravan whom he took to be the enemy. He fired upon it and destroyed the convoy. When he landed at his home base, he was expecting congratulations but was rather confronted with the news that he had just destroyed one of his own country’s supply train – killing his own countrymen. This must be the type of news that Paul was facing during his time of blind darkness. He had been zealous for God to pursue and annihilate “the enemy”, when the enemy had turned out to be his own brothers in God’s service.

Paul’s “Time Out” is very similar to the story of Jonah when he was left in the belly of the fish for three days. Jonah was resisting God, even disobeying him, so God put him in the darkness and quiet of a fish belly to give him time to reflect. Paul may very well have meditated on Jonah’s prayer, or uttered prayers along the same lines:

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

The story continues in Acts 9:10-16: “Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’“

Straight Street in Damascus, as it appears today, may be one of the oldest continuously used streets on Earth. Damascus itself is considered the oldest continuously inhabited city on Earth.

When Ananias was told by God to go to Paul, he said that he had heard of Paul and was even aware of the authority that he brought from Jerusalem to arrest Jesus’ followers. God tells Ananias that He has selected Paul to be a missionary to all peoples and that He still intends to teach Paul more about what exactly that will entail for him.

I’ll also point out that even though God had placed Paul in “Time Out”, he was gracious in preparing Paul for reconciliation to Himself. Ananias was told that during Paul’s time of prayer God had granted him a vision promising a visit by someone (He even told Paul his name) who would restore Paul’s sight. Paul had received assurance that even though he had been reprimanded and disciplined, that reconciliation was on its way.

Ananias is commanded to go and lay hands on Paul to facilitate the restoration of his sight. “So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight.” (Acts 9:17-18a)

The third fresco painting from the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (and photographed by the Hermit’s Door) depicts Ananias laying his hands on Paul and praying.

The rest of that paragraph in Acts 9 tells us, “Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.” The fourth fresco in the basilica depicts this scene.

I’m not going to nitpick here about the theological importance of baptism by immersion, which this fresco does NOT depict. The important thing is that Paul is immediately obedient to the Holy Spirit, receiving baptism and even immediately breaking his fast by consuming nourishment. This indicates that Paul’s heart has softened and he is now ready to move forward with his newfound relationship with his God. The murderer to missionary transformation has already begun!