Friday, July 5, 2002
Friday, July 5, 2002
Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see
nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
Saul had been given a new slate. His past had been erased. Now it was time for the Holy Spirit
to write new truths upon Saul's heart. His past may have been soiled but his future was
spotless. A man named Annanias was sent by God to fill in the content. Again, we are talking
about a real change. Jesus said to Nicodemus that he must be born all over again. That was
the kind of
experience Saul was having. His previous indoctrination was inadequate and needed to be
totally swept away. After his Damascus Road experience, his eyes were opened, but he could
see nothing. He needed to immerse himself in the teachings of the Apostles, he needed to
feed on the
fellowship of fellow believers, he needed to study and pray and grow. The goal was that he
would soon see things that he had never seen before. His conversion was not an ending but a
beginning.
Do you or someone you know need a new beginning?
(Acts 9.8
NRSV)
I am fascinated by verse 8: "Saul rose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he
could see nothing." On the surface this sentence refers to physical blindness. There had been
a bright flash and now Paul was blind. But so often Christ used the images of darkness and
light, blindess
and sight, that there may be more here than a surface truth. Saul's "eyes were opened and yet
he could see nothing." Could this imagery not refer to a new beginning for Saul of Tarsus?
Lord Jesus, thank you for new beginnings. Amen.
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