Rev.
Stephen E. Stults
St.
Paul’s Anglican Church
June
30, 2024
The large
wicker basket swayed gently back and forth as it began its descent down the
city wall in Damascus, Syria. A man was inside it, looking a bit anxiously at
the ground below. He was a short man,
not quite 5 feet tall.[i]
By all accounts, he had a ruddy skin tone and had reddish hair. As he was
lowered slowly down the wall, several concerned faces peered over the top. Finally, he was down. Along with his traveling companion, Barnabas,
he soon disappeared into the darkness below.
Who was this
man and why was he being smuggled out of the city? What had he done?
This was Saul
of Tarsus, later known to Christians as St. Paul the Apostle. What led up to
the incidents of this night are an amazing story.
Saul was a Jewish
citizen of the city of Tarsus, a trading city along the coast of the Mediterranean.
Controlled by Rome, Paul himself was a roman citizen. Later, as recounted in the Book of Acts, this fact saved him from
brutal treatment, interrogation by scourging, from the Roman authorities.
According to legend and backed up by the historian Eusebius, Paul was afforded
the privilege of a quick death (probably by beheading) that was his right as a
Roman.[ii]
This occurred during the Christian
persecution under Nero. It is thought
that St. Peter died in the same persecution, but unlike Paul, he was crucified.[iii]
One source tells us: “Paul's conversion can be dated to 31–36 AD[72][73][74] by his reference to it in one of his letters. In Galatians
1:16, Paul writes that God "was pleased to reveal his son to me."[75] In 1 Corinthians 15:8, as he lists the order in which Jesus
appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, Paul writes, "last of
all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also."[76]
According to the account in the Acts of
the Apostles, it took place on the road to Damascus, where he reported having experienced a vision of the ascended Jesus. The account says that
"He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why
do you persecute me?' He asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The reply came, 'I am
Jesus, whom you are persecuting'."[77]
According to the
account in Acts 9:1–22, he was blinded for three days and had to be led into
Damascus by the hand.[78] During these three days, Saul took no food or water and spent his
time in prayer to God. When Ananias of
Damascus arrived, he
laid his hands on him and said: "Brother Saul, the Lord, [even] Jesus,
that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou
mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."[79] His sight was restored, he got up and was baptized.[80] This story occurs only in Acts, not in the Pauline epistles.[81]
The author of the
Acts of the Apostles may have learned of Paul's conversion from the church in Jerusalem, or from the church in Antioch, or possibly from Paul himself.[82”][iv]
Soon after his conversion
experience, St. Paul began to evangelize widely, using the Jewish Synagogues as
his starting point. This strategy
yielded results, getting him attention from Jew and God-fearing Gentile alike.
It allowed him at first to plant churches all over the Mediterranean. Eventually, opposition from the Jews became
so intense that St. Paul finally pursued an exclusively Gentile (Greek)
ministry. This intense Jeish opposition
led to his expulsion from Damascus in such an unorthodox manner. It was either escape the city or face
certain death.
Today, we
honor and commemorate St. Paul the Apostle, for which this church is named.
His feast
day is June 29 and it is honored by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, and
Lutheran faith communities.
St. Paul was
a mighty evangelist. He conducted three
massive missionary journeys that took him all over the Mideast and as far as Spain.
Legend has it that he might have travelled to England, landing at the site of
the Glastonbury Rose, and later the site of Glastonbury Abbey. There can be no doubt that Christianity owes
a mighty debt of gratitude to St. Paul.
One amazing
fact about St. Paul is that, prior to his conversion, he was an over-zealous
persecutor of the Church. As the Book of
Acts tells us, he was “breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.”[v]
He procured letters from the high priest in Jerusalem to pursue and arrest
Christians and Hellenistic Jews, even as far as Damascus. In this effort, he was feared throughout the
region.
When Paul began to preach,
many were astonished, because here was a fierce persecutor now proclaiming the
message he had once supressed. His conversion
was amazing in every way, because it showed the redemptive power of God’s love.
Yet, this too caused
problems. While he was eventually
accepted by the churches to whom he planted and ministered, he had a more challenging
introduction to the then center of the Christian world, Jerusalem. Here, the original apostles were gathered,
often under dire circumstances. Paul
undertook a mission of mercy to them by generating a large collection of funds
from his churches to relieve their distress.
Yet, even with this offering, there were several in the Jerusalem
community who did not trust or feel safe with him. This is where Paul’s amazing relationship
with Barnabas comes in. Paul and Barnabas were fellow evangelists and traveling
companions. From this, they had evidently developed a tight bond. So, when St. Paul attempted to be accepted by
the Jerusalem Church, it was Barnabas who introduced him to the apostolic
leadership and helped pave his way to acceptance.
Interestingly enough, Paul had
by this time established his own center of apostolic influence emanating from
Antioch, Syria. When he went to
Jerusalem, he brought not only relief funds, but also a large number of
Christians to swell the ranks of the early Church.
What lessons can we glean from
the life of St. Paul? How could this
help us in our personal walk with Christ?
It is a good question and one that has at least three answers.
First, we learn that God can
use anyone He chooses to build His Kingdom, even a ruthless persecutor like
Saul of Tarsus. If God forgave and used
him, what does that say about us? We think the answer is obvious: God’s love is
so abundant that anyone can turn their life around through His grace.
Second, that it takes work to
grow the Kingdom. St. Paul mentioned in
his First Epistle to the Corinthians that he “laboured more abundantly” than
his fellow evangelists. Yet, he gave
credit to God’s grace allowing him to do this.
Let us note that we too are called to labor in His vineyard. When that call comes, may we too have grace
to answer it!
The third lesson is that this
life, and especially the Christian life, is not easy. This we all know, but we can take the example
of St. Paul, who was harassed, beaten, shipwrecked and eventually executed for
the faith. God was true to His word that He would show him what great things he
must suffer for the Lord’s sake.[vi] If he, favored of God to spread his Kingdom.
was treated that way, can we expect to escape suffering for the Gospel? Perhaps
we will but let us boldly and courageously contend for the faith, no matter the
consequences. If we stand for Jesus, He
will stand for us.
We are a blessed people. We are blessed in our worship of Almighty God;
we are blessed in our freedom to assemble; and we are blessed to have the Grace
of God among us.
Perhaps above all, we are
blessed to have the example of giants of the Church, like St. Paul, to guide
and inspire us.
In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle
[ii] Ibid
[iii] Op.
cit. Wikipedia, ‘Paul the Apostle”
[iv] Ibid
[v] Act 9:1
[vi] Act 9:16
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