Acts 26:15-18 – “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’” A light brighter than the hot midday Middle Eastern sun flashed around Paul. Its origin identified as coming from heaven. Then a voice with the same origin descending down to him and upon him. Paul knew from where the voice came from and likely, he knew who was speaking. It is thought, implied from other verses, Paul was already feeling guilty about having the people of the Way persecuted, imprisoned and worse, and killed. Therefore knowing the source of the light and the voice, and hearing the voice say to him that he had been persecuting the owner of the voice, Paul asked the identity of the One who was speaking while already suspecting who it was.
“‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.” Paul got the answer that he suspected with dread that he would receive.”
“‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.” As we recall the original telling of Paul’s encounter with Jesus, we see that Paul is telling a condensed version of this incident. (Acts 9, 22) This not unusual nor does it make it inaccurate. Paul wanted to give the details in as concise a manner as possible. He had all those officials and dignitaries as his audience and he wanted to give them the details without weighting down the story with unnecessary details. None of the cared the about the exact where and when, but rather they wanted to know the “meat” of the story. They didn’t know Ananias and were not interested in finding out about him.
KJV translates the first word of what Jesus was calling Paul to be as “minister.” However, it is likely that the NIV and ESV have captured it more precisely as “servant.” Though both are apt. The word, as described by the Blue Letter Bible, speaks of an “underrower” or someone who serves with their hands (hard manual work). An underrower was a person who rowed in the Galley of big ships. Though it was grunt work, the Greeks still considered it an honorable profession. They knew that as much as those who fought above, the work the underrowers did was indispensable and highly valued. They worked physically hard but their abilities and skills were highly specialized. Sometimes, in acknowledgement of the high importance of what they did, galley slave rowers were given their freedom and rights as citizens. Paul was called to be a faithful minister to the people of the Lord. He worked hard to spread the word as he travelled by horse and by foot, he contested for the Lord against false doctrines and opposers of the way, and he was exposed to wild animals, hunger, thirst and even pestilence. He was not one of the Apostles in a high position in Jerusalem, but a worker in the galley of service, not necessarily seen, but invaluable to the movement of the Gospel ship.
Jesus also told Paul that he would be a “witness.” The word has a strong implication of martyrdom. Certainly we know that spiritually Paul died to self. (Galatians 2:20, 5:24, 1 Corinthians 15:31) We also know that Paul was martyred in Rome for being the faithful witness of Jesus.
“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” Paul will be rescued from the Jews, many times over, from the Jews who wanted to kill him whom they considered a reprobate traitor from their beliefs. Jesus saved him from the Jews and brought him to bring them the light of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul would lead them, and subsequently us, from darkness to light. He would present the Gospel to them that, if they would receive it, they would have their pre-existing chains of darkness broken from and they would be free to love and serve the Lord. The ministry of Paul was a carrying on of the ministry of Jesus (John 14:12) as described in Isaiah 42:16 and Colossians 1:13)
Jesus said that we all, like Paul, must die to self that we may live with Him (Matthew 16:24-25, Mark 8:34-35). We are called to admit that we live lives of sin and selfishness and godly lives. Just as Paul had to. Jesus has called us to set aside living for self to live for Him (Matthew 16:25). It is not that we can do good works to save ourselves but that, because we love the Lord, His Spirit within us will transform our hearts and minds so that the works of God will flow through us. (Romans 12:1-2) By dying to self we die to our old sinful nature and receive onto and into ourselves Jesus and His work. That brings His Holy Spirit within us to lovingly shape us and change us to what God has preordained us to be. Living in God’s perfect plan is what is perfect for us. Living in God’s perfect plan is peace, joy and contentedness. May we all live as Jesus did and as Paul His servant did and, as we are all called to do. Praise God for the honor! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”