Acts 22:5-11 - Who are you Lord?

22:5-7

The high priest and members of the Jewish council could confirm the truth of this. On the day of his conversion he had obtained letters allowing him to go to Damascus to imprison more believers. He was on his way to carry this out when God intervened. Paul saw a bright light and heard a voice saying “Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?”. God was calling out to Paul urging a dramatic change in direction. Every man and woman on earth needs this call, for all of us without Christ are heading in a seriously wrong direction.

22:8-11

“Who are you, Lord?” Educated as he was, Paul did not know the Lord, he did not know God. All opponents of the gospel are essentially acting out of ignorance. “They don’t know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34). Jesus then spoke to Paul, “I am Jesus of Nazareth”. The Jesus we read of in the gospels is the One who is Lord of All. Those travelling with Paul saw the light, and heard a noise, but did not understand. “What shall I do, Lord?” This is the only proper response. We may imagine that we know what we are doing, what we are talking about, but this is a deception. We need to be ready to learn from the Lord. Only then do we become truly wise. So Paul was told to go to Damascus. This was the very place he was heading for anyway, but now he would go in a very different spirit, and for a very different purpose. Paul was now blind and needed his companions to lead him there. Paul’s circumstances had dramatically changed, but now he was in a much more realistic condition. He was no longer in control, but needed to learn from the Lord, and needed help from others.