One Moment with Jesus

 May 1 2022

Acts 9:1-19

One of the most difficult things about being a Christian is that when you follow Jesus for a long time, like fifty-six years in my case, is that the relationship can become rather commonplace. You know, you kind of have everything pretty well figured out about God and Jesus and where you’re at in the church and it goes without saying that there is a real danger in that. I mean, God should never be one that we can say that we completely understand everything there is to know about him. As much as most of us don’t like surprises, we should still be open to the fact that God in his wondrous mystery should every now and again surprise us just so that we don’t get complacent in our relationship. Even though what we do every Sunday during our time of worship remains fairly consistent, the one we worship, the one called Jesus, should be one that we are always learning about, discovering the sheer wonder of who he is, never stopping in our amazement of his love and grace.

Paul, we must never forget, was a man who thought he had God all figured out. I mean listen to his testimony found in the third chapter of the book of Philippians, where he states that he was circumcised on the eighth day, he was of the people of Israel, he was from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. He was a scholar of the law, a Pharisee, one who was as pure and holy as one could get. He was zealous for God, hunting down and persecuting those who claimed to follow the one who told his disciples that he was the long awaited Messiah. As far as he could tell he was a righteous man who could stand before God, blameless, perfectly innocent. That was, until he met Jesus. One moment with Jesus undid his house of cards that he so diligently had been building. When we consider our own lives we know just how hard it is to make even little changes so we have to wonder, just what is it about Jesus that moved Paul to say about his life, that he was willing to lose it all because all of it was nothing more than mere crap, his words not mine. What is it about Jesus that caused Paul to know that if he gave up everything that it was worth it because in throwing everything else away he would be gaining Jesus? What should give us pause is that Paul’s decision to chuck it all just so that he could have Jesus, this all occurred in one moment, one small moment with Jesus. You see, with the resurrection, Jesus now can come suddenly into any life, your life, my life, and we, like Paul can have our moment with Jesus, our day of the Lord. If Paul, who thought he was as good as one man can be, was so amazingly undone in that moment then just what does that say for the rest of us?

Paul’s one moment with Jesus came about because of an encounter with one who had already encountered the living Christ, a man named Stephen. Stephen was an early follower of Jesus, the one they called the Way. He was a man known to be full of grace and power who did great signs and wonders among the people of Jerusalem. How uncomfortable those in authority must have been with their dry, dull, lives focused only on adhering to the Law as best they could. Even as they tried to discount Stephen, they simply were no match for him as he was a man of wisdom and the very Spirit of God. All those who opposed Stephen could do was to stir up the crowds, and set up those who gave false testimony about Stephen stating that he spoke against the Temple and thus against the Law. What Stephen had said though, was that the one he followed, this one called Jesus, he had said “Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up”, just as it is recorded in the second chapter of the gospel of John. What the authorities could not abide by is that with the coming of Jesus everything had changed, the old was passing away, the new had indeed, come.

Stephen was dragged before the high priest and there Stephen gave the sermon of a lifetime, not holding back about the reluctance of his people to have faith in the very God who had rescued them from slavery and had delivered them into a land of plenty. Stephen told his audience that they were like their forefathers, people who were stiff-necked, uncircumcised in their hearts and ears, people who always resisted the Holy Spirit. They were the ones who had persecuted the prophets, the prophets who foretold of the coming of the Righteous one, the very one they had betrayed and murdered upon a cross.

Now, we have to wonder just why Stephen seems to be deliberately picking a fight, but what he is doing is the very thing that we heard Jesus commission his disciples to do in the twentieth chapter of John. There the risen Christ came suddenly in the midst of his disciples and breathed on them the Holy Spirit. Filled with the very presence of God, they became the first fruits of the new creation. Jesus told them that as the Father had sent him, so he was sending them, his disciples, out into the world. They had received the Holy Spirit and through his power they were to offer the forgiveness that Jesus had secured for them upon the cross through the shedding of his blood and they were also to let people know when sin had seized their life to such a degree that through their disbelief in Jesus they remained separate from the free grace that Jesus had for them. Thus the disciples worked with the Holy Spirit in convincing those in the world of their sin, sin as being unbelief in Jesus. The presence of the Holy Spirit indicated that Jesus was indeed the Righteous one who had ascended to the Father, so there could be no question as to whether he should be believed. Jesus was vindicated by the justification of his Heavenly Father so his word has to be obeyed. And Jesus, upon the cross, was the Judge who was judged in our place taking upon himself the judgment that we deserved. Now, since we no longer have to fear the final judgment for our sin we find that our deeply held fear has been cast out by the perfect love of God for us. In the place of fear, we find that God has created faith in our hearts so that we can believe in Jesus. Thus Jesus is the one that we must believe and the one we can believe because of what he has done for us, this is what the Holy Spirit convinces us is true.

So, when Stephen gets in the face of those who opposed him, we must understand that he is working with the Holy Spirit to convince these stiff-necked people of their sin, that their sin had seized a hold of them so that the forgiveness that Jesus had won for them remained an impossibility. This becomes evident as the crowd rushes upon Stephen and drags him out of the city to stone him. In the seventh chapter of the book of Acts, we read of how Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Here we can hear echoes of what is written in the sixteenth chapter of John that the Holy Spirit will convince the world of righteousness because Jesus has ascended to the Father. Here, Stephen sees exactly this, a vision of the righteousness of Jesus. Then as the stones began to pound against his body, Stephen called out, “Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit.” And then falling to his knees, Stephen cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against him.” Here, again, we hear echoes from the sixteenth chapter of John that the Holy Spirit will convince the world of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. Stephen is not controlled by fear instead he has complete confidence in Jesus. In his last gasp, he can offer forgiveness to those whose hatred consumed them. Stephen worked with the Holy Spirit to convince those around him that Jesus was the righteous one and that Jesus had cast out the ruler of this world so that he could trust God even unto death. Yet, even so we have to wonder, was the Holy Spirit working in the life of Stephen able to convince anyone in that crowd that Jesus indeed should be believed? Then we are told that the crowd laid their garments at the feet of a man named Saul, a man who approved of the execution of Stephen.

You see, what we as followers of Jesus are called to do is to work with the Holy Spirit, to prepare those around us for their moment with Jesus. This must not be forgotten as we at last come to the story of Saul on his way to Damascus. We are told that as Saul approached the city of Damascus, that a light from heaven flashed around him. Saul, at once, fell on his knees, because he, being a scholar of the ancient manuscripts, understood that this was the Almighty God, appearing suddenly before him. There, trembling in fear, Paul then heard a voice. This was a voice he did not know, a voice nonetheless that had a question for him, a voice which asked him just why it was that he, Saul, had been persecuting him? Imagine how very confusing all of this must have been for Saul, how he must have thought of all the countless followers of the Way that he had hunted down, pondering just how any of them could be the one who now towered over him. The voice replied to Saul that the one speaking to him was none other than Jesus, he was the one Saul had been persecuting. Then this Jesus told Saul that he was to go into the city and there he would be told what to do. 

Here, we must pause, because in this very brief moment, there is so very much to unpack. The bright light from heaven should bring to mind what is written in the letter of James, in the first chapter, where he tells us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” So, here, in this light blazing on the road to Damascus, we see the very presence of the Father in heaven. Then a voice is heard, asking just why it is that Saul is persecuting him. The voice we soon discover is Jesus so what we have to assume is that Jesus is united in some way, with those who have placed their faith in him. When Saul threw stones at Stephen he was in some way throwing those same stones at Jesus. Now, Saul must have known that the only place in scriptures where such a unity was heard was in the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel. There Daniel records his vision where he saw one like a son of man, a human figure, who came before the throne of the Ancient of Days, the eternal God. This human figure was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, and languages shall serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” Then further in this vision of Daniel we read that the powers of this world will make war over the saints and prevail over them but at last the Ancient of Days will come and judgment will be given in favor of the saints of the Most High and these saints will possess the kingdom. Further in this vision we also read that the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.” So, what is implied is that the kingdom given to the human figure who stands before the Ancient of Days will also be the kingdom of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom will be their kingdom. Saul must have, in some way, understood that this vision of Daniel was playing out before him because he answers the voice speaking to him as, “Lord”. This is the title most often given to God, in Hebrew the word being, “Adonai”.

The vision in Daniel makes it clear that those who receive the kingdom which will never cease are those who have been judged and found worthy to share in the dominion and rule of this kingdom. So, Saul, as one who had zealously opposed these same saints, had to know that he was in his moment with Jesus, standing before his judge. This Jesus had found the ones that Saul had persecuted worthy of being in unity with him so Saul also had to know that the judgment he deserved was that of being worthy to be cast out of the kingdom. Yet, instead of terrifying judgment from on high what Saul heard was marching orders. He was to go; he was to do, amazed because this Jesus that he had not trusted to be the Messiah was standing before him trusting him to obey. We are told that Saul immediately arose but found that he had been struck blind, a physical representation of his inward spiritual condition. Saul, for all of his thoughts of how blameless he had to be, how righteous he was according to the Law, was a man who nonetheless was a man who was seized by the power of sin, a man who refused to  come into the light, the new era of love that was being brought forth by Jesus. What is amazing is that once again, Jesus involves his church in Saul’s recovery of his sight. Saul is led by those with him into the city of Damascus and he is invited in to the home of Judas. There Saul enters into a time of prayer, and probably much meditation of his one moment with Jesus. As Saul is praying he has another vision, this time of a man named Ananias who would come and lay his hands upon Saul so that Saul at last could see again. Now, Ananias is rightfully a little afraid about going to be in the company of a man who has been bringing terror into the hearts of believers like himself. But God tells Ananias that he must go because this Saul was a chosen instrument of God who was going to carry the name of Jesus before the nations, before their kings and before the children of Israel. And then Jesus added that he was going to show Saul just how much he was going to have to suffer on account of the name of Jesus. 

Again, we must pause and stop and consider all that we have heard. What is tying this moment Saul has had with Jesus together is the theme of unity. The bright light, the God, the Father in heaven is united with Jesus. Jesus is in some way, united with those who believe him. Jesus is Lord, the true Messiah, because he has risen from the dead. He is justified in his claims that he made while alive that he was the Messiah and not only that he was true in stating that he was one with his Father in heaven. And finally, we learn that Saul is being commissioned to take the name of Jesus out to the nations implying that Jesus was not just Lord over Israel, not just the anointed one, the rightful king from the house of David but he was instead Lord over all creation. This Jesus through his life, his death and his resurrection had accomplished an act where Jews and Gentiles, God and humanity, all of it, was being wondrously united. It is not hard to figure out just how Saul, who later went by the name of Paul, could later write in the first chapter of his letter to the Ephesians that God had made “known the mystery of his will set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” There, in his one moment with Jesus, Saul understood that Jesus is our “peace, who has made the nations and the people of Israel, one people. It is Jesus who has broken down the wall of hostility, abolishing the very law of commandments that Saul was so arrogant about, so that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, making peace, reconciling all people to God in one body through the cross…” This is the gospel message Saul heard so loud and clear that day when he had his one moment with Jesus. In his realization that Jesus had done everything necessary to unite everything in heaven and on earth together and knowing that he had worked so hard at creating division, Saul knew intensely the weight of his sin. Yet, here again came the voice of Jesus, heard in the words of Ananias, words which spoke of how he was to be united with God through being filled with the Holy Spirit. The very same Spirit which bound together, the Father and Jesus, the Son, was now binding Saul together with God. And then, we are told Saul was baptized, united publicly with all those others who had been united in Christ. Now, the church could state that Saul had been forgiven his sin no longer had a grip on his life. Now, he had a new mission, a new purpose which flowed out of a new life, a life where he at last understood the exceeding worth of knowing Jesus. If Saul were with us today, he would no doubt ask us, do we know Jesus like he knows Jesus? Have we had our one moment with Jesus? Amen!