City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”

Acts 9:26-31 ESV

Reflection

How did Barnabas know Saul’s conversion to The Way was sincere? Did he have a vision like Ananias (Acts 9:10-16)? Did the Lord tell him of what happened at Damascus or simply to go to Saul? Whatever he was told, Barnabas lived up to his moniker and encouraged Saul (Acts 4:36). Barnabas was a Levite, who were a group of Israelites chosen to handle the duties of the Tabernacle and the Temple. He understood the difficulties of converting to The Way when raised in a strict Jewish environment. He and Saul would have bonded over their thorough knowledge of the Tanakh, or Old Testament, and their testimonies, including stories of their super-strict upbringings as Saul’s father was a Pharisee as well (Acts 23:6).

How did the apostles react? The time between Saul’s persecution of the Church in Jerusalem and his conversion could have been weeks or months or even a few years, but they would not have forgotten how he ravaged and scattered the Church (Acts 8:1-3). The only clue we have is in verse 28, in which they allowed Saul to go among them in Jerusalem to witness, and he moved along freely without them supervising or even spying on him. It’s safe to say they trusted that Saul had truly converted. Soon his actions would prove he had.

Saul is in an interesting situation. He witnesses to the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) in Jerusalem, which was the very place of the first martyr (Stephen), and Stephen was a Hellenist whom Saul approved the execution of (Acts 7:58-8:1). Although Saul did not take part in the execution himself, he most likely felt guilty, even ashamed of Stephen’s murder. Maybe the Hellenists didn’t realize it and wanted revenge. Maybe they did not want to hear what Saul had to say. Whatever their reason, they wanted to kill Saul.

The believers of The Way did not turn a blind eye and think, “Well, he persecuted us and he deserves this.” They rescued him from suffering the same fate as those he persecuted. Even as I was typing that, I had to consider the immense forgiveness they had in their hearts. Saul was the reason they and their friends and families suffered imprisonment and torture. Now they are helping him escape. What happens next in verse 31 contrasts with Acts 8:1, in which Saul persecuted and scattered the Church. He is now building up the Church, and the believers have peace and are multiplying.

Application

As long as you are on this earth, it’s never too late and you’re never too far gone to come to Jesus.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, I repent of any sins I’ve committed against You, especially if I’m not aware of them. Bring them to my attention so I can live for You and You alone. In Your Name I pray, amen.