What does Acts 9:16 mean?
Saul has committed atrocities against the members of the young church. He arrested, imprisoned, and beat them. He chased them into their homes and hounded them to far-off countries, trying to force them to deny their faith. When they were on trial, he voted for their execution (Acts 8:1–3; 26:9–11). He is on such a mission to Damascus when Jesus meets him, convicts him, and blinds him (Acts 9:1–9). Then, Jesus tells His follower Ananias to find Saul and heal his sight (Acts 9:10–15). Ananias is understandably skeptical.Jesus assures Ananias He is not mistaken and explains that Saul will be one of His greatest missionaries (Acts 9:15). As Jesus reveals that Saul will suffer, as a deeply committed Christian, Ananias agrees to go.
Saul, who will later adopt the Greek version of his name—Paul—describes his suffering in 2 Corinthians 11:23–29. He will be imprisoned, beaten, lashed, stoned, and even shipwrecked three separate times. Eventually, church tradition says, he will be martyred. But he puts it into perspective, writing to a different church: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your [the church in Colossae] sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Colossians 1:24). Jesus' suffering and sacrifice provided the way of salvation; Paul's will ensure the offer of salvation reaches the people.
Acts 9:10–19 explains how the greatest earthly enemy of the early church experienced a change of heart. Saul is a Pharisee-trained, Greek-speaking Jew and zealous persecutor of Christians (Acts 8:1–3). He asked for permission to hunt Jesus-followers in Damascus, but found Jesus, instead (Acts 9:1–9). Blinded by Jesus' glory, he has been waiting in Damascus for Ananias, a Jesus-follower. Ananias arrives and participates as as Jesus heals Saul from both physical and spiritual blindness. Saul is baptized and takes physical nourishment. Saul stays in Damascus for some time and immediately takes his extensive training in Jewish Scripture to argue that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. The Sanhedrin's hitman is now a target of his former allies.
Acts 9 sets the stage for the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Saul continues the persecution of the church by traveling to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers. Before he reaches the city, Jesus confronts him. Saul realizes Jesus is the Messiah and immediately starts spreading the news, first in Damascus and later in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Peter travels to modern-day Tel Aviv to heal a paralyzed man and bring a dead woman back to life. The miracles aren't unusual, but the story leaves him in Joppa, poised to take the next step in Jesus' mandate to be His witness (Acts 1:8).
