What does Acts 9:25 mean?

Saul came to Damascus to arrest the Jesus-followers and either force them to blaspheme the man they consider their Messiah or extradite them so he could vote for their execution (Acts 26:10–11). Before he reached the city, however, Jesus met him. Saul realized he was completely in the wrong—Jesus is the Messiah from the Jewish Scriptures. Saul converted and used his religious training to try to reach other Jews with the news that the Messiah had come. He will soon be known by his Greek name, Paul, and become the early church's greatest missionary (Acts 13:9).

Not all the Jews in the city care to listen to Saul's perspective. The Jewish leadership in Damascus conspire to kill him (Acts 9:23). Saul hears about the plot and makes his escape through the city wall (Acts 9:24).

Walls in cities at this time are so deep some families have their homes built into the wall (Joshua 2:15). "Basket" is from the Greek root word spyris; it is the same word used in Matthew 15:37 when Jesus fed more than four thousand people. The timeframe is uncertain; apparently after his conversion, Saul went into the Arabian wilderness for three years before returning (Galatians 1:15–17). It's unclear if this is the first or second time he leaves Damascus.

In Damascus, Saul flees Jewish rulers who had been ready to help him complete his mission of eradicating the Jesus-followers. Now, he is on his way to Jerusalem to meet the apostles who started the movement. Because of his reputation, they will not be any more comfortable with him than the people of Damascus (Acts 9:26).