“When the Spirit Commands” Acts 9:10-18

Growing up, there were things I had to do that I really didn’t want to do. Eat vegetables immediately comes to mind, and there were many long battles over my refusal to eat certain foods.

The one thing that I didn’t like doing but did anyway was taking out the trash. I don’t know why that task annoyed me so, but it did. I looked forward to the day that I wouldn’t have to be the garbage guy. When Stephen got old enough, that became his job. I’d do dishes, laundry, lawn mowing—just about anything but the trash.

Now Stephen’s out of the house, and the trash has fallen to me again. Still, it’s something that has be done, and I don’t really mind doing it now. Trash bags are a wonderful invention, aren’t they?

In today’s passage, we discover someone being assigned a task that they really didn’t want to have to do. Their misgivings were reasonable and sensible. Nonetheless, God had a plan, and part of that plan included Ananias doing what he really didn’t want to do.

Background

The Church has been scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, and into further regions like Syria, Galilee and other areas around Jerusalem. Part of the reason for this is that one Saul was going from house to house in Jerusalem, arresting men and women who professed Christ as Lord.

One of the early deacons, Philip, fled to Samaria, and God was using him to spread the Gospel there. The work in Samaria was going so well, that the Jerusalem Church sent Peter and John to further encourage the work and provide additional training. They had a run-in with a sorcerer, that ended badly for the sorcerer, then returned to Jerusalem, preaching and teaching along the way as they returned home.

Philip, on the other hand, was used by God to bring the Gospel to an Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch was an important person in Ethiopia, and God used Philip to bring salvation to that man and thus to Ethiopia.

As Jesus had foretold, the Holy Spirit was spreading the Gospel throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the other parts of the world.

This greatly vexed Saul, who gained permission from the religious leaders of Jerusalem to go to Damascus and there gather up Christians and return them to Jerusalem. Saul was proving to be a most zealous antagonist of the Church. Luke writes that Saul was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” (9:1).

But an odd thing happened to him as he traveled to Damascus. While on the road approaching his destination, Saul was struck down by a brilliant light. From within the brilliant light that outshone the midday sun, Saul heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” (v.4b). Unsure to whom he was speaking, Saul asked who it was. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (v. 5b). Jesus then added, “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (v. 5c).

Those who were travelling with Saul saw the brilliant light and heard the noise, but they didn’t hear what was said nor did they see Jesus. As a result of his encounter with Jesus on the road, Saul was struck blind and had to be led into the city. He spent the next three days fasting from food and drink.

It is at this point that we are introduced to Ananias. This is the only record we have of this man of God, and as we look at this brief encounter we learn a lot about him.

Central Truth: The Holy Spirit can ask us to do things we’d rather not do.

The Lord’s command (10-12)

The only thing the Bible tells us about Ananias is that he was a disciple living in Damascus. Was there something special about him that Jesus would speak to him through a vision? It’s doubtful that he was the only disciple living in Damascus, so we can reasonably assume that something about Ananias set him apart for what was about to be asked of him.

Jesus gets straight to the point. He tells Ananias what he wants him to do. He is to go to a specific house and inquire about a specific person. The specific person a man from Tarsus named Saul. He can be further distinguished because he will be in prayer when Ananias arrives. All Jesus wants Ananias to do is lay his hands on Saul and restore his vision.

On the surface, the job Ananias is assigned is a relatively easy one. He is to go to a house that wouldn’t be too hard to find and there minister to a man in need. Perhaps you’ve had one of these experiences. Maybe not a vision, but a strong sense that God wanted you to do something, to go speak to someone in particular. Maybe it was just a phone call to see how the person was doing, and when you called, it opened up a door of ministry. Maybe it was to go visit someone and God used the opportunity to minister through you to that person.

In the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 5, there is a passage about a military leader from Syria who developed leprosy. He was sent to Elisha. The leader came to Elisha seeking healing from his disease. Elisha wouldn’t see the leader, but sent a messenger to tell the him to go bath in the Jordan River seven times. Namaan, the military man, was angry at being told such a simple thing. He expected to have to perform a great deed. Ultimately, he was convinced to wash seven times in the Jordan, and after the seventh washing, he was healed of his leprosy.

I mention this because when we get a sense of God’s calling in our lives, we often expect it to be something grand and stupendous. But all too often, there are no burning bushes or wondrous visions from God. Usually, it’s a sense of God’s hand leading us, His voice softly calling, His Spirit urging us to go and do what He wants.

Ananias’ objection (13-14)

But what seems like a simple task to God sounded anything but simple to Ananias. Oh, sure, healing a blind man and restoring his sight was no big deal. The Holy Spirit did it numerous times. That was given that it could be done.

No, the problem wasn’t the task. The problem was the person who would be healed. Ananias had heard of Saul—Saul’s reputation has preceded him to Damascus, and everyone knew why he had come all this way to Damascus. Ananias tells Jesus, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name” (vs. 13b-14).

What Ananias was hearing was akin to God telling Daniel to hop on into that lions’ den, for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to walk into that raging fire pit. What Ananias heard was Jesus telling him to give yourself up for surrender and imprisonment when you heal this man.

A couple of things about Ananias’ words to Jesus. First, Ananias probably didn’t think Jesus was unaware of who Saul was and what he was up to. Ananias’ faith was probably strong enough to know that Jesus knows all things, and that He was aware of what He was asking Ananias. Nonetheless, Ananias had the need to express his doubts to Jesus. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We can be open to God’s leadership and still have questions or reservations about it. Look at Abraham and Sarah at being told they would have a child. Zachariah and Elizabeth were unsure of God’s promise to give them a child in their old age. Mary had strong doubts about giving birth to a child when she had never had sex with a man.

It’s not unusual for God to tell us to do something, even though it seems to us as if it’s highly unlikely, if not impossible. The problem we have is that we see things through our eyes, not His. We look at the world in which we live, see the circumstances surrounding us, and wonder how God can do something so unlikely. Even though we know He can do it, we still want to express our concern that He’s asking a lot of us.

And there’s the rub. Jesus wasn’t asking the impossible from Ananias. Jesus knew about Saul and He knew that the Saul Ananias had heard about had died on that road to Damascus. That Saul was no more, and he would never be a threat to God’s people again. Jesus had already worked to provide for Ananias’ safety and success. All Ananias had to do was trust and obey.

The Lord’s reason (15-16)

We express our concerns to Jesus. There’s nothing wrong with that. When our parents would ask us to do a chore that seemed beyond our capabilities, we’d ask them how they wanted us to do it. God is Father; He speaks to us, tells us something He wants us to do, we ask Him how. We can even ask Him why, as long as our questions are asked in an effort to learn and understand.

Jesus responds to Ananias’ concern by reassuring him of Saul’s purpose in the future of the Church. Notice in these verses that Jesus didn’t mention the Damascus road experience. Ananias didn’t need to know that. What he did need to know was that Jesus had a specific purpose in mind for Saul. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he will suffer for My name” (vs. 15-16).

”Ananias, I need you to give this man his sight so he can become my instrument to spread the Gospel to Gentiles and to the nation of Israel.” Can you imagine the wonder that must have filled Ananias’ heart as he heard these words? Saul was a zealous Pharisee, and as such, he would never have anything to do with Gentiles. He hated the Church and all it stood for. Now, this same man is going to be used by God to not only stop persecuting the Church, but he’s going to be God’s man to the Gentiles and to speak to Israel as well.

The wonder of God’s plan as Ananias heard Jesus’ words must have filled him with stunned silence. What God had in store for Saul was to become the complete opposite of all that he had considered important. It would be tantamount to telling a life-long Longhorn fan to suddenly not only begin to cheer for Texas A&M, but to advocate for them, to recruit for them and to do all within his power to make the Aggies supreme.

Ananias’ obedience (17-18)

Ananias did the only thing he could do—he obeyed the Lord’s command. Apparently, Jesus revealed to Ananias what happened at the Damascus road, because Ananias refers to it as he introduces himself to Saul. Listen to Ananias’ words:

“Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 17). A couple of things.

Notice first how Ananias addressed Saul—“Brother Saul.” With his first words, Ananias is welcoming Saul into the family of God. He is telling Saul that he knows that the man who left Jerusalem and the man who entered Damascus are two very different people. He wants to let Saul know that he is being embraced by the fellowship of believers in Damascus.

Second, Ananias tells Saul that Ananias is a messenger sent from Jesus. In using Jesus’ name, he is doing two things. First, he is reminding Saul of what happened on the road, and second, he is telling Saul that the one who is standing in front of him is a follower of Jesus. In doing so, Ananias is telling Saul that he is not afraid of what Saul may have intended to do to him. In part, because Ananias knows he is where Jesus wants him, and in part because he knows Saul is changed.

In fact, Ananias doesn’t even bring up the reason Saul was coming to Damascus. He simply states that Saul was heading to Damascus when he met Jesus, and that’s all that really matters from this point on. Ananias could have belabored the point that Saul was a persecutor, but why? What purpose would it serve? How could it further Saul’s healing at this point?

With these words, Jesus immediately removed the blindness from Saul, as if scales had fallen from his eyes. The first thing Saul did upon regaining his sight was be baptized. The second thing he did was break his fast.

Conclusion

Ananias had done what he was had been sent to do. There is no other mention of this man of God in the Bible. Nine short verses is all we know of Ananias. But what we learn of him is that he was indeed a man of great faith and confidence in God. He was a man who expressed his faith through his obedience. Even when given a task he didn’t want to do, Ananias stepped out in faith and did what Jesus asked him to do. The rest is history, and our world has never been the same since.

Some things we should take from this. One, we need to be attuned to God’s leading in our lives. Two, we need to feel confident enough in Him to be able to speak freely to Him. Three, we need to trust Him, even when everything seems to tell us otherwise. And finally, trust and obey.

Is there something the Spirit is asking you to do? Is there something He has in store for you? Are you putting yourself in His hands, seeking and doing as He leads?