Acts 9

Acts 9:1

Good News for Everyone An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Acts www.easyenglish.info Marion Adams This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 9 Jesus appears in front of Saul, 9:1-9 v1 Saul was still saying that he would hurt the *Lord’s *disciples. He said that he would kill them. He went to the *high priest. v2 Saul wanted to go to the *synagogues in Damascus. So, he asked the high priest for letters to introduce Saul to them. Saul was looking for people who belonged to the Way. He wanted to arrest them.

He wanted to bring them back to *Jerusalem, both men and women. v3 As Saul approached Damascus, there was a sudden flash of light. The light came from heaven and it flashed round him. v4 He fell down on the ground and he heard a voice. The voice said, ‘Saul, Saul, you should not *persecute me.’ v5 ‘Who are you, *Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are *persecuting’, the voice replied. v6 ‘Now get up and go into the city. There, someone will tell you what to do.’ v7 The men who were travelling with Saul stood there. They did not say anything. They heard the voice but they did not see anyone. v8 Saul got up from the ground.

He opened his eyes but he could not see anything. So, the men who were with him held his hand. And they led him into Damascus. v9 He was blind for 3 days. He did not eat anything, nor did he drink anything.

Verses 1-2 Saul had watched Stephen die. He had seen that Stephen was brave and good. Stephen did not hate the people who were killing him. He asked God to forgive them. But Saul was still angry. He wanted to destroy the *church completely now.

He did not want to destroy it just in *Jerusalem. He wanted to destroy it in the city called Damascus, too. Damascus was in Syria, a country in the north. The *Sanhedrin did not have any political power there. But the *Romans allowed the *Sanhedrin to arrest *Jews in other countries. Then the *Sanhedrin had to bring those *Jews back to *Jerusalem.

Saul knew that some *believers had escaped to Damascus after Stephen’s death. Many *Jews lived in Damascus already. It would take about a week to walk there. But Saul wanted to go. So, he needed letters from the *high priest. The letters would show that he had authority from the *high priest.

‘The Way’ was the name for the new *faith. That name appears several times in Acts. For example, it appears in Acts 19:9; 23; 22:4; 24:14; 22. The early Christians used it. The name shows that they followed the way by which people receive *salvation.

Verses 3-6 Saul hated all *Christians. He was very angry. Later, he said this about himself. He said, ‘I was very angry with them. I even went to foreign cities in order to *persecute them’ (Acts 26:11). Then something special happened on the Damascus road. Luke included the story about that three times in Acts. Paul himself told the story twice, in his speeches (Acts 22:6-16; 26:12-18). But here, the story is in Luke’s own words.

We know that it happened at about noon (Acts 22:6). The light from heaven was brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13). It was so bright that Saul could not see. The force from the light was so strong that it knocked him down. He realised that the voice was from God. But the voice asked Saul a question, and that question confused him. He thought that he was working for God. That is why it confused him. So, he asked who was speaking. The answer was a shock to him. Now he knew that Jesus really was alive. What the *believers said about Jesus was true! When Saul *persecuted them, he was *persecuting Jesus. Whenever *Christians suffer, Jesus feels their pain, too.

Saul had always done what he wanted. He had told other people what to do. Now, the *Lord Jesus said that Saul must go into the city. Someone else would tell him what to do now. Before, Saul had opposed Jesus. But now, he would obey Jesus for the rest of his life. This was not because Jesus had forced him. It was because Saul wanted to serve Jesus now. Now he knew that Jesus really is God’s Son.

Verse 7 The men with Saul were officers from the *Sanhedrin. They were like the police.

Verses 8-9 Jesus *Christ had appeared in front of Saul. It was not a dream. Saul had seen a bright light. This was *Christ’s *glory. He had heard *Christ’s voice. Jesus *Christ had shown to Saul that he (Jesus) was alive. Jesus had appeared in front of the other *apostles. Now he had appeared in front of Saul. Saul would become an *apostle, too (1 Corinthians 15:8-9). Saul had hated *Christians and he had *persecuted them. It did not seem possible that Saul could become an *apostle. But God’s *grace had made it possible.

This can encourage us. We must pray for people who hate us. And we must bless people who hurt us. We must pray for leaders who *persecute *Christians. Jesus changed Saul. Jesus can do anything.

But Saul needed help. He was blind. His companions led him into Damascus. He could not see for three days. He did not eat and he did not drink. Probably he was thinking about many things. Saul and Ananias, 9:10-19 v10 There was a *disciple called Ananias in Damascus. The *Lord spoke to him in a *vision. ‘Ananias!’ he said. ‘Here I am, *Lord’, answered Ananias. v11 The *Lord told him, ‘Go to the street called Straight Street. Go to Judas’s house. And ask for a man from Tarsus. He is called Saul. He is praying. v12 He has seen a man called Ananias in a *vision.

In the *vision, he saw Ananias come in. He saw Ananias put his hands on him. This was to make Saul see again.’ v13 Ananias answered, ‘*Lord, many people have told me about this man. He has done evil things to your people in *Jerusalem. v14 He has authority from the chief priests. And he can arrest anyone who calls on your name.’ (Look at the note.) v15 The *Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! I have chosen this man.

He will tell *Gentiles, kings and the people from *Israel about me. v16 I will show to him how much he must suffer. He must suffer a lot because he *worships me.’ v17 Ananias left. He went to the house where Saul was. He put his hands on Saul. ‘Brother Saul’, he said, ‘the *Lord Jesus himself has sent me. You were coming here. And while you were on the road, he appeared in front of you.

He sent me to you. He wants you to see again. Also, he wants the *Holy Spirit to fill you.’ v18 Immediately, something like a fish’s scales fell from Saul’s eyes. (The scales are the outer part of a fish’s skin.) Saul could see again. He stood up and he received *baptism. v19 Then he ate and he felt stronger.

Verses 10-14 Many *believers had escaped from *Jerusalem. Ananias was one such *believer. Luke tells us more about him in Acts 22:12. But Ananias knew that Saul had *persecuted *Christians in *Jerusalem. He also knew why Saul had come to Damascus. Saul had come to arrest *believers! People had told Ananias some very bad things about Saul. Ananias was probably very afraid of him.

The *Lord was telling Ananias to go to Saul. (We can see from verse 17 that the *Lord was Jesus.) Ananias was probably surprised. He thought that Saul was an enemy, who was powerful and dangerous.

The *Lord said, ‘Go to the street called Straight Street’ (verse 11). Straight Street was very long. It went across Damascus from the east to the west.

Ananias used the words ‘anyone who calls on your name’ (verse 14). This means anyone who believes in Jesus and also trusts in him. So, that person calls to Jesus for help. Those words are like the words that the *prophet Joel wrote. Also Peter said similar words in Acts 2:21. ‘Then, the *Lord will *save whoever calls to him for help.’

Verses 15-16 Saul was a very clever man. He had gone to a school for *rabbis. He was a citizen of Rome. People respected him. He spoke well in public. He also travelled a lot, so he was used to that too.

Jesus had chosen him for a special job. He would tell many people in different countries about the good news. But it would not always be easy. Saul would suffer because he followed Jesus. This was not a punishment. Everyone who follows Jesus must be willing to suffer. Jesus himself warned us that people would *persecute *believers (for example, Luke 21:12-19).

Verses 17-19 Ananias obeyed immediately. He found Saul. When he greeted Saul, he called Saul ‘brother’. Ananias showed that he forgave Saul. He welcomed Saul and he accepted Saul into God’s family.

Saul had already seen Ananias in a *vision (verse 12). So, he was expecting Ananias to come. Saul knew again that Jesus had chosen him. Ananias put his hands on Saul. Then Saul could see again. The *Holy Spirit filled him. Then Saul received *baptism in water, probably from Ananias.

The *believers in *Samaria also received *baptism in water. But they received it first, before the *Holy Spirit filled them (Acts 8:16-17). For them, those two events happened in a different order. That did not matter. But it mattered that the *believers were sincere. This was more important than the order in which the two events happened.

Saul could not have served Jesus without the *Holy Spirit in him. God would help Saul by means of the Spirit. And God would guide him by the Spirit. Saul received *spiritual strength. And he ate again; so then he had strength in his body, too. Saul *preaches in Damascus, 9:20-25 v20 Immediately, Saul went to the *synagogues. And he began to *preach that Jesus was God’s Son. v21 All the people who heard him were very surprised. They asked, ‘Is this really the man who caused trouble in *Jerusalem? Is it really the man who *persecuted people? Did this man not *persecute people who call on this Jesus’ name? (Look at the note about verse 14.) Did he not come here to arrest them? And did he not want to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?’ v22 But Saul’s words grew more powerful all the time.

He proved that Jesus was the *Messiah. He convinced people very well by what he said. So, he completely confused the *Jews who were living in Damascus. And the *Jews could not answer him. v23 After many days, the *Jews plotted to kill him. v24 But Saul heard about their plan. They watched the city gates carefully, every day and every night. This was so that they could kill him. v25 But one night, Saul hid in a basket.

Then his *disciples let the basket down over the walls of the city.

Verses 20-21 How Saul had changed! He was telling the *Jews that Jesus was the *Messiah. Saul had hated *Christians because they believed this. So, it should not surprise us that people were confused. But Saul had met Jesus himself. Now he was certain that Jesus was the *Messiah.

Verse 22 Saul was a *Pharisee. At school, he had learnt how to speak well in public. What he said about Jesus was true. And he had the *Holy Spirit to help him. So, his words ‘grew more powerful all the time’. He gave evidence to people that Jesus was the *Messiah. And the *Jews who opposed him could not deny this proof.

Verses 23-25 The *Jews became angry. Once, Saul had opposed *Christians, as these *Jews did. Now, suddenly, he was opposing the *Jews! So, they wanted to kill him. But Saul escaped. His *disciples helped him. *Rabbis usually had *disciples. *Disciples followed their *rabbi and they learned from him.

In verse 23, we read ‘after many days’. We know that Saul went to Arabia for three years (Galatians 1:17). But we do not know exactly when he went. Perhaps it was at this time. The north-west part of Arabia was very near to Damascus. Saul in *Jerusalem, 9:26-31 v26 When Saul came to *Jerusalem, he tried to join the group of *disciples there. But they were all afraid of him. They did not really believe that he was a *disciple. v27 But Barnabas helped him. He took Saul to the *disciples. Barnabas told them how Saul had seen the *Lord. Saul had seen the *Lord during his (Saul’s) journey to Damascus.

Barnabas told the *disciples that Saul had spoken boldly in Jesus’ name. v28 So, Saul stayed with them. He went all over *Jerusalem with them. And he *preached boldly in the *Lord’s name. v29 He talked with the *Jews who spoke *Greek. And he argued with them. But they were trying to kill him. v30 When the *believers discovered this, they took Saul to Caesarea. Then they sent him away to Tarsus. v31 Meanwhile, the *church all over *Judea, *Galilee and *Samaria enjoyed a peaceful period.

The *Holy Spirit made the *church strong and he encouraged the *Christians. They respected the *Lord and more people joined the *church.

Verse 26 Saul had been away from *Jerusalem for about three years (Galatians 1:17-18). But the *believers had not forgotten him. They were afraid. They did not trust him.

Verse 27 The name ‘Barnabas’ means a person who encourages. People called this *Jewish *Christian from *Cyprus ‘Barnabas’. He was generous and he was helpful (Acts 4:36-37). That is why they called him Barnabas. Perhaps he already knew Saul. So, he knew that Saul was a real *disciple. Or perhaps he just decided to trust Saul. The two men became very good friends.

‘He took Saul to the *disciples.’ Saul met Peter and James, who was Jesus’ brother (Galatians 1:18-20). They were two leaders of the *church in *Jerusalem.

Verses 28-29 The *believers in *Jerusalem accepted Saul. So, he continued to *preach about Jesus.

‘He talked with the *Jews who spoke *Greek. And he argued with them.’ These were probably the *Jews who had wanted to kill Stephen. Luke used the same *Greek word for ‘argued’ here as in Acts 6:9. In that verse, the foreign *Jews argued with Stephen. Luke did not use this word anywhere else in Acts. Saul’s *preaching had the same effect on them as Stephen’s *preaching. They had killed Stephen and now they wanted to kill Saul.

Verse 30 Again, Saul had to escape because people wanted to kill him. He was born in Tarsus and he had lived there. So, he went there. First, he went with the *believers to Caesarea. Then he sailed in a boat to Tarsus. Tarsus was an important place for culture and education.

Verse 31 This verse is where the second part of Acts ends. (Look at the section called ‘About this book’.) Saul was now a *disciple. So, the *church was safer. Saul had been the main leader that *persecuted *believers. Now the *church was able to grow and the good news could spread. Peter and Aeneas, 9:32-35 v32 Peter travelled all over the country. He went to visit God’s people in Lydda. v33 There he met a man called Aeneas. Aeneas was *paralysed. He had not been able to get out of bed for 8 years. v34 Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus *Christ is curing you. Get up and make your bed neat.’ Immediately, Aeneas got up. v35 Everyone who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him. And they all trusted the *Lord.

Verse 32 Here Luke continues the story about Peter. The *church was not in danger now. So, Peter could leave *Jerusalem. He could *preach in other places. Lydda was a town about 30 miles (48 kilometres) north-west from *Jerusalem.

Verses 33-34 Jesus cured a paralysed man in the town called Capernaum (Mark 2:1-12). (‘Paralysed’ means ‘unable to move’.) Here, Luke describes how Jesus cured another paralysed man called Aeneas. This time, Jesus did it by means of Peter’s prayers. Peter did not say, ‘I am curing you’ to Aeneas. Peter said, ‘Jesus *Christ is curing you.’ Peter knew that he (Peter) did not have the power to cure. Jesus has that power. Jesus cured people when he was on the earth. And he continued to cure people after he went to be with God, his Father. He cures people today when *Christians pray in his name.

Jesus told the *paralysed man in Capernaum to pick up his bed (Mark 2:11). Peter told Aeneas, ‘make your bed neat’. Aeneas would need his bed only at night now!

Verse 35 Sharon was the northern plain near the coast. The news about Aeneas spread round the neighbourhood. Many *Gentiles lived there. A dead woman comes back to life, 9:36-43 v36 In Joppa, there was a *disciple called Tabitha. In *Greek, her name was Dorcas. She always did good things and she helped people. v37 About that time when Peter was travelling, Tabitha was ill. Then she died. They washed her body and they laid it in a room upstairs. v38 Lydda was near Joppa. Peter was in Lydda.

The *disciples in Joppa heard that he was there. So, they sent two men to him. They asked him, ‘Please come immediately!’ v39 Peter went with them. When Peter arrived, the *disciples took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood round him and they were crying. They showed to him all the dresses and coats that Dorcas had made for them.

She had made these when she was still with them. v40 Peter sent them all out of the room. He kneeled down and he prayed. He turned towards the dead woman and he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes. And when she saw Peter, she sat up. v41 He held her hand and he helped her to stand. Then he called the *believers and the widows and he showed Tabitha to them. She was alive! v42 This news spread all over Joppa and many people believed in the *Lord. v43 Peter stayed in Joppa for many days.

He stayed with a man called Simon. Simon made things with leather.

Verses 36-38 Joppa is called Jaffa today. It is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is about 16 kilometres (10 miles) north-west from Lydda.

The *Greek name ‘Dorcas’ means ‘gazelle’. (A gazelle is a beautiful wild animal with feet like a horse has. It runs fast and it jumps high.) Perhaps Dorcas was always running fast because she was busy! She helped many people. So, she was very popular. But she died suddenly. Everyone was very upset.

Verse 39 Widows were very poor. They had no money. So, they needed people to help them. Dorcas made clothes for them. She helped them in that way. Probably, the widows were wearing those clothes when Peter arrived.

Verses 40-41 When Jesus made Jairus’s daughter become alive again, he had sent most people out of the room (Mark 5:38-42). Only Peter, John and James stayed. Also, Jairus and his wife stayed. Probably Peter remembered this. Now he sent the people here outside, too. He kneeled down and he prayed. Then he said some words in *Aramaic. He said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Jesus had said to Jairus’s daughter, ‘Little girl, get up.’ The same thing had happened then too. Dorcas, like Jairus’s daughter, became alive again! Then Peter showed her to two groups of people. He showed her to the *believers. He did this to make their *faith even stronger. He also showed her to the widows. So, then they would know that they still had help.

Verses 42-43 When Jesus had made Lazarus become alive again, more people believed in him (John 12:10-11). The same thing happened here. Peter probably stayed in Joppa to teach the new *believers. He probably continued to tell the good news about Jesus to people. He even stayed with Simon, a man whom the *Jews *rejected. They *rejected him because he did a dirty job. He touched skins from dead animals when he worked. The *Jews said that he was ‘*unclean’. But Peter did not seem to care about this. Perhaps God was preparing Peter for what happened next.

© 1997-2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

April 2005

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