Mark Bradford's Bible Blog

It’s with great regret that I have to take a break from writing this blog for about 6 weeks. I am under deadline for two CD projects that I’m currently producing, and I just can’t take the 2+ hours per day that writing this blog takes during that time. I hope that, over the course of August, there will be days that I can fit the time in and write something. That may happen by the third week of August or so. But until then, I need to spend my days and evenings making sure that a very important client of mine gets his CD projects on time.

I love taking the time to study the Bible, read commentaries, do research, and listen to the Holy Spirit to learn what God is teaching me through each day’s passage as I write this blog. It’s become one of the passions of my life. I’ve grown more spiritually in the past (almost) two years of doing this than I have in my whole life up to this point. If I could make one recommendation to everyone who reads this, it’s that you would find some way to fall in love with the scriptures. Whether it’s a Bible study group, or journaling, or blogging, whatever it might be, find some way that works for you to develop a desire to spend time in the Bible, not just reading it, but studying it, learning about the original languages and cultures in which it was written. The more we understand the context of the Bible, the better we will understand what it’s trying teach us.

For me, until I started blogging, I viewed my daily devotional time as a discipline, something I did because I was supposed to, like working out. And like working out, I was not faithful with it. It was very “off and on.” It wasn’t until I really got into this blogging thing that I got to where I couldn’t wait to spend time in the Bible, and would spend all day on it if I could. Spending time in the Bible went from being a task I had to do to a labor of love that I was anxious to do for as long as possible. That’s why I say, find some way that that can happen for you.

Getting to know the Bible and getting to know God is what writing this blog has always been about for me. I’m not really trying to teach anyone else. I’m just trying to figure out for myself what the Bible really says, and write it down. The better we know the Bible, the better we will know God. The reason I do it as a blog rather than just writing in a notebook is I need the accountability that having regular readers provides. If you’ve been reading this blog regularly, thank you! I hope it’s been helpful to you. And I hope you’ll hang in there and keep checking in. I will miss doing this very much, and I’ll be back at it as soon as I can be.

Mark Uncategorized

³⁶In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas^[b]), who was always doing good and helping the poor. ³⁷About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. ³⁸Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

After the healing of Aeneas in the previous passage, the word spread of this miraculous healing to the nearby town of Joppa. As a result, when one of the of believers there died, they immediately sent for Peter. Luke never says that they expected Peter to raise her from the dead, but it doesn’t seem likely that they sent two men to urge him to come and preside over a funeral. They had heard about a miracle, and I think they sent for Peter expecting one.

Luke says that Dorcas “was always doing good and helping the poor.” As we learn in the next verses, she was a seamstress who made clothing for widows and orphans. In a society where women were not considered equal to men, she was so highly valued because of her good works that two men were sent to fetch Peter when she died. Luke calls her a disciple in verse 36 without even mentioning her gender. Dorcas means deer, gazelle, or little doe in Greek, and Tabitha means the same in Aramaic. It’s interesting to me that of the two names, Dorcas and Tabitha, the Aramaic name Tabitha is the name that is still used in English, at least in the U.S. I still hear of women named Tabitha, but I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone named Dorcas. But to this day, there are charitable societies that make clothing for the poor named Dorcas societies. Girls in America are still named Tabitha, but the woman who did good for others is remembered as Dorcas.

³⁹Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

The best funerals are the ones where the deceased is remembered as one who did good for others. Dorcas had been a living example of Jesus’ teachings on giving to others. Peter had come in response to a need, and went to the upper room where the body was. But in order to do what God had brought him there to do, Peter first had to get past all of the widows who wanted to show him the things Dorcas had made for them. At my funeral, will people want to talk about what I did for others, or what I accomplished for myself?

⁴⁰Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. ⁴¹He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. ⁴²This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

What Peter does here is remarkably similar to what Jesus did in his raising of Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5:37-43, (blog) and Luke 8:49-56, (blog). Like Jesus, he puts all of the mourners out of the room. Peter’s words in Aramaic, “Tabitha, koum,”, which meant, “Little doe, get up,” mirrors Jesus’ words, “Talitha koum!”, which meant, “Little girl, get up!” Unlike Jesus, Peter felt the need to get down on his knees and pray there in the room where the body was. Of course, Jesus sent a lot of time in prayer, but the Bible never says that he prayed right before raising Jairus’ daughter. This shows Peter’s wisdom, humility, and discernment. He knew where the miracle, if there was to be one, would come from. If Dorcas was to be raised up, it was Jesus who would have to do it, as he had done with Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17, blog), and Lazarus (John 11:1-43, blog). I think it’s possible that Jesus allowed Peter to observe the miracle of Jairus’ daughter so he would have faith that it could happen for Dorcas. Peter remembered, and modeled his behavior on what he had seen Jesus do. That’s what it means to be a disciple.

It’s important to remember that Dorcas was not resurrected. She was merely revived. She went on to live a normal life and eventually died again. Jesus is still the only one who has been resurrected to life everlasting in his glorified body, but one day all who believe will be.

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Cor. 15:52)

I read one commentary today which questioned why God raised Dorcas, but not Stephen. Surely, the writer said, Stephen was more valuable to the early church than Dorcas! But I don’t believe that God considers one person more valuable to the kingdom than another. And Dorcas did provide a valuable service to the church, one that was very Christlike. But I don’t believe that’s why God raised her either. God doesn’t perform miracles for people based upon what they can do for him if he helps them. As a friend so wisely put it to me once, God can use us, but he doesn’t really need us. Someone in my family has needed a medical miracle for decades, and I have been tempted on many occasions to think of all the great things this family member could do for the kingdom if God would heal them. But it’s wrong-headed to think that way. As I said yesterday, and as I’ve said over and over in this blog, there are two reasons that God performs miracles; to glorify himself, and to help people believe. Dorcas was not raised so she could go on making clothes for the poor. She was raised to bring glory to God, and so many people would believe in the Lord, as Luke says happened in Joppa.

⁴³Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

This seemingly random observation by Luke actually has great meaning. Tanners were ceremonially unclean because they worked with the bodies of dead animals (Leviticus 11:31). According to the laws of that time, a tanner had to live at least 75 feet outside a village because of his ritual uncleanness. If a girl was betrothed to a tanner without knowing what he did for a living, the betrothal was void. Yet Peter stayed with a tanner for a long time. This laid the groundwork for what was to come for Peter in the next chapter. Peter was beginning to get past the traditions he was raised with, and evolving in his acceptance of all people. It seems to me that this goes back to his laying hands on the believers in Samaria in 8:14-17. He had accepted Samaritans as members of the church, and now he stays with a despised tanner. Soon he will be ready for what God will show him through Cornelius. Are we letting God stretch us? Are we letting him get us beyond our prejudices?

Note: I am going out of town this weekend, and will be unable to post again until Tuesday.

Mark Bible Acts, Dorcas, Peter, raising the dead

³²As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. ³³There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. ³⁴“Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. ³⁵All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

During a time of relative peace for the church in the region, Peter was able to leave Jerusalem and spread the gospel in other areas. Lydda was a coastal city 25 miles from Jerusalem. As we will see in the next passage, Joppa was nearby, and Azotus, Gaza, and Sharon also were coastal cities that Peter probably visited on this trip, since verse 32 says that Peter traveled about the country, or as the NKJV puts it, he went through all parts of the country.

In Lydda, Peter found a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed for 8 years. We aren’t told whether Aeneas was a believer at that point. But if he wasn’t, he soon would be. Peter, like his master before him, healed the lame and told Aeneas, essentially, to “take up his mat and walk.” But Peter made clear who was doing the healing. When Peter healed the crippled beggar at the temple in 3:1-10 (blog), he healed in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Here Peter’s language is even more direct. He says, “Jesus Christ heals you.” Peter was always careful to give his Lord the credit. When accolades come our way, we must be careful to do the same.

As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, and as everyone knows, when someone is crippled, they don’t retain their muscle tone, especially when they’ve been bedridden for 8 years. Atrophy sets in. But when God heals someone, there is no need for months of physical rehabilitation. Aeneas got up immediately. God doesn’t do things halfway.

Another thing I keep saying in this blog is that the purpose of miracles is twofold; to glorify God, and to help people believe. Both things happened as a result of this healing. God was glorified, and the people of two towns turned to the Lord. God could have healed Aeneas long before this had he chosen to, and could have done it without Peter’s help. But he chose to use Peter to heal Aeneas at this particular time so that the maximum amount of people would be won to Christ. That’s why miracles happen.

Mark Bible Acts, Aeneas, miracles, Peter

²⁶When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

After making his escape from Damascus, Saul went to Jerusalem. But he wasn’t welcomed with open arms. The church distrusted him, and his former colleagues in the Sanhedrin were not happy with him either. The fear on the part of the believers seems understandable until you remember that Saul had been a Christian for 3 years at that point. Having been away in Arabia, he would not have persecuted anyone for that whole time. But many of the believers in Jerusalem must have had family members who had been arrested, beaten, or even killed by Saul of Tarsus. It would be hard to get over something like that. If a member of my family had been murdered, and the murderer found Jesus in prison, would I believe his conversion was sincere? I honestly don’t know.

But one person stood up for Saul; Barnabas. We first met Barnabas in 4:36-37, when he is named as one who sold property and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet to distribute to the poor. Barnabas is one of the key figures in the Book of Acts. In 11:24, Luke calls him “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Barnabas also took John Mark under his wing after the young man had deserted them in Pamphylia (15:36-41). Where would the early church have been if not for Barnabas and his generous spirit? Barnabas went on to accompany Paul on his journeys later, and was invaluable in spreading the gospel. The church only needs a few Peters and Pauls, but every church can use as many people like Barnabas as we can get.

²⁸So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. ³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

In Galatians 1:18, Paul says that he stayed with Peter for fifteen days on this trip to Jerusalem. Imagine the conversations they must have had! I imagine that some of the conflict between Peter and Paul later on must have started here. Paul did not submit to the authority of the apostles, he considered himself one of them (1 Corinthians 1:1, 9:1). Unlike most early believers, he did not receive the gospel from the apostles. He got it from Jesus himself, when Jesus appeared to him. It must have been disconcerting to Peter and the rest of the apostles to have a “free agent” out there claiming equal authority to theirs. But that didn’t happen until later. I just find it interesting that, knowing what came later in their relationship, for his first trip to Jerusalem as a Christian, Saul stayed with Peter for 2 weeks. Apparently he was not welcome with his family in Jerusalem, if he had some. He must have had some place that he stayed when he was there for festivals and meetings of the council. But now he was persona non grata. But Barnabas had vouched for him, and Peter welcomed him into his home.

Saul fearlessly preached the gospel while he was in Jerusalem, but his destiny was not to stay there. After all he done and who he had been in that city, Jerusalem was not the place God wanted him to be. He had too much baggage there. Saul’s purpose was to become the apostle Paul, and to spread the gospel to the Gentiles. The church in Jerusalem had spread to Judea and Samaria, But through Paul’s missionary journeys, it would reach throughout the Roman Empire. After being sent back to Tarsus, it would be 12 years before Saul would be prominent in ministry again, and Barnabas would be at his side when that time came (11:25-26).

³¹Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

As he does throughout the Book of Acts, Luke pauses from the narrative to give us a status report on how the church was doing. I’ve seen commentary on this verse which suggests that Luke may have placed this statement here to show a connection between Saul’s leaving Jerusalem and the church enjoying a time of peace. In other words, Luke may be saying that the church had peace because Saul left. Certainly Saul was a magnet for controversy and persecution, so that may well be. Saul was sent to Tarsus for his own safety, but his departure was the best thing for him and for the church.

Verse 31 is the first time that the church in Galilee is mentioned. We don’t know anything about those churches, how they started, or who started them. But it seems like a natural place for some of the apostles to go, since they all were Galileans. Luke tells us four things about the church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria: It was strengthened; it was encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, and they lived in the fear of the Lord. These are all things we would want for our churches today. For the early church, it’s significant to me that they lived in the fear of the Lord. The early church had many things to fear; persecution, inprisonment, scourging, and martyrdom. But they didn’t live in fear of those things. They lived in the fear of the Lord.

Mark Bible Acts, Barnabas, Peter, Saul of Tarsus

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. ²¹All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” ²²Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.^[a]

After his conversion, Saul went to stay with other believers in Damascus. These were the very people he had been sent to arrest, and now he is a guest in their home! As a Pharisee and student of the great rabbi Gamaliel (5:33-39, blog), Saul was able to take advantage of the synagogue custom that allowed any educated Jewish man to read and comment on the scriptures. Jesus often did this same thing (Luke 4:14-21). Saul used that opportunity to read from the prophets and show how Jesus had fulfilled those prophecies, and therefore must be the Messiah. Naturally, those who heard him were astonished at the change in him. This was a greater miracle than the signs and wonders they had seen so far. What’s a greater miracle, healing the sick or changing someone’s heart?

²³After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, ²⁴but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. ²⁵But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

The key phrase in verse 23 is after many days. In Galations 1:13-18, Paul describes what he did during this time. He went to Arabia for three years, probably for study and prayer, then returned to Damascus. Once he began preaching again in Damascus, that was when the plot to kill him occurred. His escape from Damascus is similar to the escape of the spies from Jericho in Joshua 2:15. Sometimes, when God provides a way of escape, angels open the doors of the prison and people just walk right out (5:18-20). Other times, they had to rely on people and their own wits. But whether it’s through divine intervention or through people, if it’s God’s plan for us to escape, he provides a way.

I am overloaded with work for the next couple of weeks, and so I will need to take the next few chapters in smaller chunks. Tomorrow I’ll blog on Saul’s trip to Jerusalem.

Mark Bible Acts, Damascus, Saul of Tarsus

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

Saul, having been struck blind at his vision of Jesus, spent 3 days at the house of Judas on Straight Street. Incidentally, Straight Street still exists in Damascus today. I imagine that this house belonged to a supporter of the chief priests, or maybe it was the home of a relative or friend of Saul’s. This must have been the house where he had planned to stay during his time in Damascus. It was not the home of a believer. Saul spent 3 days there, fasting and praying. His conversion to belief in Jesus was not yet complete. I wonder if God intended for Saul to remain in this state for that long, or if it took Saul that long to admit his sin and say yes to Jesus. Whatever the case, it seems God spoke to Ananias and Saul in visions at the same time. Ananias received his vision instantly, but Saul only received his after 3 days of blindness, fasting, and prayer. I think it’s possible that the reason it took 3 days for God to show Saul this vision was that Saul’s heart was hard. It’s more difficult for us to hear God speak when our hearts are hardened. Lord, keep my heart tender so I can hear you right away like Ananias did!

¹³“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Ananias was understandably alarmed when God told him who he was to meet. Word had gone around the believers that Saul had been persecuting the church at Jerusalem and was on his way to do the same in Damascus. His question to God, essentially, is, “Lord, don’t you know what kind of guy this Saul is?” As if God didn’t have all of the facts! God didn’t reply, “Yes, I know all about him.” He just said “Go!” God can handle our dumb questions, but he doesn’t usually answer them. If I had been in Ananias’ place, I would not only have been nervous about meeting Saul, but I would have had a hard time with being told I was to go and place my hands on someone to restore their sight! Imagine if God told you to do that!

What strikes me about this passage is how many times God’s name is used. Ananias says that Saul was coming to “arrest all who call on your name.” God answers that Saul was chosen to “carry my name before the Gentiles,” and that Saul would be shown “how much he must suffer for my name.” It’s all about the name of Jesus. We have lost our sense of the significance of names in modern western culture. But in Biblical times, the name Yahweh was considered so holy that it must not be spoken aloud. Saul was about to be given a new name, Paul. And God’s people were about to be given a new name, Christians.

The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. (Isaiah 62:2)

Saul was about to be shown how much he must suffer for the name of Jesus. He had been a man of status and privilege, as a Pharisee and member of the ruling council. From now on, his life would be a life of suffering. He would be shipwrecked, imprisoned, stoned and left for dead, and ultimately martyred. Where Jesus had gone, he would follow.

¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “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.” ¹⁸Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

I imagine that some of Ananias’ concern was not just about meeting Saul, but entering the house where he was staying. Presumably, those with Saul had the power to arrest him as well. But, like believers had done all along, he went where God told him to go, regardless of the danger. When he met Saul, he placed his hands on him and called him brother. He showed Saul the love of Jesus, knowing who he was and what he had done. We have no reason to believe that Ananias was anyone special in the church. He wasn’t an apostle, or one of the Seven. In verse 10, Luke simply calls him “a disciple.” We’re not all called to be apostles or deacons or preachers, but we are all called to be disciples. If we will answer that calling, God will use us like he used Ananias.

Apparently God had told Ananias of his appearance to Saul on the road, since Ananias refers to it in verse 17. We don’t know if one of the apostles had laid hands on Ananias so he could lay hands on someone for them to receive the Holy Spirit, or if he could do this just because God sent him to do it.  Ananias confirmed who he was and why he was sent to Saul. The words he spoke must have been verbatim what God had shown Saul in his vision. This was final confirmation of the truth of the gospel, and Saul believed. I wonder how many people talk about scales falling from their eyes, which has become a common expression, with no idea as to where that saying came from. We may not have been struck physically blind like Saul was, but before we say yes to Jesus, we are spiritually blind. When we believe, our eyes are opened. Once he believed and his sight was restored, Saul was baptized and had something to eat. He was himself again, and at the same time, he was a new creation.

Mark Bible Acts, Ananias, laying on of hands, Saul of Tarsus

Saul’s Conversion

¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

After Pentecost, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus is probably the most important event in the Book of Acts. Without the Apostle Paul, Christianity may well have remained merely a sect of Judaism. Saul, whom we last saw at the stoning of Stephen, received authority from Caiaphas the high priest to go to Damascus and arrest any Christians he found in the synagogues there. The term Christian had not yet been coined, and it seems believers referred to their movement early on as “The Way.” It was a fitting name. Jesus said that he is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), and the members of this new faith were not just adherents to a new philosophy, they were members of his body, as all believers are.

³As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Damascus is 150 miles from Jerusalem, six days journey in Saul’s time. The fact that he was willing to travel so far shows how committed he was to persecuting the church. He had almost arrived when Jesus interrupted his journey. Why did God allow him to travel so far? Why didn’t he appear to Saul on the first or second day of his journey? We don’t know, but I think it may be that God wanted him to meet Ananias. If Saul had been allowed to arrive at Damascus and continue his mission of persecution, undoubtably Ananias would have been one of the ones arrested. Instead, Ananias ended up leading Saul to belief in Jesus.

It’s very unusual for God to appear visibly and speak audibly to anyone, much less a non-believer. Anyone who had a “Damascus Road experience” like this when you were saved, raise your hand! God had just gone to extraordinary lengths to save the Ethiopian eunuch (8:26-40, blog), and he took even more extreme measures to reach Saul. Jesus’ first question to Saul is telling; “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”And again, after Saul asks, “Who are you, Lord?”, Jesus replies, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” The point is, by persecuting believers, Saul was persecuting Jesus himself, because believers in Jesus are members of his body. The opposite is true as well. When we bless others, we bless Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46).

In most modern translations, text is missing that we may be used to from the King James version. In the NKJV, the end of verse 5 and the beginning of verse 6 contains these words:

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
⁶ So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

These words were not in Luke’s original version, at least not here. Scribes took words from Paul’s account of this event from Acts 22:8-10 and 26:14-15 and added them here. Though they were not part of Luke’s original text in this chapter, we know from those places and others that Jesus did say “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” and Saul did ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” I’ve never understood, until now, what kicking against the goads means. Goads were long, sharp, pointed sticks that farmers used to goad oxen. You poked the ox with the goad until the ox went the way you wanted it to. Sometimes oxen would kick their hind feet back at the farmer when poked, but could never reach him because the farmer was out of reach behind the plow. It was futile to kick against the goads. This supports my assertion in my post on Saul at the stoning of Stephen. God was trying to goad Saul in the direction of belief in Jesus, and Saul was resisting by trying to “kick against” those goads. His hostility toward the church stemmed from guilt over the trial of Jesus, which, as a member of the Sanhedrin, he probably took part in, and the stoning of Stephen. God was working on him, and it all came to a head here.

Saul’s two questions were exactly the right questions; “Who are you, Lord?”, and “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Saul had not yet believed and been baptized, but he asked the right questions. These are the two things we all should want to know and pursue for all of our lives, who God is, and what he wants us to do. Jesus’ reply to Saul is typical. He didn’t say, “Go and preach the Good News to the Gentiles.” He didn’t tell Saul what his grand plan was, he just told him what to do next. God rarely reveals his whole plan to us. He just tells us what he wants us to do next, and we have to trust him with the rest.

⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

The reaction of the men with Saul is similar to the crowd’s reaction to the audible voice of God in John 12:29, when they said “it thundered.” Those who were with Saul apparently didn’t have “ears to hear,” so they didn’t understand what the voice said. But they saw the light and heard the voice (22:9). They also saw the effect that this encounter had on Saul. Saul had been willfully blind to the spiritual light in front of his eyes, so now God let him experience physical blindness for three days. The last thing Saul saw before his eyes were opened was the resurrected Jesus (Acts 26:16, 1 Corinthians 9:1, 15:8). That vision stayed with him for the rest of his life, and affected everything he did. Jesus has the same effect on people today. We may not have a Damascus Road experience, but when we really meet Jesus, we are never the same afterward, and those around us will see the change in us.

Mark Bible Acts, Damascus, Jesus, Saul of Tarsus

Philip and the Ethiopian

²⁶Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^[d]eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.

After the success of Philip’s ministry in Samaria, God had another important job for him. Philip had preached to crowds in Samaria, but now God sent him to witness to one man. According to tradition, this one person turned out to be very important indeed. He was a eunuch from Ethiopia, and as Luke says, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. Candace was the the dynastic name of the queens of Ethiopia, like Pharaoh was the dynastic name, or title, of the kings of Egypt, and Caesar was the same in Rome. Eunuchs were familiar figures in the royal courts of ancient cultures. They were considered loyal, safe, and disposable. Though they were servants or slaves, many rose to positions of high authority, as this man did. He was a proselyte to Judaism who had traveled 1500 miles from his home in Ethiopia to worship at the temple, even though eunuchs, and anyone who had undergone genital mutilation, were barred from full participation in Israel’s worship (Deut. 23:1). Ironic in a culture that required circumcision!

This eunuch was a man of contradictions. He had wealth and power, but was a slave with no rights. He believed in the God of Israel so much that he traveled 1500 miles to worship at his temple, but was denied full participation because of his physical disability. But after his encounter with Philip and with Jesus, he would experience the freedom and inclusion that he had never known before. As he traveled along the road in his chariot, he read aloud from the Book of Isaiah. It was common to read aloud in ancient cultures, maybe to show that you really could read in a world where most were illiterate. The fact that he had his own scroll of Isaiah shows how rich he was. Books at that time were copied by hand, and very expensive.

²⁹The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

³⁰Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

³¹“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³²The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
³³ In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”^[e]

³⁴The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Twice in this story, God tells Philip to go somewhere, and Philip goes. If we want to be used by God, we have to go where he tells us to go. If you doubt that God’s timing is perfect, consider the passage from Isaiah that the eunuch “happened” to be reading when Philip was within earshot. He might have been reading prophecies against Assyria or Babylon (Isaiah 10, 13), or passages regarding the conquering Davidic Messiah in Isaiah 11, but in God’s providence, he was reading the Suffering Servant passage from Isaiah 53. It presents the perfect picture of how Jesus had suffered and died not long before. This provided the perfect opportunity for Philip to tell him about Jesus.

Philip’s question to the eunuch, “Do you understand what you are reading?”, is exactly the right question. Jews of that time thought that the suffering servant either represented Israel, who had suffered for many years in wars, exile, and persecution, or that he represented Isaiah himself. They didn’t want to think that the suffering servant could represent the Messiah. They wanted to think of the Messiah as as conquering king. That’s why the eunuch asked the question he asked, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” I can just see Philip, in his common clothes, sitting in this fancy chariot next to a rich foreign official in fine robes, starting at the beginning of Isaiah 53 and showing how each sentence referred to the events of the last Passover in Jerusalem, and the suffering and death of Jesus. When God told Philip to go, he went, and he arrived at the exact right time to share the gospel with the one God sent him to. If Philip had delayed or argued with God, this meeting would never have happened, or he would have caught up with the chariot at the wrong time. When God tells you to go somewhere or do something, don’t delay or argue. Just do it.

³⁶As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”^{[f] 38}And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Apparently, at some point in their conversation, Philip told the eunuch that he must believe in Jesus as the Messiah and be baptized, because as soon as they came to water, the eunuch wanted to be baptized. It was his idea. Philip didn’t have to persuade him. The eunuch had traveled far to worship at a temple that would not fully include him. He was a sincere seeker. Now he had found a faith that would let him all the way in, and he wanted in! According to verses 38 and 39, this baptism was immersion of a more complete kind than I’ve ever seen. They both went under! Try that at your next baptism service, pastors!

As soon as the eunuch was baptized, Philip was “spirited” away. He had done what God sent him to do, and now he was needed elsewhere. The eunuch doesn’t seem fazed by this at all. He just went on his way rejoicing. He went back to Ethiopia, and must have been a great witness there. In fact, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church traces its origins back to this very eunuch. The Ethiopian church is the oldest continuously organized denomination in Christianity, predating the Greek and Roman churches. If the Ethiopian church really does go back to the testimony of this eunuch, then it’s easy to understand why God sent Philip to this one man. When God send us somewhere, or gives us a job to do, we never know what the eternal consequences will be.

Mark Bible Acts, Ethiopian eunuch, eunuchs, Philip

Simon the Sorcerer

⁹Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, ¹⁰and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” ¹¹They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. ¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

This story is a source of theological debates on many subjects such as a second work of grace, apostolic miracles, the laying on of hands, “once saved, always saved,” and others. As much as I enjoy a good theological debate, I think this passage is mainly about pride and the power of God vs the power of the occult. Simon was a sorcerer or magician. We don’t know how much of what he did was real and how much was mere illusion the way “magicians” use illusions today. But there is real power in the occult, and it is the power of Satan. Don’t be fooled. There is no such thing as “white magick.” All spiritual power which does not submit to the lordship of Christ is satanic. Simon had enjoyed fame and admiration for the things he did. Fame and admiration are addicting. Simon had done such impressive things, people not only said he had the power of God, they said he was the power of God. When people say things like that about you, it messes with your head, even if you are saved.

Because of what happens next in this story, many, especially Calvinists, say that Simon’s salvation was not sincere. But the scripture never says that. In verse 13, Luke says that Simon believed and was baptized, the same as the others who were saved by believing in Philip’s message. Then he followed Philip everywhere. The Amplified Bible says in verse 13 that Simon devoted himself constantly to Philip. He became a devoted member of the new Jesus movement in Samaria. In Acts 13:8-11, Luke tells of another sorcerer, Elymas, who opposed the gospel. His fate was far different from Simon’s. If Simon was not truly saved, he would have opposed Philip from the beginning as someone who threatened his spiritual authority in Samaria.

¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into^[c] the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

When the apostles learned that Samaritans were believing and being baptized, Peter and John were sent that they might receive the Holy Spirit. This seems to have been another instance of the apostolic laying on of hands, like what Philip had received in 6:5-6. Some say that this laying on of hands conferred miraculous powers, that it was the reason Stephen and Philip had those powers. If that’s true, then this was a way of conferring authority on early church leaders in Samaria. This was something that, apparently, only the apostles could do, and Philip could not. Some who teach this doctrine of the laying on of hands by the apostles in Acts say that because only the apostles could do this, when the last of those who had received the Holy Spirit in this way died, the age of miracles in the church ended. I’m not sure I buy that, but I think it warrants further study.

The other major point of controversy that this passage brings up is that they had not received the Holy Spirit when they believed and were baptized. Since I am an Arminianist/Wesleyan/Nazarene, it’s easy for me to see this in the context of a second work of grace. But Luke doesn’t say whether Peter and John laid hands on everyone who had converted, or just some. If this was the baptism of the Holy Spirit like at Pentecost, it would have included everyone. If it was more of an ordination of leaders, like with the Seven, then it was only some. Since Simon does not appear to have received this anointing, maybe it was the latter.

¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. ²²Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

²⁴Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

Simon was a new Christian, and though I believe he was sincere, he had some basic misunderstandings of the gospel. He saw that when Peter and John laid hands on someone, they received the Holy Spirit. As someone who had been admired for having spiritual powers, this appealed to his pride. He wanted that power for himself. Though some say that this sin proves Simon was not really saved in the first place, I think it just shows that even after we are saved, we can still be tempted, and we still battle with our sinful nature, as Paul describes in Romans 7:14-25. This is simply an example of sin in the life of a believer. Peter’s response, though harsh, is speaking the truth in love. The literal meaning of Peter’s statement in verse 20, “”May your money perish with you,” in the Greek, literally means, “To hell with you and your money.”

Many take what Peter says in verse 21 to mean that Simon was not really saved. But this assertion denies the fact that the sinful nature remains in us, even after we are saved, and that it’s possible for believers to sin and be restored. The Bible clearly teaches both of these principles, and there are many examples of them in scripture. Just because Simon sinned here doesn’t mean he was never saved. He had no part or share in this ministry. Which ministry? Not the Church of Jesus Christ, the apostolic laying on of hands. Peter said Simon’s heart was not right before God, and he was full of bitterness and captive to sin. One commentary I read today says that the tense in verse 23 is actually future tense, that Peter was warning Simon that he would become full of bitterness and captive to sin if he did not repent. Even if the NIV is correct about the tense, I think Simon was being drawn back into his old life by his sinful nature and his many years of practicing the occult. The occult has a powerful hold on anyone who practices it, and even after someone who lives that sort of life is saved, they can easily be drawn back into it the way a former addict can be drawn back into their old habits. Just as powerful is the appeal of pride, which affects all of us, and from which all sin springs. Simon had been called the Great Power, and had given that up to accept Jesus. It’s easy to see how witnessing what Peter and John did might give him the idea that he could get some of that status back in this new faith. If you don’t think pride affects believers, I’d like to know what churches you’ve attended.

Peter’s response to Simon is the rebuking of a believer, not a condemnation of an enemy of Christ, the way Paul condemned Elymas in 13:8-11. He tells Simon to repent and pray rather than to believe and be baptized, as was required for new converts. Simon’s response was not all it should have been. He didn’t humble himself before the apostles and repent then and there, he just wanted to avoid the consequences of his sin, which makes many doubt his sincerity. But we all want to avoid the consequences of our sin, don’t we? We don’t know if Simon ever repented or not. But we do know the formula for a believer who sins and wants to be restored. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord.

²⁵When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

When the persecution of the church began after the stoning of Stephen, the apostles stayed in Jerusalem while the church scattered. But after having been to Samaria and seen what God was doing there, Peter and John took their time getting back to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many Samaritan villages. I wonder if they went to the village that John had wanted to call down fire from heaven on in Luke 9:51-56. Before the resurrection and Pentecost, John was a believer in Jesus, but full of pride and erroneous ideas about what the gospel was all about, much like Simon here. But after he received the Holy Spirit, his only concern was proclaiming the word of the Lord to all people, including Samaritans. That’s the change that the Holy Spirit can bring about in our lives if we will submit to him completely.

Mark Bible Acts, laying on of hands, occult, Philip, Simon the sorcerer

Philip in Samaria

⁴Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. ⁵Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ^[a]there.

After the stoning of Stephen, the church scattered into Judea and Samaria, in accordance with Jesus’ command to them in 1:8:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

The Philip mentioned here is not Philip the apostle, but the Philip who is named in 6:5. He was one of the Seven along with Stephen, the men who were charged with making sure that the needs of the widows and orphans in the church were met. We know this because Luke says in 8:1 that the apostles stayed in Jerusalem, and because when the apostles learned that Samaritans were believing and being baptized later in this chapter, Peter and John were sent to help them receive the Holy Spirit. The authority of the Twelve was needed for that, and apparently this Philip did not possess that authority.

Two things strike me about this right off the bat. First, though the church also scattered throughout Judea, Luke, as a Gentile, chose to tell us about what happened in Samaria. Jews of that time despised Samaritans, and the feeling was mutual. Devout Jews would walk a long way around to avoid even walking through a Samaritan area. The division between Jew and Samaritan went back to the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. When the Northern kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., they intermarried with their conquerors, so Jews considered them “half-breeds.” Although the divided kingdom and their captivity stemmed from pagan religious practices, in Jesus’ time, Samaritans were strict monotheists, and though they didn’t practice mainstream Judaism, they did worship Yahweh. They only regarded the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, as true scripture, and they insisted that the true temple for Israel’s worship was on Mt. Gerazim, rather than Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. They looked for the Messiah, but they expected him to rule from Mt. Gerazim, not from Jerusalem. (If you’re interested in learning more about the Samaritans, I recommend Bible-History.com’s pages on it.)

Though Jews of that time despised and avoided Samaritans, Jesus had shown his attitude toward them in his healing of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19, blog), his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37, blog), and in his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-26, blog). He had also shown compassion toward a Samaritan village that rejected him when James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven on them (Luke 9:51-56, blog), and he had made sure to specifically include Samaria in his command to be his witnesses. I don’t know if Philip went to Samaria because he drew the short straw, or if he volunteered, but there must have been many among the early believers who were reluctant to go there. That leads me to the other thing that strikes me about this. Philip was one of those who were charged with meeting people’s material needs in the church. Like Stephen, he had shown a willingness to be assigned to what some might consider an unglamorous ministry. So God used his willingness to do whatever the church needed him to do to use him in a very public way. He was willing to be a servant to others, and God exalted him.

⁶When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. ⁷With shrieks, evil^[b] spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. ⁸So there was great joy in that city.

The work that Jesus had done in the passages mentioned above had planted the seeds that Philip was able to harvest here. Jesus had shown his disciples what their attitude toward Samaritans should be, and Philip followed his example. Sometimes God stretches us by putting us in the position of ministering to people we may not like. If we will let him get us past our prejudices, he can use us the way he used Philip. We may not perform miracles, but we can be a source of great joy to people who need Jesus if we will go to them and proclaim Christ like Philip did.

Mark Bible Acts, Philip, Samaritans