God is full of surprises. He looks down from heaven at the sin and rebellion mounting against Him by those whom He created. But instead of destroying them all in righteous anger, deep, passionate love moves Him to send His Son to die for their sins. You may be so used to the Gospel that it no longer astonishes you, yet it is still surprising.
God is also full of surprises when it comes to Pharisee Saul. Saul is so smug, for he’s figured God out. For such is the way of the Pharisee. He even describes himself as a Pharisee’s Pharisee, brimming with zeal for the Law of God. He’s doing God’s will—of this He is convinced. Ever the zealot, he strives to squash the growing, dangerous cult of the crucified Nazarene, named Jesus.
The more Saul tries to stamp out these blasphemers, the more they scatter like cockroaches, spreading their evil teachings. So, he pays a visit to the High Priest to get his blessing to go to Damascus and round up these Jesus followers. He plans to haul them back to Jerusalem in chains—before they can infect the other Jews!
Saul is traveling to Damascus, his target now in sight. On the cusp of victory, he is almost giddy, when an unforeseen surprise knocks him to the ground. A blazing light from heaven topples him into the dust. The Lord Jesus calls out to him. “Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
How can that be? He’s dead in the tomb. The bedrock of Saul’s life crumbles in an instant. His mind falls into the chaos of confusion and doubt. You were doing God’s bidding, better than anyone else, with unfettered zeal. Pride filled your heart at being a Hebrew among Hebrews. Now, what was right is now wrong—you were not on God’s side but Satan’s.
Paul descends into the gloom of depression, pondering what will God do? I’m in league with the enemy, even while looking to be on His side. Treason is the word—when you claim to be loyal but are working for the enemy. What eternal fate awaits those guilty of such spiritual treason?
Jesus tells Saul to arise, go into the city, which he now can’t see because he’s blind. “I will tell you what to do.” How ominous! Saul must wait like a little boy for events to unfold, powerless. God came and surprised him, overthrowing everything in his life.
Another surprise, however, still awaits—this time for Ananias. Ananias fears Saul. Stories of arrests, beatings, and confiscations have come his way. Such hardship and anguish the Lord’s people suffered at Saul’s hands. He’s the enemy.
Ananias was aware of Saul coming to Damascus, with an armed escort, to take fellow believers and him to prison—or worse! The entire Christian community was asking God to rescue them from such an evil man.
Jesus now comes to Ananias: “Here’s a job for you.” “Sure, Lord.” “A man named Saul is blind, and he’s expecting you.” Ananias must be thinking, “Saul’s blind now? Such splendid news. Serves him right. God, indeed, is answering our prayers.”
So, he starts arguing with Jesus. “Excuse me, Lord; are you kidding? This Saul is the spawn of evil. He’s been terrifying Your people in Jerusalem. You don’t want me to help him, do You?” “Oh, yes, Ananias. I have big plans for Saul. He will carry my name to Gentiles, before kings, and to the people of Israel. So go. Do what I tell you.”
Ananias runs outside, waves of nausea rising in this throat. How can Jesus choose someone whose life’s work is bent on destroying Christians? Will Saul become God’s preacher to the Gentiles? Ananias now ponders the topsy-turvy world of the Gospel.
As astonished as he was, Ananias went and found Saul, who spent the last few days picturing himself on the death row of eternity. The question was not if the Lord would deliver him to the flames, but when—and the torment awaiting him!
Saul cradles himself in his darkness, imagining the horrors awaiting him. Each creak of the door and fall of the footstep startles him. “Is judgment here? Does my eternal fate now come to claim me?” He takes no food or drink. He can’t. He waits, expecting the hammer to descend. How strange: it doesn’t.
Saul is sure: The Lord’s retribution will be swift and terrible. How unbearable, this waiting and not knowing! God is using time and our Lord’s revelation to destroy the proud legalism inside Saul, on which he built his life and reputation. God’s tearing him down, turning him away from himself, only to raise him up in Christ.
Saul despairs of all life, but he throws himself on the Lord’s mercy. Only then does God give him the vision of a man, named Ananias, coming to his aid. God’s surprise of the Gospel now comes to Saul. In Christ Jesus and His life-giving death, God is restoring lost and blind sinners to Himself.
Saul’s eyes now open for the first time in his life. He thought he was living for God, but was digging himself deeper into hell. When he died to himself and his imagined good works, only then did he live by faith in Jesus. He didn’t expect such grace, but God was there with surprising love and compassion in His Son. Ananias then baptized Saul, in the house, where they were. Former enemies are now brothers in Christ.
God will do even more, for He will send, yet, another surprise. Presume yourself a Jew, in a Damascus synagogue. You know about these wearisome Christians. They bolted from Jerusalem, trying to escape from the law. Some of them came to our worship services with their message of Jesus—until we threw them out! Too many are following the delusions of this false Messiah, who died, but whom they say, walked away from the tomb.
Who rises from death, no one I know? So, this Jesus is the Messiah must be the folklore of myth and fable. These fanatics are dividing families and bringing our community to ruin. How fortunate that Saul is here! He’s here to arrest these heretics and haul them away to prison. Rabbi Saul will be speaking at our synagogue. Hey, he might even expose their dark secrets as he rids us of these vermin.
Saul gets up to speak. He reads aloud the assigned passages of Scripture and begins to explain how they all point to Jesus of Nazareth. He is God’s Son: The long-expected Messiah sent to save the world from sin. People are stunned in disbelief. Our man, Saul, is proclaiming the faith he came to destroy.
How crazy: The High Priest sanctioned Saul to speak at all the synagogues in Damascus about Jesus. But Paul isn’t doing what the High Priest wanted. He’s preaching Jesus AS the Messiah, not against Him. God gives another surprise.
What surprises will God send your way? Our Lord’s disciples may have woken up each day, wondering what surprise God was going to do next. His surprises for you and me all flow to bring us to His salvation. Our reading today from Acts showed us as much. God does His startling work through the power of His Gospel—what we don’t expect.
But will we miss it? What do I mean? Consider sin. Each of us struggles with different sins—places in our lives, still in full-blown rebellion against God. We tell ourselves, “I’ll never conquer this. I can’t change. I keep doing the same, stupid sins. I promise to do better, but I don’t. I’ll just live with it. God understands.”
Such nonsense! Would you harbor a serial killer in your home—who planned to strangle you in your sleep? Of course not! So, why would you do so in matters of faith? Yes, you can change—but not through your efforts. For if you could be holy and righteous on your own, why would you need Jesus?
God makes you holy, not you. So, if He could change the murderous Saul, He can also change you. God will even change you as He did Saul—through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the washing away of your sin through Him. Give it to God; you may be surprised what will happen.
Examine your life. You don’t like someone, and the dislike becomes more entrenched over time. Your neighbor, someone in this congregation, or even me keeps frustrating you. You think, “We’ll be enemies for life. Why even bother?” Ananias thought as much about Saul. Was he ever mistaken! Could you be wrong, as well?
What about the person you want to bring to Jesus? The words you want to speak elude you. The proper moment never comes. He’ll never trust Jesus. You keep convincing yourself you can do nothing to help. Don’t be so sure. God’s grace and mercy in Christ Jesus to lost sinners can astound us all.
Expect to be astonished, and expecting it, you become God’s mouthpiece where He places you to serve. YOU can be part of God’s surprise to someone else. God is full of the wonders of His grace. He’s even bursting with them for those who live by faith, with the biggest surprise of all: The Gospel of Christ Jesus and the life He gives us.
Expect to be surprised, for you will be. For the most glorious one still awaits you in Christ—eternity! Most of what God wants for you will astonish you, for what awaits you is beyond your reckoning. So, live by faith in the God of surprises. Every day is a day of astounding grace, even if you don’t realize it. For every day, God is NOT treating you as you deserve, but as His Royal Son. For that is who you are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
