Reflection by The Rev'd Dr. Deborah Broome

Call and Transformation

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.              (Acts 9:1-22)

Each year on 25 January, the Church keeps the feast traditionally known as The Conversion of St Paul, remembering the turning-point in Paul’s life and how the direction of that life was forever changed.  But it’s worth asking whether “conversion” is really the right word.  When we speak of a “road‑to‑Damascus experience,” we usually mean a sudden, dramatic, definitive moment, yet the New Testament never actually uses “conversion” language for Paul, and he himself doesn’t describe the experience that way.  When he reflects on this event in the letter to the Galatians, he doesn’t describe turning from one religion to another.  Instead, he says he was “set apart before I was born and called through [God’s] grace.”  That sounds far less like abandoning his past and far more like discovering its true direction.  Paul isn’t switching faiths. He’s receiving startling clarity about the God he already serves.

The drama on the road

Saul, as he’s known at this point, is on a mission – fiercely determined to protect what he believes is God’s truth.  He’s travelling to Damascus to arrest followers of “The Way,” absolutely convinced that he’s right.  And then the light stops him – literally.  The blinding encounter with Christ interrupts not just his journey but his certainty.  The man who set out to overpower others suddenly finds himself powerless, dependent, and blind, led by the hand into Damascus.  Transformation begins not in confidence, but in vulnerability.

Ananias: The Unsung Hero

But the story wouldn’t unfold as it does without Ananias.  He’s one of the quiet heroes of Scripture, someone whose obedience makes all the difference.  Ananias has heard of Saul.  He knows exactly what this man is capable of and what he came to Damascus to do. The idea of visiting him must have seemed like walking straight into danger – and yet he goes.  He trusts God’s voice enough to take the risk.  And he greets the fearful, blinded Saul with the words, “Brother Saul.” It’s both a declaration of faith and an act of forgiveness.  Ananias shows us what courage, compassion, and obedience look like when put into practice.  And it’s through the ministry of this quiet, faithful disciple that Saul is healed, baptised, and welcomed into the community he had come to destroy.  We often think of Paul as the main actor in this drama, but Ananias’ faithfulness is just as essential.  If he had refused, overcome by fear or suspicion, the story of Christianity might look very different.  Transformation is never a solo effort.  Paul’s new life begins with the ministry of another person, with healing and with baptism.  Call and change are gifts received within community, not achievements we bring about ourselves.

Transformation over time

We often focus on the moment on the road, but Paul’s transformation isn’t confined to that day.  He spent significant time – months, even years – in Arabia and elsewhere as his calling unfolded, shaped by learning, by listening, and by continued encounters with Christ.  This is good news for those of us who’ve never had a “one instant” dramatic spiritual experience.  Some people meet Christ in a flash of recognition, but many more find him in a series of quieter moments – through Scripture, through worship, through conversation, through the patient work of community.  For every Damascus road, there is also an Emmaus road: a longer journey with many questions and conversations.

God uses what we bring

Paul’s story is often told as a move from one extreme to another – from persecutor to apostle. But on another level he doesn’t change as much as it seems.  God takes all that formed Saul – his education, his knowledge of the Scriptures, his passion, his sharp mind, his energy – and uses it.  Nothing’s wasted – God’s just transformed and redirected it.

So what about us?

This feast day isn’t only about Paul – he’d probably be horrified at the idea of the spotlight landing on him!  It’s about the Christ who confronted him, the community that welcomed him – and it’s also about us.  We encounter Christ again and again – in Scripture, in bread and wine, and in the very ordinary, sometimes messy life of our local church.  That’s where Christ meets us and continues to reshape us.  

 Perhaps this week God is calling one of us to be an Ananias – to reach out with forgiveness, courage, or hope to someone we’d rather avoid.  Perhaps God is inviting us to let go of our certainty long enough to be led somewhere new.  The same grace that transformed Paul is still at work – in us, among us, and through us – for the life of the world.