Friends, for the remainder of Advent, I will continue to share shorter posts centered around Jesus as the “Light.” It is this aspect of Himself that He has been impressing upon my heart, and, I believe, wants to re-mind us of. In these dark days, these turbulent and uncertain times in which we live, be remind friends: Immanuel is here, still! He is sending His Word out in this season of hope to refocus our hearts and minds on Him. To rekindle our remembrance of His promise to, “never leave us, never forsake us.” My prayer for each of you in this season of hope is that you will look up and be refreshed, reawakened, or, perhaps, awakened for the first time, to His Truth. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5.
Suddenly: unexpectedly; happening, coming, made, or done quickly, without warning.
One moment Saul was intent on killing the leaders of The Way and taking anyone who even remotely smacked of Christianity captive. And in the next, he finds himself blinded by the Light of the glory of God. At that moment, Saul experienced the “suddenly” of God. Scripture states it this way: “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and 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” –Acts 9:1-2. Armed with letters of authority from the high priest to commit these unspeakable atrocities, Saul had set off for Damascus to address the synagogues there. He was asking for their cooperation in the arrest of anyone they suspected maybe following The Way. He wanted them all, every man, woman, and child in chains that he might have them dragged back to Jerusalem.
Religion will do that to us. It will drive us into believing that even our wrongs are right. It will so blind us to the Truth, that we’ll dress up our sins and earnestly offer them up to God as a sign of our love, our loyalty, just as Saul did. Only the Pure Light of God’s Truth is able to remove these scales, this crust of religious ideology from our eyes, enabling us finally to see this Jesus who is standing right in front of us…
Little did Saul know, however, that he was, and would continue to be, an intricate part of God’s plan of salvation for the gentiles. As a result of his ravaging and persecution, these new followers of The Way fled Jerusalem. And, with them went The Truth. This knowledge of Jesus as their Savior. Of Him being The Way—the only way, back into right relationship with the Father. And this Truth spread with their every step. From one to another it passed, this life-changing Truth could not be contained. It passed from one to another, sating the thirst of each one it filled just as surely as if water had been given to one who is parched. In Saul’s attempt to silence the voice of those that now carried the Word of God within themselves, he had unwittingly become one of its greatest catalysts. But, before Saul could accomplish his insidious plan to bring an end to The Way, however, God would stop him in his tracks—literally. Listen to what God has to say about men’s plans: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps” –Prov. 16:9. It was God’s plan, not Saul’s, that would prevail. It always has been, and it always will be…
The verse following today’s Scripture says this: “He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” –verse 4.
Saul, in the midst of his sinful, awful tirade, hears the voice of the Resurrected Jesus, and its Truth pierces him to his core. At that same moment, he is blinded by the Pure, All-knowing Light of this same Jesus. He has caught a glimpse behind the veil, been made a witness of the blinding Truth of God. All his misguided zealousness, his religion, must now give way to this Truth that exposes men’s darkest deeds. Saul will forever be undone by this one encounter. And so too, must we…
Saul was blinded, yet, in a very real sense, his eyes had never seen so clearly.
In Saul, we’re able to catch a glimpse of ourselves. Our desperate need for transformation, for reconciliation. In Saul we also witness great hope. The fiercest of sinners can be saved! It is not too late for you, for any of us, to turn to this Jesus and ask His forgiveness. Ask Him to come into our hearts, forever changing them. In Saul, we recognize our deepest need: to meet this Resurrected Jesus face to face. To be transformed, as he was, by this God whose Light is no longer swaddled and lying in a manger, a Christmas babe. Like Saul, we must be willing to leave our religion, our idols, and intellect, our traditions, and pride at the feet of Truth—our love offering, our due. We must come and bow before Him, fall to our knees, face to the ground, in humble adoration, in submission, in awe. Then, stand up, bold, and changed, and willing and wanting to tell anyone and everyone about this Light that pierced the deepest recesses of our hearts and minds.
The Light that is coming again, soon, and very soon…
“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” 1 Corinthians 15:50-52.
Jesus came to Saul just as He comes to each one who has, or ever will be, saved: suddenly and without warning. And, just as suddenly, He will one day call us back to Himself—eternally. No man knows that hour. Not even the Son…
Friend, this Advent, ask yourself this one question: If Jesus suddenly showed up today, are you ready to meet Him face to face? Don’t think it can’t happen to you. Paul’s experience alone ought to dispel that lie. Where are you spending your eternity? If you don’t know the answer to this question, please, I implore you, ask this same Jesus into your heart now, don’t delay…
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