Have you seen the Righteous One? In this Easter special, Arlin Horst looks at Paul the Apostle, a man who encountered Jesus in a miraculous way and was transformed. As Arlin explores Acts 22:1-16, he examines Paul’s questions, his actions, and how his encounter with Christ turned him into a bold witness for Him. This episode invites you to reflect: Have you seen Jesus, and has your life been changed by Him?
Transcript
Have you seen the Righteous One? No, I mean have you really seen Him? Here we are a few days from Easter, and we will soon celebrate Christ’s victory over death. We tend to slip into our routines and go through the motions, not thinking about what this really means for us. Let’s take the time to reflect and see, I mean really see the risen Christ.
Years ago, as a new electrician, I helped wire houses. We put in the receptacles, lights, and switches, 3-ways and 4-ways where needed. I helped do lots of them and saw them done many times. However, it took me awhile till and saw and understood how 3-ways and 4-ways actually work. For the first while I saw it with my eyes, and then I saw and understood what each wire was doing. I actually remember the house we were in where it all started to make sense! It was an “ah ha” moment and if any of my co-workers are listening, I apologize for being such a slow learner. Later when I was teaching these “ah ha” moments were super encouraging. I’d explain a problem over and over and eventually it clicks. The student lights up and they get it! So, whether you are on the giving end or on the receiving end it is fun to be involved in this “ah ha” moment and this is where I’d like to end up with seeing the Righteous One, not just a glace but an “ah ha” moment while we behold the one who conquered death!
When Jesus walked the earth there were lots of people who saw Him. The Bible also gives us many examples of people who saw Jesus. Those who saw Him were changed in deep places. For example, remember the centurion at the crucifixion? He boldly declared, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” There were many who looked at Jesus that day, but he saw something others didn’t see, he saw Jesus, he saw the Righteous one. Have you seen Him?
Think about another example from the crucifixion, you remember Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One of them hurled insults at Jesus and was rebuked by the other thief. The second criminal saw Jesus, he even asked Jesus, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This criminal saw something the other one didn’t see. We know they both saw Jesus with their eyes, but the one who saw Him had his heart engaged.
This is the challenge, do you see Jesus? I know we know of him and have heard about Him, but are we seeing Him with more than our eyes? In Acts 22 we have the story of another man who saw Jesus. We will read the first 16 verses but before we go there here is a little background to what is happening.
Background
Acts 22 is Paul telling the Jews what happened to him. Paul actually experienced this. This is not “just” a story, these are actual events Paul went through. This is the same Jesus you and I are friends with. He IS alive. His goal has not changed, His authority has not changed and His love for the church, His body, is still the same.
Keep in mind this is Paul, author of half the New Testament. But don’t forget the man he WAS, devout Jew persecuting the church. Here he describes the turning point of His life. This Jesus he met demands total allegiance and Paul submitted His life to Him. Seeing the Righteous One changed everything for Paul, the question is, have you and I seen Him?
In Acts 9 the actual event is recorded, then later in Acts 22 and 26 we have the story as told by Paul. In chapter 9 he got permission from the high priest to go to Damascus and put in prison any followers of the Way. This was no small trip, it was a long way from Damascus to Jerusalem, almost 200 miles. He went to Damascus with authority and an entourage of men. Then in chapter 9 verse 25 we see that he left the city at night in a basket over the wall. What changed? We know the story, Paul changed, Paul met Jesus and he was no longer the same man.
At the end of Acts 21 there is chaos, Jerusalem is in an uproar, and they are ready to kill Paul. The soldiers come and arrest the one who is being beaten, Paul. This saves him from the mob, and you get the feeling the soldiers had dealt with this crowd before. But Paul requests and the commander gives him permission to address the angry mob.
Chapter 22 begins with Paul’s speech to them, and I will read verse 1-16. Notice the two questions Paul asked, they will be the focus of our lesson. Here is the account in Paul’s words.
Acts 22:1-16
1“Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.”
2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. So the crowd went from chaotic to very quiet when Paul started talking.
Then he said: 3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me.
7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
8 So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.
10 So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’
11 And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there,
13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him.
14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Righteous One, and hear the voice of His mouth.
15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
Paul’s two questions were, Who are you, Lord? And What shall I do, Lord? These questions will be the main points for our lesson. Questions Paul never asked before, yet now that he was seeing the Righteous One these are his questions. As we know Paul was a changed man after this, he never went back to the man he was. This is the change that happens when we see the Righteous One. Let’s think about the first question.
Who are you, Lord?
“Who are you, Lord?” That’s interesting, who are you, master? Who are you, president? The title he uses shows he has an inkling who this is. Paul was doing what he thought was right, he was obeying God. Yet He knew this presence in front of Him was the true God. Think about the huge shift needed in Paul’s mind for him to switch sides, to join those he was persecuting. This is big. He isn’t just seeing Jesus, Paul is seeing Jesus. As we think about this question, notice these three observations.
First, Paul’s actions were determined by His view of God. We must realize the seriousness of what we worship. This is who we are becoming. Paul was living exactly what his god wanted him to do. Thankfully the true God got his attention and re-directed His path. The thought that what we worship changes us is not new.
Psalm 115 describes idols made by the hands of man. Eyes but they can’t see, ears but can’t hear, hands but can’t feel, and other body parts that don’t work. Then verse 8 says, “Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.” Showing that what we worship shapes us.
Here’s a few other quotes from other authors expressing the same truth. Ralph Emerson said, “What we are worshiping we are becoming.” In other words, our deity shapes our identity. Greg Beale titled his book We Become What We Worship. His thesis is this, what people revere, they resemble.
AW Tozer has a few quotes regarding this principle. In this quote, he applies it to the church, saying this effect is not only personal but also corporate. He says, “For this reason, the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that compose the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God …” This principle of becoming what we worship is worth meditating on.
Later in II Corinthians this same Paul writes, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord.” He’s teaching us that as we behold God’s glory we are changed. Have you seen Him? Are you beholding His glory? If you are, it is changing you.
Our takeaway is simple, be very careful, what you worship shapes who you are. Paul was enthusiastically doing what he thought God wanted him to do, His actions were determined by His understanding of God. He didn’t know God was going to reveal Himself and change his life forever, but thankfully God did.
The second observation from Paul’s question is this when we see God we change. Paul clearly saw Jesus, after this awesome sight, he was blind for 3 days. Imagine how this sequence imprinted the last thing he saw on his mind! He could see nothing new until God used Ananias to restore his sight and I am sure he thought about the last thing he saw over and over and over.
The question for us is how can we see God so clearly? Thankfully this is not limited to a select group of people. It isn’t just for the rich, educated, or a certain family. Seeing God is an option for all of us. However, many times, the only hindrance to seeing Him clearly is me. I am the one who gets in the way. Here are a few ways we can see God and get a clear view of Him.
Three simple things we can do to see God. Spend time in His Word, spend time with those who know Him, or knew Him, and slow down. These are options for everyone and often the only limiting factor is me. From Paul’s example we learn that when we see God we change.
This brings us to our third and final observation from Paul’s question, “Who are you, Lord? When God doesn’t make sense, move toward Him. It seems that everyone can remember an event that rocked their understanding of God. It’s that crisis of faith when the God you thought you knew is not like the God who is. These are times when we ask big questions about God, long periods of deep soul searching. During these trying times, may our response be similar to Paul’s. Don’t put up walls and hold God at arm’s length; draw near, move toward Him. Paul could have said this is too much. What would others think of me? He could have stubbornly continued going the wrong way. He didn’t; he obeyed what God told him to do next, and we know there were many who thought he was crazy. We also know the rest of his life was not easy; it was no walk in the park for Paul to follow Christ, but he continually moved toward God. He clearly saw God and went all in. No questions and no looking back, He was all in with Jesus.
The challenge is clear, when we see God and He doesn’t line up with who we thought He is, draw near to God, press into Him. Is there a situation where God didn’t or isn’t making sense? How will you respond? There are only two options. Please be like Paul and move toward Him.
Paul sees Jesus and his first question is, who are you, Lord? What a big question. It is also a fitting question for us. Who are you, Lord? No really, think about it, who actually is He. Jesus answers Paul’s question, “I am Jesus who you are persecuting.” Then Paul has a second big question. Now let’s think about this second question.
What shall I do, Lord?
In this moment, this is the only thing that matters to Paul. Do you think Paul was worried about his house, job, bank account? Absolutely not, he was laser focused on what Jesus wanted him to do. The realization he was all wrong is sinking in. What should I do, Lord? is an appropriate question.
When you stop and think about Paul’s second question, what shall I do Lord? It shows Paul understood he was no longer his own boss, he was totally submitted to Jesus, and Jesus’ answer shows the need for Paul to be connected to other believers. When we behold our resurrected Savior, he will also lead us on a path that is similar to Paul’s.
Conclusion
As we know, this event changed the trajectory of Paul’s life. If there ever was a big “ah ha” moment, this was it. It totally changed him and it started with him seeing Jesus. His two questions were big questions and they still are. First was, who are you, Lord? And we had three observations from this question, Paul’s actions were determined by His view of God, when we see God we change, and when God doesn’t make sense, move toward Him.
His second question was, what shall I do, Lord? And we see Paul understanding he was no longer his own boss, he became totally submitted to Jesus, then Jesus shows him the need to be connected to other believers. Both of these questions came out of his encounter with Jesus.
Seeing the Righteous One changed everything for Paul, and as we celebrate Easter this year, I leave you with this question, have you seen him?
