Acts 9:17-31
So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
Years ago I heard the story of the conversion of Nicky Cruz, a notorious gang member. Here’s a snippet of Nicky’s story:
Arrested countless times, a court-ordered psychiatrist pronounced Nicky’s fate as “headed to prison, the electric chair, and hell.” No authority figure could reach Cruz – until he met a skinny street-preacher named David Wilkerson. He disarmed Nicky – showing him something he’d never known before: relentless love. His interest in the young thug was persistent. Nicky beat him up, spit on him and, on one occasion, seriously threatened his life, yet the love of God remained – stronger than any adversary Nicky had ever encountered. Finally, Wilkerson’s presentation of the gospel message and the love of Jesus melted the thick walls of Nicky’s heart. He received the forgiveness, love and new life that can only come through Jesus. Since then, he has dedicated that life to helping others find the same freedom. – Hachette
Like Saul’s conversion his was dramatic and his new life profoundly impactful. Most followers of Jesus don’t have stories quite so dramatic. But a closer look at this account raises up two others who are rightly part of this story. Ananias comes to Saul and heals his blindness. This opens the door for Saul to connect with the disciples in Jerusalem. And then when Saul goes to Jerusalem he is not readily accepted.
Thank God for Barnabas. He will stand in for Saul. He will introduce him to the Apostles. He will be true to his name, ‘Son of Encouragement.’ We don’t know what kind of transformation Barnabas went through to get him to believe in Jesus and want to encourage Saul. It might be a very ordinary progression of growing awareness to the implications of God’s grace.
There is more at stake here than Paul’s feelings. His future missionary activity will lead him back to Jerusalem and he will need the listening ears of the Apostles there. The mission of God to all nations, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth is at stake. All this is being set in motion here not only by Saul’s transformation, but aided also by Ananias’ and Barnabas’ ministrations.
More and more the implications of God’s grace to us must play out in our lives. We must recognize that the grace we have received is grace we also must share. We must hold fast to the idea that God does amazing and far-reaching work through those whose stories are sensational, but also through those whose growing awareness of his grace is less dramatic.
You may not have a dramatic transformation story, but you may play a part in the impact of those whose story is more sensational. This is the grace of Jesus at work in all our lives.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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