“In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.
I’ve written previously about the little Greek word, δεῖ. It means it is necessary. That small word shows up here in verse 23. It has to do with the inevitability of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection: “saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
It would be great if nothing bad ever had to happen. If child birth was painless. If weeds never grew in our gardens. If every sales call went perfectly. If we never had to deal with disease, suffering, or death. It would be great if the scales of the balance were always properly and fairly balanced. But we live in a fallen world. And there are consequences for sin. We live in the midst of them. People get sick and die. Sales calls sometimes blow up before our very eyes. People are accused falsely. Bullies get the better of the meek.
But God loves us. He has set his heart on our eternal good. He desires we know his love and love him in return. And God is just. The wages of sin is death, and because of all that Jesus had to die.
Of course that’s not all. For Jesus not only died, he rose from the dead. That had to happen as well. He was perfectly obedient. He was completely faithful. He was pure and sinless. He had to be raised from the dead. His faith and faithfulness, love for God and man, perfect obedience to the Father’s will – if there was true justice – required Jesus to be raised from the dead.
Not only did Jesus have to be raised from the dead, he had to be the first to be raised from the dead. “The first” means there will be more. That is the good news – the light of which Paul spoke here – that is being preached all over the world.
Paul will have to endure further trouble, suffering, hardship, and difficulty. This was also part of what Jesus told Ananias – who came and baptized Saul after his Damascus Road experience. I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name,” Jesus tells him (Acts 9:16).
Today we walk in the light of God’s love, Christ’s redemption, and the Holy Spirit’s sanctification. It must certainly be this way. The gospel must be preached. The lost must be found. Those walking in darkness must be brought into the light. And in all this, God’s name will be eternally praised.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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