Saul's Transformation

I was thinking about Saul's conversion earlier as I was continuing to read through "A Work of Heart". Saul is a Pharisee. A big part of the Pharisaic theology was the eager awaiting of a Messiah. In acts 9 the Messiah meets Saul in a striking way.

3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
5 "Who are You, Lord?" he said.
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," He replied. 6 "But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

So Jesus, the Messiah, shows up to a man whose colleagues were the ones who crucified Jesus. Not only that, but Saul himself was overseeing the persecution and martyrdom of the followers of Jesus. I can't imagine what was going through Paul's head at this time. He has just realized that the one he has been waiting for his entire life was the one he was persecuting. The perspective here that I did not see before is what Jesus leaves him with for three days. He says, "Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what to do." That's it. So now we have Saul who has not only realized he was persecuting the Messiah, but now he is left blind with no words of comfort. With Saul's view of God at this time he probably thought that God was going to kill him when he got to the city. I can't imagine the agony and the realization of the sinfulness of his sin over these three days. This Godly sorrow that Saul felt was not the end. Three days later he met the God of mercy and grace.

9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." 11 And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 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.
17 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. Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

This perspective on Saul's transformation definitely helps me understand why Saul spent so much of his epistles reminding the churches of the amazing grace of God. Saul had experienced God's forgiveness in a way that propelled him to live a life completely abandoned to Jesus Christ and the spreading of the gospel!