I didn’t die. I lived! And now I’m telling the world what God did. God tested me, he pushed me hard, but he didn’t hand me over to Death. Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates! I’ll walk right through and thank God! This Temple Gate belongs to God, so the victors can enter and praise. Thank you for responding to me; you’ve truly become my salvation!
Psalm 118:17-21, MSG
I know that we have all heard the traditional Thanksgiving stories; how the Pilgrims came to this country, barely made it through their first winter with the help of some Native Americans who lived in that area. But today I want to tell you another tale of thanksgiving … a tale much older than the birth of America.
Long ago in the land of Israel, just after Jesus was crucified, the Christians was still in shock over all that had happened since the death and resurrection of their Master. Stephen – the very first Christian martyr – had been stoned while the religious leaders and chief priests looked on. One of these men, a Pharisee named Saul, watched over the belongings of those who through the stones.
After this stoning, Saul met with these leaders of the Jewish Temple to ask for letters to the leaders of synagogues, the local Jewish centers of worship, in the city of Damascus. They gladly gave Saul the letters he wanted. These men were happy that Saul was going to travel through the land to capture and bring to Jerusalem any men and women he found who were followers of “the Way,” this is what believers were called by the Jews before the name Christian – or follower of Christ – was used.
On his trip to Damascus, Saul took a group of men with him to help him with those he was about to arrest. He knew that he couldn’t handle the number of people he would be taking back to Jerusalem alone. Taking these men with him worked out to Saul’s benefit. For while on the road, though still a distance from the city, Saul had a close encounter with Jesus that would change his whole life.
Walking to Damascus from Jerusalem would take four to five days – a person could typically walk 10-15 miles a day, and up to 20 miles when you consider that most people walked everywhere they went. If I understand what the Bible says about this in the book of Acts, Saul had almost reached Damascus. I’d say that he was about a day’s travel outside of the city when he met the Lord. The Bible describes it as a bright light that dazed him. I think this light might have been just a glimpse of the glory that Jesus received when He was glorified by the Lord at His ascension.
Whether it was a bright light or the Light of His Glory, God blinded Saul by it to get his attention. For from the middle of this Light came Jesus’ voice calling out to Saul, asking why he was persecuting Him and His followers. Hearing the loud voice from heaven, Saul’s companions were confused, for they couldn’t see who was speaking.
You see, Saul was a very godly man before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Saul had been taught by the top Hebrew scholars of his day. He had become a Pharisee to live a life of devotion to God. He even thought that by arresting and jailing Jesus’ followers was what God would have him to do … but he was wrong. This is why Jesus used this blinding light on the road to Damascus to get his attention. Jesus had a plan for Saul’s life, just as He does for each of us.
After his encounter on the road with Jesus, Saul, with the help of his companions as he was now blind, continued his trip to Damascus, but with a new purpose. Now Saul was focused on learning all he could about the calling he had on his life.
Once in Damascus, Saul stayed with a fellow believer named Judas where he spent his time in prayer and fasting, having dreams from the Holy Spirit. While Saul was praying, across town a man named Ananias receiving his instruction from the Lord to go and pray for Saul. Though he argued at first, Ananias did go to where Saul was staying and prayed for him to receive his sight once more.
After his healing Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus, working alongside his new brothers and sisters in Christ while he learned more of the Way. He was preaching in the very synagogues where he had planned to arrest those he now worked with.
This change in Saul’s life is just what Jesus was talking about when He told the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin to His followers, not many days before. Luke 15:10, MSG says it like this:
“Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”
Yes, even the angels of Heaven give thanks when just one person, one lost soul, returns to God’s family in earnest!
Many days later, Saul had more than his Salvation to be thankful for. For some of the Jewish religious leaders sought to kill him because he had “changed sides” in their minds. So the believers learned of their plans before they were able to carry them out. They came to Saul with this information.
The Jews watched over the city gates 24/7, looking for the right time to capture and kill Saul. But the body of local believers took Saul by night in a large basket and hauled him up and over a lower portion of the city’s wall to escape the plot of their leaders.
You can be assured that he was singing praises to the Lord once he was safe from this threat of death. I believe his praises echoed those of King David that I quoted earlier, but will repeat here:
… I didn’t die. I lived! And now I’m telling the world what God did. God tested me, he pushed me hard, but he didn’t hand me over to Death. Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates! I’ll walk right through and thank God! This Temple Gate belongs to God, so the victors can enter and praise. Thank you for responding to me; you’ve truly become my salvation!
Psalm 118:17-21, MSG
So at this time when our nation is celebrating Thanksgiving, we who are citizens of Christ’s Kingdom have much to be thankful for beyond the food on our tables, the clothes on our backs and the homes that we live in. We have Jesus - our Lord and Savior, His life, death, and resurrection – to be thankful for. So give thanks from hearts overflowing with gratitude.
Until next time!
Grammy Leigh
