The Obedience of Ananias

Acts 9: 1-20
Revelation 5: 11-14

The passage in Acts begins rather ominously with talk of this man named Saul who is breathing out murderous threats against the people who were practicing Christianity. In this passage we come upon Saul as he is on his way to do more harm to these Christians in the name of God and his laws. Then a light appears on the road to Damascus and he hears a loud sound probably not unlike the thunder we had a couple nights ago. A voice comes down from heaven and speaks to Saul about Saul’s desire to persecute Jesus and his followers, and I can only imagine the terror that Saul felt, especially when he opened his eyes to find himself blinded.

Paul’s conversion is dramatic and forceful, and even a bit frightening, as well as awe-inspiring.  What I find interesting is it is not just Paul that is converted and changed during this experience. Too often we gloss over Ananias and his part in all of this. Ananias was a relatively new Christian whose belief in Jesus was strong and true, and he had heard about this man named Saul who had made it his mission to persecute Christians.

Everyone was afraid of Saul and his men. They were scared of what would happen if he caught them, but it didn’t stop them from believing in Jesus. It didn’t stop them from going to services to listen to the apostle’s messages to them. It didn’t stop them from spreading the good news to their neighbors and friends so that everyone could know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

It may not have stopped them, but it didn’t mean they weren’t scared. It didn’t mean they weren’t well aware of what could happen if they were caught spreading Christianity to their friends and neighbors. They understood the danger they faced and they were smart. They didn’t hide who they were, but they didn’t walk around boldly proclaiming it to all and sundry either. They left that to the apostles to do.

So here is Ananias, warmed and emboldened by his new found faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He hears a voice speaking to him and recognizes it as Jesus’ voice. He answers Jesus immediately and the words he hears from Jesus had to have chilled his very blood. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

I’ve never heard the Lord speak directly to me as if we were having a conversation. I can only imagine my euphoria and excitement if I ever do. However, I think I would also be secretly terrified because not only is my God and Savior speaking to little ole me, but I know from reading the bible that this usually means he’s about to ask me to do something I really do NOT want to do; something that may endanger my very life and cause me a lot of grief. When we put ourselves in Ananias’ place I think we can feel his mixture of emotions in that moment, especially when he hears the very thing he must not want to hear.

Ananias would have longed to fulfill what Jesus wanted him to do, but at the same time he must have dreaded the very idea of it. And so he protests, like that would do him any good at all – this is Jesus after all who is constantly telling us to face our fears and to remove the doubts from our hearts. “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” Ananias exclaims.

These are legitimate concerns! Ananias has good reason to be scared! But Jesus has a job for him to do and he tells him to “Go! For this man is my chosen instrument to spread my message among the Gentiles. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”Ananias then goes and prays over Saul and restores his sight to him. From there, Saul is baptized and takes on the name Paul and begins to immediately proclaim Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior.

There are several things we need to pay attention to in this text. First of all, without Ananias, Paul would not have been converted. God called on Ananias and it was that man’s choice to listen or not. God is calling us to do things in His name all the time, we are the ones that decide whether to listen or disobey. How many times have we turned away from the Lord when he calls our name? What goes undone because we do not listen?

Paul ends up writing much of the New Testament as he starts churches and sends them letters. If Ananias would have disobeyed Jesus’ commands, would Paul have still been converted? Would we be here today? We’ll never know for sure, but I would think we wouldn’t be because Paul has influenced many, many people over the last two thousand years. Through Ananias’ obedience to what God had called him to do, Paul is able to move from “breathing murder and destruction” upon a people to bringing life and grace to all those he meets in his life.

Where are we on the road of destruction? What many people forget is that Saul was not actually a bad man. He was considered a hero by the Pharisees and Sadducees. He was doing what was right in many people’s eyes. However, he was on a road to destruction. Therefore, this text calls us to ask ourselves where WE are on that road. Where have we been lead astray from Jesus’ purpose in our lives?

 For example, what about the hard driving businesswoman who is so determined to get a promotion that she loses her marriage. Then there is the teenager, angry and hurt, who cannot forgive a parent’s mistakes. The man who is so locked up in his emotions that he cannot express his love for his spouse. The ever-pleasing wife who is so accommodating that she allows her husband’s alcoholism to destroy their children. The revengeful lover who would rather do harm than seek reconciliation. The employer whose cultural values prevent him from promoting women equally. The political leader who is incapable of compromise. The sports enthusiast who is incapable of sporting behavior. The hard, demanding parent who cannot give their child a break.

These are all paths that when we first begin them, we think we are doing what is right and good. We think we are surely following where God would have us to go. However, we have forgotten Jesus in all of these situations. If we want to be right with God, if we want to make sure we are answering Jesus’ call to us, then we need to keep Jesus’ words close to our hearts. We need to be willing to hear what Jesus is telling us even when it is something we do not want to hear.

If Ananias had ignored Jesus’ call to him, if he had tried to convince himself that there was no way he had heard Jesus correctly, then we would not be here today. It took a man willing to risk his life, to endanger his family to pray over a man that had sworn to persecute every single Christian he came across for us to be here today.

What is Jesus calling you to do? Make no mistake – Jesus is calling your name as well. Jesus has a job for you to do. None of us are too young or too old to be used by the Lord. That is the beautiful thing about being a Christian. God sees us all as useful. God has a purpose for each of us in our lives. Our job is to listen for his voice and to obey it. Even when it goes against our natural instinct of self-preservation. Even when it’s hard. We are called to follow Jesus wherever he may lead us.

Will you be like Ananias and obey Jesus’ instructions or will you pretend that you never heard Jesus calling your name?

Amen.