The Conversion of Saul
9 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight and neither ate nor drank. [Acts 9:1-9, NRSV]
St Paul on the Road to Damascus, by Luca Giordano, 1680
St Paul was so shaken by the encounter with the Crucified and Risen Christ on the Road to Damascus, and the entire experience was so disruptive of his entire existence, that Scriptures rely heavily on symbolic language and portrayals to express the trauma and conversion he went through. Thrown, as it were, into a dark tunnel, Paul was compelled to quiet down, to listen hard, and to search deep to negotiate his way out into the light.
The symbolic significance of Paul’s fall, being blinded and being led into Damascus
Paul’s fall, his being blinded and being led into Damascus signify massive mistakes in vision, attitude, and actions. Seriously lacking in a correct spiritual vision, Paul had to learn the truth of his “blindness” in persecuting Christ’s followers. His pharisaic background had all but ruled out even the possibility of a “crucified” Jewish messiah.
- Blind to the truth and worth of Jesus Christ, his “fall” signals the start of a climb-down from his figurative high-horse in order to come to grips with the reality and extent of his mistakes.
- “Scales” over Paul’s eyes point to a massive blindness to the light of Christ.
- The “fall of scales” then is dramatic language that points to a new vision and a whole new way of life awaiting him, with a glorious mission from Christ.
The Pauline zeal that characterized the pre-conversion Saul had got to be re-directed to serving Christ and advancing the kingdom of God. So Christ put aside covert persuasion and chose to directly intervene in changing the course of Paul’s life.
Paul’s confident knowledge of what God wanted was smashed. His encounter with the Risen Christ left him so stunned that he knew not how to process the sudden flood of overwhelming information. He came leading a murderous team, absolutely confident and self-righteous; he exited totally neutralized, disorientated and could not find his own way, but had to be led by the hands into Damascus – a pathetic figure compared to the Saul who came charging with a murderous gang, official authorization in hand, in hot pursuit of the followers of Christ
- Rattled and self-confidence compromised, his massive ego was crushed. His puffed-up confidence based on false knowledge had to give way to humility in the knowledge and wisdom of God.
Now, he has to make a complete change, in order to:
- serve Christ (not his own mistaken, death-dealing, agenda);
- suffer in service, and
- make immense sacrifices willingly.
These are three essential elements, among other elements, observable in Paul’s authentic ministry of the cross!
The symbolic significance of “three days blinded and fasting”
Paul was struck blind on a persecuting mission on Damascus Road. The story went deeper: “And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank” (Acts 9:9).
The “three days without …” point forward to a time of spiritual testing and growth, signaling an impending change, for a period of darkness and deprivation is at the same time also a time of spiritual revelation and growth.
We see here a significant period of transition and transformation for Saul. To transform, the old must die, for the new to emerge. Thus assessed, the reason why Saul went three days without food and drink becomes clear:
- Encounter with the Risen Christ put him in a state of shock. The weight of Christ’s resurrection and what Christ said to him made him fearfully penitent. He must seriously meditate on what had happened. He would not eat or drink. He just could not indulge.
Furthermore, whereas sight always distracts and being filled naturally makes one lethargic, going “without” can sharpen our inner “eyes”, challenge our consciousness and presumptions, and even compel focus on hard truths. And those three days without food and drink yielded a deepening of spiritual awareness and a turning away from worldly distractions.
In sum, Saul’s three days without sight was for him a time of spiritual testing and refinement, a period of darkness and uncertainty, which ultimately led to a profound understanding of God’s purpose for his life. It would end in a deep conversion (the meaning and implication of which we must take a deeper look into in the next post) and commissioning as Apostle Paul.
Paul’s abstinence from food and drink also reveals a complete devotion to seeking God’s will in his life, which teaches us that, in preparation for ministry, a time of purification is seriously necessary. This was modelled in Jesus’ testing in the wilderness, from where he emerged and at once began to preach and live the kingdom of God all the way to Calvary. Paul now understood all that, implicitly repented, prepared himself in darkness and fasting (his “wilderness” indeed), and emerged to dedicate the rest of his life to preaching “nothing” else “except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). Paul would become not just any Apostle, but decisively an “Apostle of the Crucified Lord”. And we are all his beneficiaries.
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, June 2025. All rights reserved.
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