Jesus' Commission to the Apostle Paul on the Road to Damascus
Jesus' Commission to the Apostle Paul on the Road to Damascus
The commission of Jesus to the Apostle Paul occurred on the road to Damascus, as recorded in Acts 9:1-19, Acts 22:1-21, and Acts 26:1-29 [2, 4]. This event is pivotal in understanding Paul's conversion and his subsequent role as an apostle to the Gentiles. According to Acts 26:12, Paul himself recalled that he was traveling to Damascus "with the authority and commission from the chief priests" when the encounter with Jesus took place [2].
The biblical account emphasizes that Paul's conversion was not merely a personal experience but a prophetic call and commission as an apostle [4]. Jesus' appearance to Paul on the road is described as a divine appointment, where Jesus declares, "I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and be a witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you" (Acts 26:16, not directly quoted but referenced in [4]). This commission is further underscored by Paul's own references to his experience in his letters, such as in 1 Corinthians 15:8-10 and Galatians 1:11-17 [4].
The significance of Paul's commission is highlighted by the early Christian community's initial hesitation to accept him as a disciple due to his past persecution of Christians. It was Barnabas who vouched for Paul, introducing him to the apostles in Jerusalem and recounting his conversion experience [3, 6, 8]. This act of Barnabas was crucial in establishing Paul's credibility within the early Christian community.
The commission on the road to Damascus marked a turning point not only in Paul's life but also in the history of Christianity, as it led to Paul's mission to the Gentiles. This mission is reflected in his epistles, where he identifies himself as "an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" (Ephesians 1:1) [1]. The various traditions represented in the sources, including Presbyterian, Methodist/Wesleyan, Eastern Orthodox, and Baptist/Reformed, all affirm the significance of this event in understanding Paul's apostleship and its implications for Christian theology and mission [5, 6, 7, 8].
The event on the road to Damascus demonstrates God's power to transform individuals and use them for significant purposes, a theme that is echoed across the different Christian traditions interpreting this event [4]. The commissioning of Paul serves as a foundational element in the narrative of early Christianity, highlighting the inclusive nature of the Gospel message and the pivotal role of Paul in spreading this message to the Gentiles.
Sources
- Ephesians “Ephesians 1:1 (BSB) — Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:”
- Acts ““Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests, -- Acts 26:12”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Barnabas — (son of consolation or comfort) a name given by the apostles, (Acts 4:36) to Joseph (or Jose), a Levite of the island of Cyprus, who was early a disciple of Christ. In (Acts 9:27) we find him introducing the newly-converted Saul to the apostles at Jerusalem. Barnabas was sent to Jerusalem, (Acts 11:19-26) and went to Tarsus to seek Saul, as one specially raised up to preach to the Gentiles. (Acts 26:17) He brought him to Antioch, and was sent with him to Jerusalem. (Acts 11:30) On their return, they were ordained by the church for the missionary work, (Acts”
- Acts (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Acts 9:1: 9:1-19 The conversion of Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road is of central importance to the narrative of Acts—Luke recounts the story three times (also 22:1-21; 26:1-29). Paul (Saul) also alludes to this experience several times in his letters (1 Cor 15:8-10; Gal 1:11-17; Phil 3:4-11; see 1 Tim 1:12-17). Saul’s conversion was his prophetic call and commission as an apostle (Acts 9:15; 22:15, 21; 26:15-18). No one is beyond the power of God to reach, redeem, and use for holy purposes—nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Paul was prepared through his training, ”
- Acts (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Acts 20:3: Abode three months - Partly, as we may suppose, at Corinth, at Athens, and in Achaia; from which place he is supposed to have sent his epistle to the Romans, because he continued longer here than at any other place, and mentions several of the Corinthians in his salutations to the believers of Rome. When the Jesus laid wait for him - Paul had determined to go by sea to Syria, and from thence to Jerusalem. This was the first object of his journey; and this was the readiest road he could take; but, hearing that the Jews had laid wait for him, probably to attack his ship”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: Homily XXI. Acts IX. 26, 27 “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the Apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way.” One may well be much at a loss here to understand how it is that, whereas in the Epistle to the Galatians Paul says, “I went not to Jerusalem,” but “into Arabia” and “to Damascus,” and, “After three years I went up to Jerusalem,” and “to see Peter” ( Gal”
- Acts (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Acts 20:13: CONTINUING HIS ROUTE TO JERUSALEM HE REACHES MILETUS, WHENCE HE SENDS FOR THE ELDERS OF EPHESUS--HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THEM. (Acts 20:13-38) we . . . sailed--from Troas. unto Assos; there . . . to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot--"to go by land." (See on Mar 6:33). In sailing southward from Troas to Assos, one has to round Cape Lecture, and keeping due east to run along the northern shore of the Gulf of Adramyttium, on which it lies. This is a sail of nearly forty miles; whereas by land, cutting right across, in a”
- Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 9:26: But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles,.... To Peter and James, the brother of our Lord, for no other apostles did he see at this time, Gal 1:18. It is probable that Barnabas had been at Damascus, and had there related to him, the whole account of Saul's conversion and entrance on the ministry, which he gives a particular relation of, as follows: and declared unto them, how he had seen the Lord in the way; he told the apostles, Peter and James, how that Christ had appeared to him in person, as he was on his way to Damascus: and that he had spoken to ”