Luke tells the story of Saul on the road to Damascus three times in Acts. The third time, Jesus tells him to stop kicking against the goads. Acts 26:14 Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.[1]
This statement was part of a well-known Greek proverb, but it was also familiar to anyone who made a living by farming. An ox goad was a sharp stick used to prod an ox or cow and keep it going in the right direction.[2] God wanted Saul to go in His direction, but Saul, like a stubborn ox, kept going the wrong way.
The Wrong Passion and Conviction
Acts 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.[3]
Saul was a Jew of the Pharisee sect. This group focused on following the Law and traditions so that the Messiah would come. They saw Jesus as a political anarchist and a religious blasphemer. The Jewish leaders knew that anyone hung on a tree was cursed (Deut. 21:23). They couldn’t understand how God would take a cursed prophet to be the Messiah.
Yet Jesus’ followers preached that He was alive, and they performed miracles in His name. Saul saw this power as from Satan and wanted to stamp out what he interpreted to be a dangerous sect. Saul had sanctioned the stoning of Stephen. After this incident, persecution increased against the believers. Many, like Philip, left Jerusalem and took the Gospel with them. Saul desired to stamp out this movement and did so with vigor.
Did Saul Have Doubts?
Saul was a student of Gamaliel who earlier had recommended leaving the Christians alone. Acts 5: 38 “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God![4]
Saul had heard Stephen’s testimony and seen him die. The apostles said they had to obey God and not the Jewish leadership. Saul couldn’t deny the healing miracles done in the name of Jesus. But Jesus had been put to death by the Romans. What was it about this dead Galilean carpenter that people continued to follow Him?
As Saul considered this, could he begin to see the truth in the Way of Jesus? Was it an inconvenient truth that he did not want to acknowledge? Is that why Saul was persecuting believers so viciously?
Let God Direct You
When Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he saw that he had been fighting against God. Unfortunately, we can do much the same. We can have the wrong passion and conviction and not want to be corrected by Jesus. Yet, Jesus has a plan for each of us, just as He had a plan for Saul. Be willing to listen for God’s guidance and stop kicking against the goads.
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/god-arrests-saul
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ac 26:14). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[2] Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts (pp. 425–426). Tyndale House.
[3,4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.