“Answers For A Study in the Book of Acts” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “Case for the New Testament” posts on the weekend. The original questions are posted on the bottom of the Case for the New Testament” post the weekend before, and the answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research and then check your answers here. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper if you’d like.
Note: The answers will focus on what the text of the Bible says, and commentaries and speculative answers will be noted as such. There are many scholarly commentaries out there but it will be important, as students of the Bible, to keep the text of the Bible as our first source. Commentaries can be used, keeping in mind that they are human thoughts about God’s Word.
Bible Study
Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.
Read Acts Chapter 9: Then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions.
NOTE: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for “Discussion” or “Going Deeper” questions.
Saul’s conversion and Peter’s Ministry
- Read Chapter 9:1-19 with your table group
In the first part of this chapter Saul’s conversion takes place, and he begins his Christian ministry:
a. Where was Saul headed; what was he planning to do and why?
“Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Acts 9:1-2
- Saul (The Apostle Paul’s Hebrew name), having come off of supervising the murder of Stephen, was now on a mission to stop Christians from sharing the Gospel by arresting them and taking them to Jerusalem (most likely to be killed, or suffer long-term imprisonment). Most scholars believe that Saul thought he was doing this for God because he was a Pharisee that had been trained under the best Rabbis of that time, including Gamaliel (see Acts 22:3).
- Note: The “Way” is the first name given to the early church at this time.
b. Describe what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus. Who did he meet and what was he told to do?
“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.” Acts 9:3-8
- Saul, in a dramatic fashion, met the LORD Jesus on the road to Damascus. This is the point of Saul’s conversion and he would soon go by the name of Paul (his Greek name) as the LORD directs His mission through Paul to the Gentile world.
c. Who was Ananias (not the same one from chapter 5) and how did he respond to what the LORD asked him to do?
“In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “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.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “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.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:10-16
- Ananias responded to the LORD in fear of Saul because of what he had heard about him, but he also responded in faith and followed through with the LORD’s instruction. In verses 17 – 19 we see the following result of Ananias’ faithfulness:
“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.”
- Saul is now ready to begin his ministry (a difficult one for sure).
d. Discuss: Have you (or someone you know) experienced an event or situation where you’re sure God orchestrated things as they fell together, yet no one else could see it? Cross-reference by reading Romans 8:26-28.
Answers here will vary based on personal experience.
“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28
- Read Chapter 9:20-30 with your table group
In this part of the chapter Saul begins his ministry, but it isn’t easy:
a. After Saul spent a few days with the disciples in Damascus, where did he go, what did he do and how was he received?
At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Acts 9:20-30
- In both Damascus and Jerusalem, Saul was not well received by either the believers or the Jews. He would have to ultimately prove himself to be a follower of Jesus through various trials and even death.
b. Who wanted Saul dead, and why? How did Saul escape death and where did he go?
In the passage above, there are two times Saul faced death – the first time from the Jews in Damascus, the second time from the Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem. They wanted him dead because he was now boldly proclaiming the Gospel, and the truth of who Jesus was. Both times Saul escaped death with the help of other believers – in Damascus they lowered him in a basket through the opening in the wall of the city and he went to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus (presumably by ship, as Caesarea was a port village).
c. Who spoke up for Saul so that he could freely speak and go with the Apostles? What ended up happening again to Saul?
- From the passage above (a) we see it was Barnabus that spoke up for Saul and defended him in Jerusalem, but as we see his life was again under threat (b) and the believers had to rescue him and take him out of the city, sending him to Tarsus.
- Result of the preaching of the Apostles and Paul in Jerusalem that allowed the Church to grow…
“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers”. Acts 9:31
- Note: Saul’s story will pick up again in chapter 13 with his missionary trips, and he will dominate the rest of the book of Acts as the Apostle Paul (his Greek name) with the focus on the Gentile world.
d. Going Deeper: Who was Barnabus and where else in Scripture can we find him? Research: What else can be known about him from outside sources?
- Barnabus was John Mark’s cousin (the author of the Gospel of Mark)
- Barnabus means “Son of Encouragement” and that was the name given to him by the apostles – his birth name was Joseph and he was a Levite of Cyprian birth (Acts 4:36)
- He was one of the first to sell possessions to help Christians in Jerusalem
- He was the first to support Paul and travel with his missionary team
- He was referred to as an apostle, although he was not one of the original 12
- His story is told in Acts 4:36-37; 9:27-15:39; he is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:6; Galatians 2:1, 9, 13; Colossians 4:10
- His weakness is shown when he sided with Peter by staying away from Gentiles until Paul calls him out on this hypocrisy (Galatian 2:13)
- Side note: Some scholars put him in a list of possible authors of the book of Hebrews
- Read Chapter 9:31-43 with your table group
In the last part of this chapter Luke switches back to the Apostle Peter:
a. Where was Peter traveling, and why?
Peter was traveling the country and was in, or near, the towns and areas of Lydda, Joppa and Sharon. These areas are basically northwest of Jerusalem. Persecution had begun in Jerusalem with the death of Stephen and many of the disciples had scattered. In chapter 8 we saw Peter and John going to observe what had happened with Philip in Samaria. The text does not say specifically why he was now in this location, but it could have been part of “being sent out” by the others to see what was going on in the Gentile world. This will lead into chapter 10 where Peter will be involved in the conversion of the first Gentile convert, Cornelius, the Roman Centurion. (An apparent outworking of the Great Commission – Acts 1:8)
b. Who were Aeneas and Tabitha? What was different about the way Peter healed them, and how did the people respond afterward?
“As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.” Acts 9:32-35
- Aeneas was healed from paralysis and walked immediately, in the name of Jesus – all those who saw turned to the Lord.
“In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room” Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!” Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.
Acts 9:36-42
- Tabitha was obviously a well respected person in the community, and the needs she met were noteworthy. The difference in this situation was that Tabitha was already dead! Notice that Peter got down on his knees and prayed first. He was able to, not just heal her, but raise her from the dead. Jesus had said to the disciples that they would do the same things He did, and more. This is an example of the fulfillment of that promise.
- This time, not just the people present, but “many” believed as it became known all over Joppa.
c. Discuss: Why do you think God, at times, allows for miraculous healings and at other times He doesn’t? Do you have any personal experience with this?
- If we look to the Scriptures for an answer, the one thing we find in common is that “miracles” always give glory to God; point people to the one true God; and/or give evidence that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah, God incarnate.
- We cannot know the mind of God, and in many cases healing does not come. However, it is important to keep our eyes on the end goal: The eternal home promised to us through the LORD Jesus, by the sacrifice He made in our place. We often forget this when we are going through loss and difficult circumstances. Those who have passed on before us are in the eternal glory of God and we will see them soon!
Answers for the second part of the question on personal experience will vary here…
d. Discuss: Write down and share two or three things that you think are important to remember about chapter nine. (Answers will vary…)
- In this chapter we learn how Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, and the subsequent drastic change in his life that formed the person who became the bold, passionate and committed Apostle Paul with a ministry to the Gentiles.
- We also see how Peter’s life changed when he was called to travel outside his comfort zone from Jerusalem as God used him to help spread the Gospel, that included Gentiles. This helped fulfill what they were originally told to do by Jesus in the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Please continue to join us in making our “A Case for the New Testament” along with a study in the book of Acts, and share it with others!
Note: Class presentation, videos, reflections and Bible study question are posted on the weekend – Bible study answers (like these) posted mid-week.
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15