Ananias a servant of the Lord

(1) Ananias was not one of the disciples who had fled from Judea. He was a Jew who had lived in Damascus from the beginning. This indicates that the gospel had already reached Damascus by this time, though Luke does not record the details of how this happened. Ananias was “a man who was devout by the standard of the Law and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there” (Acts 22:12). (2) Ananias received a vision in which the Lord spoke to him. (a) The Lord called his name, “Ananias.” (b) Ananias responded, “Here I am, Lord.” This is “Hineni” in Hebrew (the same response given by Abraham in Genesis 22:1 and by Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8). “And the Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying…’” (1) Ananias was instructed to go to the house of Judas and inquire for a man from Tarsus named Saul. (a) The house was located on the street called “Straight.” This can also be translated as “Straight Street” (NIV). It was one of the two main streets running east-west through the town of Damascus, and this street still exists today. (b) There is no additional information about this Judas. He was likely a wealthy and prominent Jew. (c) Saul had planned to stay at this man’s house while in Damascus. (2) Saul had already received a vision that “a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” “But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints in Jerusalem…’” (1) Saul’s notorious reputation had reached Damascus. He had done terrible things to “Your saints.” This is the first time believers are called “saints,” which means “those set apart” (ref. Rom. 1:1, Eph. 1:1, Phil. 1:1). (2) Saul had come to Damascus to capture those who believed in Christ. Ananias feared that if Saul’s sight was restored, he might persecute the believers again. God’s plan is advancing steadily. The role of saving Saul from his predicament was given to a disciple named Ananias. God uses ordinary people to carry out His works. In this, is a lesson for us. Each believer is given a role that only they can fulfill. Let us respond, “Here I am, Lord.”