This week I was absent from class, so I took the
opportunity to try my hand at writing the lesson in a Bible study format. What you have below is Sunday’s lesson. Let’s dive in together!
But when
He ... saw fit and was pleased to reveal His son within me ..."
Galatians 1:15-16, Amplified
The last two weeks we've been
looking at this revelation in a figurative sense; by sense I mean from
the perspective of examining how our physical senses are stimulated by the
revelation of Jesus Christ within us.
Last week we looked at how we – as believers – actually spread "the
fragrance of the knowledge of God" as
well as how both believers and unbelievers discern this fragrance (2 Cor
2:14-15). The week before, we studied
Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 3 – how a veil is lifted from the heart and
mind when one turns to the Lord. With
the veil lifted, we can both "see and reflect the glory of the Lord"
(2 Cor 3:18, NLT).
Today, let's take a more
literal look at what happened when God revealed Christ in Paul. Turn to Acts 9, and read verses 1-9. Focus on verse 3. What initially diverted Saul's attention from
his mission? [I will bounce
back-and-forth in today’s study between using “Saul” and “Paul” in order to
accurately reflect the way Scripture addresses this man in the verses we look
at. I hope this won’t be too confusing.]
Luke (the inspired writer of
the book of Acts) chronologically records Saul's conversion experience from a
third-person perspective in Acts 9, but this moment was so pivotal in the
history of the early church that Luke records Paul's first-person account of
these events two other times in the book of Acts – chapters 22:6-11
26:12-16. Go to Acts 26 (leaving
something in Acts 9). How does Acts
26:12-13 better inform us about the setting of Saul's conversion? How is the light described?
Back to Acts 9. What happened when Saul was exposed to this
light (vs. 4)?
Describe a time when you
were temporarily blinded by a bright light.
Include in your description how the experience made you feel and if/how
you protected yourself.
What does verse 4 say about
how Saul protected himself?
I love comparing scripture
with scripture! Let's take a look at a
similar situation – one in which Jesus' appearing also had the brilliance of
the sun. Any idea where we're
going? I don't want to take away any
sense of satisfaction by writing the answer here, so when you're ready turn to
Matthew 17 to find out. This account is
also recorded in the Gospels of Mark (9:2-14) and Luke (9:28-36). We'll be visiting Mark 9 in a minute, so if
you have the opportunity, you can mark (no pun intended) that chapter on your
way to Matthew 17.
Read Matthew 17:1-2 and
record the description of Jesus' face and His clothing. (If your translation uses the word raiment,
think of that as clothing).
Even though the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this event, they do so through the eyes of
three different men, and so we have new things to learn and discover when we
layer these accounts one on top of the other.
Let's go to Mark 9 and read verses 2-3.
We've seen how Matthew described Jesus' clothing. What description does Mark use (see vs. 3)?
My mind can't help but set
this description in today's commercial society:
"The last bleach you'll ever buy!
Get your clothes as WHITE AS LIGHT!" (If you didn't the first time – and if your
surroundings allow it – say this aloud in your best commercial announcer voice
... just for fun.)
Continue on in Mark 9 with verses
4-6. Compare and contrast Peter's
reaction to this light with Saul's (from Acts 9).
First of all, can't you just picture Peter standing there with his mouth
wide open. Jesus, Moses, and Elijah are
standing together having a conversation, and Peter feels the need to join in,
but not knowing what to say, he (in Peter fashion) blurts out the first thing
that comes to mind – if it even crossed through his mind to begin with. (Thank You, Lord, for giving us people in
Scripture to whom we can relate!) I'm
tempted to push right on, but we don't want to miss the next part. Go ahead and read verse 7 (that is, Mark
9:7). In inserting himself into the
conversation, Peter prompted God to speak to him directly – audibly.
What was God's command to Peter?
I like the way the Amplified Bible translates this verse: "... Be constantly listening to and obeying
Him!" I feel as if God was saying,
"Peter, worry less about your words and more about His. Pay less attention to what you think is
important and more to Him." This
could be a Bible study in and of itself, so I better get back on track....
Both Peter and Saul (whom we know as Paul) witnessed Jesus appear as Light,
but did the Light affect both men in the same way? Explain your reasoning.
Both men were terrified, but what I noticed (from the vantage point of
today's study) was that, beyond being terrified, Saul was actually blinded for
a time (three days to be exact, Acts 9:9).
Why wasn't Peter? Let's think
back to the blinding experience you described toward the beginning of today's
lesson. I'm going to share one of my
own. Most mornings I'm the first one up
in my house. When it's time for Mara and
Mason to get up, I go into their rooms – a little too chipper some days. (See Prov 27:14 in the NLT, and you'll know
what I mean.) When I can't get them
moving with my voice, I'll sometimes flip on the light. They scream, of course: "Mama, the light is hurting my
eyes!" But the same light doesn't
affect me the same way it affects them.
Why is that?
Can describe what physical changes your body goes through when a light
shines in your eyes?
When I walk into Mara and Mason's bedrooms, my eyes have already adjusted
to light, but they hadn't yet been exposed to light – sleeping in darkness all
through the night. Relating this idea
back to our Peter and Saul comparison, I'll again ask the question posed
above: Why was Saul blinded by the Light
of Christ, but Peter was not?
Check your understanding with Jesus' words in the Gospel of John. First, stop in John 8:12 and then go to
9:39. I really like the way the New
Living Translation phrases John 9:39:
"... I entered this world to render judgment – to give sight to the
blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind."
Peter had been following the Light; he had been exposed to it. His eyes had begun to adjust to Jesus'
brilliance before seeing it full force on that mountain (in Matt 17). Saul, on the other hand, thought that he
could see with perfect clarity; when in fact, he had been existing in the pitch
dark for so long that when Jesus was revealed to him (thinking back to
Galatians 1:15-16) on the road to Damascus.
Like Mara and Mason, the exposure to light so overwhelmed Saul's senses
that he was physically blind until his eyes had a chance to adjust to the
Light.
I'm reminded of another one of Paul's verses. Read Ephesians 1:16-18. Paul is praying for the Ephesian people to
have "the eyes of [their] hearts flooded with light" (Eph 3:18,
Amplified). Paul knew, from personal
experience, that this was painful at first, but it was also necessary so that
they could "understand the hope to which" they had been called (Eph
3:18).
This is just as true for us today as it was for the Ephesian people, and
what happens if we have the courage to continue to look into the Light? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (thinking
back to our lesson from two Sundays ago) that we – you and me – will be
"transfigured into His very own image."
