“So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Acts 26:15

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In the previous verse, Paul relayed that in his encounter with Jesus, the Lord had asked him why he was persecuting Him. He then said that it was hard to kick against goads. With that, Paul next says, “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’”

Paul wasn’t grasping the situation. There was a light brighter than the sun gleaming all around him and those with him. From there the voice of someone speaking. This Person, who was obviously not overwhelmed by the light as Paul and the others had been, asked him a direct question, the answer to which should have been obvious.

But certainly because of cognitive dissonance, he could not get himself to accept the obvious. And so, he must have tried to think of every possible option other than it being Jesus whom he was persecuting. While his mind certainly raced with wonder about who it was that he had been persecuting, the response came with Jesus’ answer, “And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’”

The content of these words, when compared to Acts 22:8, reveals a few differences, but the major one between the two is that in 22:8, it said, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.” Here, the words, “… of Nazareth” are left off.

The probable reason is because the jurisdiction of Herod’s reign included Nazareth. That is known from Luke 23:7. Paul probably withheld this detail from the conversation to keep from offending Herod, especially before an entire council who could then snicker at the situation.

The incredible thing for Paul is that he had been on his way to continue his attack against Jesus’ followers, but now he was being addressed by the very Person he was working to eradicate from the minds of the people. Jesus was no longer a dead false preacher to him. Instead, He had suddenly become the risen Lord. The thought must have been terrifying.

Life application: When we gather as congregants of a church, we are doing so because there is a church, a body of people who belong to the Lord. Our gathering implies that we have a reason to do so, which is to remember, celebrate, worship, and learn about the One we are gathering together for.

Jesus isn’t just a thought or a concept that should keep us living rightly. Rather, He is the One who prevailed over death. He is the Lord God. Our time in church meetings shouldn’t be a time of simply learning how to live properly by getting away from wrong living. Our time should be a heartfelt appreciation for what God has done for us in the giving of Christ.

Remember this. Don’t let your thoughts about Jesus get misdirected from the fact that He is ever present with you. In Him you live and move and have your being because He is God. Let your life be a continuous stream of conscious understanding that He is with you. He is there in the trials and in the good times. He is as close to you in intimacy as you allow Him to be. Consider this and live in intimate fellowship with Him from moment to moment.

Lord God, may You be the Lord of our lives at all times. You are there when we gather as a church, but You are also there when we are alone on a walk. There is never a time You are not with us. Help us to remember this and to always have faith that You are with us. In this, may we live our lives accordingly and to Your glory. Amen.