Jesus With His People (Sermon recap from May 25--Acts 9:10-19)

In Acts 9, when Jesus meets Saul on the road to Damascus, his first words to him are, “Why are you persecuting me?” This simple question points us to a deep truth: Jesus identifies with his people. Their life is his life. What happens to them is tied to what happens to him and vice versa. This deep connection between Christ and his church shows up all through the New Testament, especially in the metaphor/reality that the church is “the body of Christ.” This reality—that Jesus is present in the church—is why there is such dissonance when the life of the church—which is also a human community—doesn’t look as it should.

In Acts 9:10-19, as Jesus introduces Ananias and Saul to one another, we learn a few things about the life of the church.

1.      First, the church community finds its centre knowing and proclaiming Jesus’ name.

Ananias refers to the community of Jesus followers as “all who call on your name” (v. 14). Jesus says that Saul is going to be sent to “proclaim Jesus name” among many peoples and that Saul will suffer much “for Jesus name” (vv. 15-16). The church’s unity does not come from being a people who share a certain casual interest or who merely enjoy one another’s company, even though those can be a part of our life. Our life comes from our commitment to praise, proclaim, and promote Jesus’ name. This reference to Jesus’s name is not a suggestion that there is a magical power in Jesus’ name, but rather it is a to keep Jesus, the whole Jesus, with his whole story as revealed in Scripture, at the heart of our life together.

2.      Second, we see in this story that Jesus is active in the lives of others.

Some of us might tend to think of our own life as being focussed on listening to Jesus, but we forget that other people are also hearing his voice and listening for his direction and presence in their lives. It’s easy to become like children who want to meddle in their parents’ dealing with their sibling and not to trust that Jesus is speaking to our brothers and sisters through the same Word and Spirit by which he speaks to us. In this story, Jesus speaks to Ananias, but he tells Ananias that he has also spoken to Saul (vv. 11-12). As we interact with one another, we do well to remember that others in our midst have just as precious a relationship with Jesus as we do. It is true that sibling accountability is also a reality in the church. However, we can learn from one another as each listens for Jesus.

3.      Third, the church community is a means whereby Jesus does his work.

Jesus restores Saul’s sight and imparts the Holy Spirit to Saul by sending Ananias to visit and lay his hands on Saul (vv. 12, 17-18). The church is a means for Jesus to speak both to the world around us and to us who are the community of his followers. We are intended to be a sort of “place” where people who don’t yet know Jesus can see what Jesus looks like (a sort of “open house”) and also a place where everyone who comes find the ongoing healing that Jesus alone can give (like a hospital).

We are not alone. Jesus is present in the community of his followers. The church will always be a special community—and one that needs to grow in holiness and Christlikeness—because Jesus identifies with us and is here in our midst.