WHY ARE YOU PERSECUTING ME?

As Saul of Tarsus was on the road to Damascus, we’re told that “a light shone around him from heaven” followed by a voice that said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:3-4). Asking who he was, the voice responded by saying “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (vs. 5).

Twice in these three verses Jesus speaks of Saul “persecuting” Him. But how could Saul be persecuting Jesus since He had already been crucified, was resurrected, and had ascended back to heaven? The answer is found in the first two verses of Acts 9: “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” As Saul was persecuting those of the Way, the church, he was persecuting Jesus.

Why do I bring this up? Just as a reminder to us that Christ, the head of the body, His church (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18) is aware of the daily struggles that can (and will) arise against His people (John 15:20), yet those momentary “light afflictions” (2 Corinthians 4:17) can’t be compared with the incorruptible and undefiled inheritance “that does not fade away, reserved in heaven” for those who remain true to the Lord, which ultimately culminates in the “receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:4, 9). May we, therefore, continue to fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)!