Saul must also have thought on the Lord’s words, “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6). Why did the Lord give him such an indirect answer to his question, “What wilt thou have me to do?” Again, the Head was showing him the principle of the Body. Saul was not to know the Lord’s will by himself. He would be in the Body and needed to be trained to know the Body. He would learn to trust in his brothers, the other members. The Head had been persecuted by Saul through the Body. Now he would learn to respect the Body. Rather than tell him what to do directly, the Lord would send Ananias, a small disciple, to restore Saul’s sight and make His will known to him. It would not be a leading one, like Peter, who would come, but an unknown one. Thus the Lord would subdue Saul and make him a useful apostle.
To again contrast his case with Peter’s, notice the simple way in which Peter was made an apostle. Firstly the Lord saw and called him to be a fisher of men. Then, perhaps a year or two later, the Lord simply sent him out with the other eleven, and from that point on he and they were apostles (Matt. 10:1-5). How foolish of the Catholic Church to elevate this simple apostle!
While Saul was in Damascus praying, he saw a vision that Ananias would come and heal his sight. We know nothing of this little disciple prior to this occasion, but the Head knew him and told Saul he would come. Then the Head summoned Ananias. “Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight” (Acts 9:10-12). Do you realize how busy Christ was, going back and forth between Saul and Ananias? He was carrying out His heavenly ministry.
Ananias then went to the house where Saul was staying, laid hands on him, and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 17). Then Saul received sight, arose, and was baptized. He was baptized not only into Christ, but also into the Body. Then he stayed for some days with the disciples who were in Damascus. Thus he was received into the Body as a brother.
Saul straightway preached Christ in the synagogues, thus arousing the opposition of the Jews, who finally plotted to kill him (vv. 20-25). How did he escape from Damascus? It was not by putting on a disguise and slipping away. Rather, the members of the Body let him down over the wall by night in a basket. The basket may point to the church. He was sent off in the Body and by the Body.
When Saul came to Jerusalem, the apostles there did not receive him. They suspected he was trying to deceive them and were afraid. Another member, Barnabas, came into the picture, recounting to the apostles how Saul had been genuinely converted. Again, it was through a member of the Body, but not the apostles, that Saul was brought in.
Later Saul went back to Tarsus, his birthplace. It was here that Barnabas found him. Barnabas brought him to Antioch, where they stayed for a year, meeting with the church and teaching the people (Acts 11:25-26).
By all these steps this young opposer eventually became an apostle. This illustrates to us how much time the Lord Jesus spent to make just one believer a useful apostle.
Ephesians 4:8 tells us, “Wherefore He says, Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive and gave gifts to men.” To say He gave gifts to men is a simple statement, but we can see from Paul’s case how complicated it was for this one member to be made a gift as an apostle. In His ascension Christ exercised His headship to direct His Body, having one member do one part and another member fulfill another part.
Paul’s case shows the fine work in life that the ascended Head does to prepare even one useful apostle. Such an operation is not of Christ’s move as Ruler; this is a work under His headship, bringing His whole Body into a fine functioning. Do you think Paul could have become an apostle by attending a seminary for four years? It took many members of the Body for the Head to prepare Paul to be an apostle.
Before too long it could well be that a number of you will be sent out as apostles. You must realize that, for this to take place, the Head in the heavens must exercise His headship toward many members in His Body.