Acts 9:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

NIV: At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

NASB: and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, 'He is the Son of God.'

CSB: Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: "He is the Son of God."

NLT: And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, 'He is indeed the Son of God!'

KJV: And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

NKJV: Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

The timeline here is a bit confusing, but it appears that Saul is run out of Damascus by the Jewish leaders, then goes to Arabia (Galatians 1:17), which is quite close to Damascus. He is there for "many days," detailed as three years in Galatians 1:18. He returns to Damascus and the governor under King Aretas apparently threatens him and he escapes through the city wall in a basket again (2 Corinthians 11:32–33). It is possible the threat from the Jewish leaders and the governor is the same. Either way, Saul escapes, and three years after his conversion (Galatians 1:18), makes his way to Jerusalem (Acts 9:26; Galatians 1:18). Luke is often more specific in his timelines, but only when he has exact information to work with or when he is with Saul personally.

Synagogues were established around the time of the Babylonian captivity. The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed, and the Jews were scattered all over the Babylonian Empire. The term synagogue is from the Greek for "bringing together," and this is the place people gathered to read from the Hebrew Scriptures—our Old Testament—and discuss what they read.

At this time, most of the Christians are Jews. They believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and worshiping Him is the natural fulfillment of their childhood religion. It makes sense, then, that Saul first goes to the local area's main meeting place for prayer. That place would be a synagogue, unless there are not enough Jews in the city. Saul, who later goes by his Greek name, Paul, does this in every town he visits (Acts 14:1; 16:13; 17:1–2, 10; 18:4; 19:8). The people are already familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures that prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah. Saul's job is to connect the dots.

Acts 9:20–25 describes what happens right after Saul, the mortal enemy of the young church, becomes a follower of Jesus Christ. He had come to Damascus to arrest Christians; now he is a Christian. Immediately upon his conversion, he goes to the synagogues and explains how Jesus of Nazareth fits the prophecies of the Jewish Messiah. At some point, he will spend time in Arabia, then return to Damascus (Galatians 1:17–18). Finally, he will return to Jerusalem and attempt to introduce himself to a very wary church. Fortunately, although the apostles will be skeptical, Barnabas will take him under his wing (Acts 9:26–27).

Acts 9 sets the stage for the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Saul continues the persecution of the church by traveling to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers. Before he reaches the city, Jesus confronts him. Saul realizes Jesus is the Messiah and immediately starts spreading the news, first in Damascus and later in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Peter travels to modern-day Tel Aviv to heal a paralyzed man and bring a dead woman back to life. The miracles aren't unusual, but the story leaves him in Joppa, poised to take the next step in Jesus' mandate to be His witness (Acts 1:8).

The murder of the Jesus-follower Stephen has ignited a fierce persecution against the church, led by a young Pharisee-trained man named Saul (Acts 7:54—8:3; 9:1–2). When he realizes Jesus truly is the Messiah, that fervor fuels his own evangelism (Acts 9:3–30). Meanwhile, Peter travels to the coast of Judea. Soon, he will teach a prominent Gentile household about Jesus and discover that Gentiles can be saved (Acts 10). The stage will be set for Saul to spread the saving news of Jesus to ''the end of the earth'' (Acts 1:8) under the Greek version of his name: Paul.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.