Forming Faith Blog

Saul’s Conversion (Acts 9)

Posted on April 7 2026 by Gregory Rawn
  • Date: April 19, 2026
  • Bible Reading: Acts 9:1-19a
  • The Point: God sometimes calls the most unlikely people to do the work of spreading the gospel.
  • Unit Theme (April 5—April 26): Good News Spreads

Saul turned from a dangerous threat to the most influential evangelist in history when he encountered Jesus. What dramatic turnarounds have you witnessed or experienced?

A green and white U-turn sign, just like Saul did an about-face when he met Jesus.
Photo by Stephen Andrews
About the Story

The good news of Jesus had spread a great distance already, with believers as far from Jerusalem as Damascus, over 100 miles away. However, the early believers also faced persecution from the Jewish leaders, who felt that believing in Jesus as the Son of God was blasphemy. One of the strongest persecutors of those followers of the Way (the name for early Christians) was Saul. 

In an unexpected turn of events, the risen Jesus appeared to Saul on the road, even as he was heading to make trouble for the believers. He was struck down, blinded, and sent to Damascus by Jesus, where he was told a disciple would be sent to care for him. 

The disciple God called to tend to Saul was Ananias. He reluctantly agreed to visit this known enemy of the followers of Jesus. Trusting in God, Ananias visited Saul, laid hands on him, and prayed for him to regain his sight. After just a few days’ rest, Saul was eager to start his ministry to share the good news of Jesus. This conversion narrative, one of many in Acts, provides an example of the ways in which one of the early Christians came to faith in Christ. 

The Book of Acts, a sequel to the Gospel of Luke, focuses on the disciples sharing their faith and learning to live as the early church. It follows the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem throughout the Mediterranean world. Today’s lesson has great importance, as it not only reminds us that God calls unlikely people to do great things, but also introduces one of the main characters of the Book of Acts. Saul, later known by his Roman name, Paul, was one of the primary leaders of the early church and the forerunner in sharing the gospel with the Gentiles (non-Jews). Paul openly admitted he was the least likely to become a disciple, but God had other plans for him, equipping him to share his experience of encountering Jesus with people throughout the Mediterranean world. Ultimately, Paul’s teachings, in the form of letters to the early churches, came to make up much of the New Testament. 

(Adapted from Living the Word: Small Groups)

Context Insights

The following are a few insights found in our background resource Living the Word: Contexts & Connections.

  • Linguistics: There is a pun between Acts 9:2 and 9:17: Saul unwittingly becomes a member of “the Way (Gk. hodou),” while he is on “the way (Gk. hodo),” to persecute the church in Damascus. “The Way” is a unique designation that the author of Luke and Acts uses for the followers of Jesus.
  • Geography/Setting: Saul’s encounter with the Risen Lord takes place on the road to Damascus. Damascus is about 135 miles (220 km) from Jerusalem. At the time of this episode, it was a rich, bustling city with a large Jewish population.
  • Culture/Religion: In Saul and Ananias’ context, culture and religion are inextricably bound. Saul’s persecution of the Christians is sanctioned by the high priest because the Jewish leaders consider the early Christians to be deviant Jews. Thus, Saul and Ananias represent two contested views of the same heritage. Ananias believes that Jesus represents the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jewish people. Saul disagrees until his experience on the Damascus road.
  • Common Misunderstandings: Saul’s Damascus road experience is not the occasion of his name changing to Paul. The switch in names happens during Saul’s visit to Cyprus (Acts 13:1-13), when the author mentions that Saul was also known as Paul. He uses that name for the rest of Acts. 
Connections and Suggestions

We have Narrative Lectionary curriculum resources for all age groups (see also our 2026-2027 NL resources!). Here are a few activity summaries you can use. The full activity descriptions and much more are available in the product noted.

  • Kids: Provide enough building blocks so that each student can have at least one. Work together to make a “tower of love.” Before a student can add their block to the tower, they should state one way that they can show Jesus’ love to other people. (From Living the Word: Kids (PK-2nd))
  • Youth: Create a blindfold course with objects that will not cause injury if they are stepped on or bumped into. Split the large group in half, designating one half as Walkers and the other as Guides. Separately, give each half different instructions. Guides are told to have their Walkers move carefully and slowly to the end of the course and back to the beginning. Walkers are instructed to move as quickly as possible and to go only to the end of the course. Debrief with questions, including connecting Saul’s experience of both being temporarily blinded and of his original expectation versus God’s expectation. (From Living the Word: Youth)
  • Intergenerational education: Before class, do some basic online research on your denomination’s (or other organization’s) work related to the humanitarian crisis caused by the long-running armed conflict (refugees and otherwise) in Syria (where today’s story takes place). Either present this information or guide intergenerational participants to do their own online research in small groups. Decide together on a project to help this organization/situation (From Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education)
Previous Posts

This is our blog’s third go-around in the Narrative Lectionary Year 4. Here are some previous posts on this particular passage if you are interested:

I hope you find this all useful! If you have any questions or feedback on this blog post (or anything else), comment on this post below or on Facebook, or send me a message.

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

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Learning Together is a series of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. Our faith formation resources are easy to use, theologically sound, and inclusive. Each unit can be used at any time in many different settings, but here are a few suggestions:

+ Easter: The I AM Statements of Jesus (free!), Travelers (Immigrants and Refugees), Do Justice, Celebrations
+ VBS: Paul’s Adventures (NEW!), Celebrations, Created to Care, God’s Gift of Water, Heroes of the Bible
+ Education/Events: Women of the Old Testament, Bible 101

Our unit Celebrations is a recommended VBS curriculum by Building Faith (and the only curriculum they reviewed from a small, independent publisher)!!! You can read outside reviews on both our Do Justice and Created to Care units!

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