Ananias

Info

• #coworker
• Home:: Damascus
• Other Locales:: None recorded
• References:: Acts 9#9:10-19, Acts 22#22:12-16

Notes

• Laid hands on Paul after his conversion, restoring his sight
• Called "a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews" (Acts 22#22:12)
• Not to be confused with Ananias the high priest or Ananias husband of Sapphira

Summary

Ananias of Damascus played a critical role in the most consequential conversion in church history. God sent him to Paul, blinded and fasting after his encounter with Christ on the Damascus road, to restore his sight, baptize him, and commission him for ministry.

Luke records Ananias as "a disciple in Damascus" (Acts 9#9:10) to whom the Lord spoke in a vision, instructing him to go to the house of Judas on the street called Straight and lay hands on "a man of Tarsus named Saul." Ananias's objection was profoundly human: "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name" (Acts 9#9:13-14). God overruled his fear: "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel" (Acts 9#9:15).

Ananias obeyed. He went to Paul, laid hands on him, and addressed him with extraordinary grace: "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9#9:17). The word "Brother", addressed to the man who had been coming to arrest people like Ananias, embodies the reconciling power of the gospel.

In Paul's retelling before the Jerusalem crowd (Acts 22#22:12-16), he describes Ananias as "a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there", emphasizing Ananias's impeccable Jewish credentials, important to a Jewish audience. Ananias told Paul: "The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name" (Acts 22#22:14-16).

Ananias disappears from the narrative afterward. His significance lies not in sustained partnership with Paul but in his obedience at enormous personal risk, approaching the church's most feared persecutor with healing hands and the word "Brother."

References

• wrightChallengeActsRediscovering2024 - Wright's study of Acts as theological history, covering Ananias's role in Acts 9:10-19.
• polhillActs1992 - Polhill's Acts commentary covering Ananias in Acts 9:10-19.
• paoActsIsaianicNew2002 - Pao's study of Acts through the lens of Isaiah's new exodus, providing theological context for Ananias's narrative in Acts 9:10-19.
• addisonActsMovementGod2023 - Addison examines the Acts narrative as a movement model, including Ananias's contribution in Acts 9:10-19.
• Who was Ananias of Damascus? - GotQuestions.org
• Ananias of Damascus - Wikipedia