Acts 9:23-25--Saul Escapes from Damascus

Acts 9:23-25
English Standard Version
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Saul Escapes from Damascus
23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

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Saul has been living in Damascus in Syria for some time now.  He originally went there under the authority of the Sanhedrin to hunt down the followers of the Way (also called disciples and Christians in the book of Acts), but on his way there, Jesus spoke to him and Paul became a disciple of Jesus--one of the very people he had hated and sought to arrest and bring back for execution.

After his salvation, Saul was eager to learn all he could and to tell everyone he met what he understood and how Jesus had saved him.  It was hard for the Christians to accept him at first because they still feared him, knowing why it was that he was sent there by the Sanhedrin, and the Jews would not accept him because he was now one of the disciples of Jesus, so they hated him.  In fact, they hated him so much that they plotted to kill him.  This is where our passage today starts.

The plot to assassinate Saul became known to him, either by word of mouth or through revelation from the Holy Spirit.  The Jews began watching and guarding the gates to the city twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, so that Saul could not leave the city and escape them and their only goal when they found him was to kill him.

The disciples from Damascus helped Saul escape by lowering him over the wall in the darkness of night using a basket and rope or chain that was large enough and strong enough to fit and support the weight of a full-grown man. Saul is not out of danger yet as we'll read about tomorrow, nor is he going to be easily accepted by the rest of the Church.  It is going to take some convincing and sharing of his testimony and some outside witnesses to also testify for them to be convinced.  That is what we want to talk about next time.