The Author of Life Rewrites Every Young Saul Incident

With a Subtitle: Luke's mention of a young man named Saul reveals a story remade by grace.

A brief Excerpt: At Stephen's stoning, Luke pauses to name a young onlooker named Saul. Isn't it great that our full story, with all its furious moments and failings, has been rewritten by the Author of life and rebirth?

The Author is: Rich Holt

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Acts 7:58, “Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.”

Background

I think it would be fascinating to sit and watch an author create a novel. I don’t have the slightest idea of the mechanics of going from blank pages and some ideas in your mind to hundreds of pages of interwoven drama and well-written dialogue. I can imagine, though, that there might be times of serious struggle and creative drought, even with the best thought-out of story lines. The writer would toil over what to include and what to leave out, and just how to say what they wanted. But there would also be times, and I would expect the majority of times, when the words came pouring out like the carbon monoxide we exhale, as if the idea belonged more on the sheet than in his head. And somewhere in the midst of this yin and yang of barrenness and overflow would be the rigor, and joy, and dropping in little nuggets of detail that take the story from good to great. And one of those nuggets is what Luke gives us today. As he related the drama and emotion of Stephen’s defense that ultimately cost him his life, Luke suddenly includes some stranger by name. And that’s not all he did. Imagine the exhilaration Luke experienced when he learned that the leader of the church of Jesus was involved in the first martyrdom in the name of Christ.

Application

So, Luke did much more than just give us his name. It turns out this Saul was a young man, and Luke knows what his readers can conclude about young men with significant authority. We also learn that in the midst of dragging Stephen however far it was to the outskirts of town where stonings occurred and gathering up their rocks for execution, that the killers stopped and calmly removed part of their wardrobe and laid them to be watched over at the feet of this onlooker. And Luke knows we’ll know what it means for fury to be replaced by the cold, calculating actions of those who have been offended. Luke remembered a lot and said even more as he related the fullness of the one who became known as Paul. Isn’t it great that our full story, which contains plenty of furious council moments and young Saul incidents, has been remade by the Author of life and rebirth?

Charge

As we seek Him today, rejoice that every single incident and motive and ungodly failing was rewritten by the victorious story of our risen Savior.