A city in the story of God
Damascus
Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, an ancient capital of Syria named already in the days of Abraham. On the road to it, the fiercest enemy of the church met the risen Christ and was changed forever.
“And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:”Acts 9:3
The city in Scripture
The city in Scripture. Damascus appears early in Scripture, connected with Abraham's servant Eliezer of Damascus (Gen 15:2), and it was long the capital of Syria (Aram), often at war with Israel (1 Kings 20; 2 Kings 5-8). Naaman the Syrian, healed of leprosy, boasted of the rivers of Damascus (2 Kings 5:12). The prophets spoke oracles against it (Isa 17; Amos 1). But Damascus is best known in the New Testament for what happened on its road. Saul of Tarsus, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples (Acts 9:1), obtained letters to arrest believers in the synagogues of Damascus. As he journeyed, suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he heard a voice, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me (Acts 9:3-4). Blinded, he was led into Damascus, where a disciple named Ananias, sent by the Lord, laid hands on him so that he received his sight and was baptized (Acts 9:10-18). Saul immediately began to preach Christ in the Damascus synagogues, astonishing everyone, and he escaped a plot against his life by being let down over the wall in a basket (Acts 9:20-25; 2 Cor 11:32-33).
What it came to mean
What it came to mean. Damascus came to mean the place of sudden and total conversion, the road where a life's direction is reversed by the grace of God. The phrase a Damascus road experience has entered common speech for exactly this reason. It stands for the truth that no one is beyond the reach of Christ, not even the most determined enemy of His people. Saul went to Damascus to destroy the church and left it as the church's greatest missionary. Damascus teaches that God can arrest a person in the very act of rebellion, that the light of Christ can break in when it is least sought, and that conversion is His work and not ours. It also shows the pattern of grace at work through the church, for the frightened disciple Ananias was sent to receive the new convert as a brother. For every heart that seems hardened, Damascus is a standing hope that the God who stopped Saul can stop anyone, and turn a persecutor into a preacher.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Damascus points to Christ because on its road the risen Lord revealed Himself alive and reigning. The voice that Saul heard said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest (Acts 9:5), showing that the ascended Christ so identifies with His people that to persecute the church is to persecute Him. This encounter is proof of the resurrection, for Paul later listed it among the appearances of the risen Lord: last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time (1 Cor 15:8). The persecutor became the apostle who could say, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (Gal 2:20). Damascus shows that Christ is not a dead teacher but the living Lord who calls His enemies by name and remakes them by grace. What happened on that road is the gospel in miniature, the risen Jesus meeting a sinner and turning him wholly toward Himself.
Questions people ask
What happened on the road to Damascus?
Saul, on his way to arrest Christians, was struck by a light from heaven and heard the risen Jesus ask why he persecuted Him (Acts 9:3-6). Blinded, he was led into the city, healed by Ananias, and converted.
Who did Saul become after Damascus?
Saul became Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, who preached Christ across the empire and wrote much of the New Testament. He counted his old life as loss for the sake of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-8).
How old is the city of Damascus?
Damascus is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and appears already in Genesis 15:2. It was long the capital of ancient Syria and features throughout the Old and New Testaments.