Ananias of Damascus changed the world forever. It was not because he preached an eloquent sermon or wrote an epistle or gave a large donation. Rather, it was because he obeyed the command of Christ to love your enemies.

There are no long passages in Scripture about Ananias. However, in the one passage that includes Ananias, we gain one small tidbit of information. That one act of kindness for which he is remembered was an act of kindness that changed the world, for it was an act of kindness to a recent convert named Saul of Tarsus.

We find the record of Ananias in Acts 9. Saul of Tarsus had been introduced in Acts 7 as the young man that kept the garments of those who stoned Stephen. Saul’s hometown was Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a province in southern Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Saul had apparently gone to Jerusalem as part of his training to be a rabbi. He had already been trained at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the most respected rabbis in all of Jewish history.

In Acts 8, Saul of Tarsus was on the warpath. According to Acts 8:3, “As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.” He ripped husbands from the arms of their wives. He tore mothers away from their terrified children.

These people Saul was persecuting were referred to among Jews as “the sect of the Nazarene” to describe the followers of Jesus. To the astonishment of this zealous rabbi, the more he persecuted these people of the sect of the Nazarene, the more their influence grew! According to Acts 8:1, the persecuted believers were fleeing Jerusalem. As a result, the message of Christ’s resurrection had spread not only throughout the hill country of Judea, but even into the land of the detested Samaritans and into the area northeast of the Sea of Galilee that was called Syria in Old Testament times.

The next chapter in Acts records Saul’s intent on wiping out the sect of the Nazarene in the city of Damascus. “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1–2).

Saul of Tarsus referred to the believers in Jesus as those who were “of this way.” The term Christian had not been coined yet and would not be until Antioch, as recorded in Acts 11:26. Saul obtained the letters granting him full authority to arrest all who named the name of Jesus in Damascus and to bring them back in chains to Jerusalem for trial, condemnation, and execution. Years later, Saul would describe himself as being “exceedingly mad against them” (Acts 26:11).

After Saul’s dramatic conversion on the Damascus road, the humbled persecutor asked the Lord Jesus what he now ought to do. The Lord told him, “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6).

Previously, he intended to enter Damascus as the conqueror; however, now Saul was forced to enter as the conquered. Saul of Tarsus had been conquered by his former archenemy, Jesus of Nazareth. He had left Jerusalem threatening, railing, and snorting in rage. He entered Damascus blind, meek, and helpless.

According to Acts 9:9, “And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.” For three agonizing days of fasting and earnest prayer, Saul was in darkness, left in that condition by God to wait, humble himself, and pray. But God did not leave Saul in that condition forever.

“And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias” (Acts 9:10). In the Acts record there is no mention of his position in the Damascus assembly. Nothing is stated regarding how he came to believe in Jesus the Messiah. The man is introduced simply as a “certain disciple.” Ananias carries the same name as Daniel’s Old Testament friend Hannaniah, whose name means “Jehovah is gracious.”

Furthermore, regarding Ananias at this point in verse 10, “to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.” There was no response of shock or surprise. Ananias was not taken aback by the Lord speaking to him in an audible voice. Apparently, he was on such speaking terms with the Lord that he was not shocked at all when the Lord’s voice came audibly to him.

“And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight” (Acts 9:11–12).

Saul of Tarsus! The name was all too familiar to Ananias. This archenemy of Christ was the man who had already persecuted the churches of Judea! This man was the evil persecutor who had mercilessly dragged men and women into prison. The name, Saul of Tarsus, was enough to strike terror into the heart of any ordinary Christian.

“Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name” (Acts 9:13–14).

The Lord knew the natural fears of Ananias. He addressed those fears with a prophecy which must have been astonishing for Ananias to hear: “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15–16).

Upon receiving God’s instruction, “Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul” (Acts 9:17). What a greeting for the man who had come to kill Ananias and his friends! Before Ananias sat his chief enemy, the enemy of the church, the enemy of Jesus Christ. Yet, Ananias entered the house, placed his hands on his enemy, and called him “Brother Saul”!

“Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales” (Acts 9:17–18). The outward miracle took place in confirmation of the inward miracle.

The first thing Saul’s transformed eyes saw were the compassionate eyes of Ananias, one of the very men he had traveled to Damascus to imprison. Next, Saul “arose, and was baptized” (Acts 9:18).

It is implied here that Ananias was the man who had the privilege of baptizing the Apostle Paul. Just as it was the honor of John the Baptist to baptize the Messiah in the Jordan River, so it was the honor of Ananias to baptize Paul. A few weeks later he would send Paul forth over the wall of Damascus in a basket to preserve his life and launch him on the ministry that God had called him to fulfill.

Perhaps you are not an Apostle Paul. Perhaps you have not traveled the world. Perhaps you have not, nor will ever, stand before an emperor and seal your witness with your blood as did Paul. But no matter your station, location, or your financial means, you can be an “Ananias”: quiet, prayerful, kind, of good report of all that know you. Perhaps your willingness to lay aside your prejudices and love your enemy may be just the thing that God uses to convert that one and place him upon a path of service.

If you will love your enemy as did Ananias of Damascus, then the fruit of your labor will not be forgotten on that day when Christ comes again. Indeed, He will “give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).