In Paul’s letter to the Jesus people in Rome he says, “I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

Think about this…

When, and how, did Paul get his first taste of this mutual encouragement he’s describing? It was when Ananias came to visit him on Straight Street in Damascus, Syria!

Imagine how this visit from Ananias would’ve impacted Paul!

Ananias knew that Paul was an aggressive and passionate murderer of Christians! And nevertheless, Ananias risks his life to visit Paul!

This is Paul’s first peaceful interaction with a Christian, or a Gentile!

This would be like seeing Osama bin Laden hanging out amicably with George W. Bush!

Paul knows that Ananias knows that Paul is a man who has scrupulously shunned Gentile company his entire life. Ananias is also keenly aware of the fact that Paul has decided to become a serial killer of Jesus people because – in Paul’s opinion – Jesus people sully and befoul the holiness of God (and therefore – just like Osama bin Laden – Paul believes he is a righteous combatant waging A HOLY WAR)!

In Paul’s estimation, Jesus of Nazareth COULD NOT be God in the flesh, because GOD would never contaminate Himself, or compromise His holiness, by mingling with σὰρξ (and certainly not Gentile σὰρξ)! And Paul’s hatred of Jesus people is all-the-more intensified by the fact that they – promoting Jesus as the eternal Son of God – BOAST in His DEATH! It is bad enough that Christians ballyhoo the notion that God became σὰρξ, but to go on and say, and even celebrate, that the Son of God DIED – is egregious in Paul’s eyes, and every ounce of Paul’s genocidal energy against the Jesus movement is warranted!

Ananias, knowing all of this about Paul, nevertheless pays Paul a visit.

Paul had already been undone, tenderized, and tilled by Jesus on his way to Damascus, and whence Ananias arrived saying, “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,” Paul was impacted and encouraged in ways words cannot express!

Everything Paul has assumed was WRONG!

Paul’s pharisaical view of holiness was utterly erroneous! Jesus was INDEED the eternal Son of God precisely because He had descended from David according to the flesh/σὰρξ! Jesus was unequivocally declared to be the Son of God – according to the Spirit of holiness BY His resurrection from the DEAD!

After this meeting with Mr. Ananias on Straight Street, Damascus… Paul stopped killing people, and he no longer steered clear of Gentiles! From this moment on, Paul experienced joy, edification, and robust encouragement via life together with barbarians and Greeks! Paul gave up his sensible holiness notions, and he thoroughly adopted the seemingly absurd vulnerability of his first mentor Mr. Ananias!

From the moment Paul met Ananias and ever after, he longed to see people that he had previously despised. Paul risked his life to spend time with people that he had formerly considered incapable of dignity. Paul’s paradigm of holiness had been destroyed and then remade by the radical rabbi that Paul had hitherto hounded with murderous violence!

Paul’s first taste of this NEW, revolutionary LIFE occurred on that day when Mr. Ananias visited him saying, “I have come to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. Nevermind that you still carry the smell of terrorism against our community; you shall henceforth be the aroma of Jesus!”