Once there was a man who was doing everything wrong. Not only was he doing wrong things himself, but he was trying to stop other people from doing what was right. He got so bad this way that he tried to put people in prison who were doing what was right.
The amazing truth is that Jesus loved this terrible man. Inside, he didn’t totally 100 percent want to be bad, because deep in his heart he was honest. He was doing all his badness because he had been taught the wrong way since he was a little boy. Jesus knew that if only he could be brought to see the truth, he would change from being a bad man to become a very good man through believing the truth about Jesus. The man’s name?
He was Saul of Tarsus, a member of the great Jewish leadership that had crucified Jesus. He was taught to think of Jesus as a man who deceived the people. That was a false idea, but Saul believed all the lies that had been told him. The Bible says that “Saul tried to destroy the church; going from house to house, he dragged out the believers, both men and women, and threw them into jail”(Acts 8:3). We would sort of not like such a man, wouldn’t we?
But he could not destroy the church even if he tried ever so hard, because those “who were scattered went everywhere preaching the message” (verse 4). The more Saul hated the church, the more new people joined it.
Jesus wasn’t afraid that Saul would actually stop the gospel from going everywhere, for He knew that nobody could stop it. But Jesus was concerned for Saul himself. Not only was he going to be lost if he kept on in this bad way; he was ruining his own life now, because deep in his heart he knew he was on the wrong way. So Jesus decided to do something.
While Saul was on his way to the city of Damascus, intent on dragging Christians to jail, Jesus Himself decided to stop him on the way and ask a simple question: “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?” Until now, Saul had never realized that Jesus was not dead any more; He was risen! Saul tells us what happened:
“‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. And the Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus whom you persecute’” (Acts 26:14, 15). Saul had never understood that in persecuting the people who believed in Jesus he was really persecuting the Son of God. For the first time he began to realize that he was terribly wrong.
Jesus told him that if he kept on doing this bad thing, it would be the hardest thing he had ever tried to do. “You are hurting yourself by kicking back, like an ox kicking against its owner’s stick.’” Maybe there was a farmer right there beside the road trying to plow with his ox and using a sharp iron goad or stick to prick the lazy animal to walk faster. If the ox hangs back he hurts himself; it’s easier for the ox to just keep on doing his duty, go forward, rather than to hang back. This is how Jesus tried to help Saul to see himself as he really was—he was fighting against God! That’s hard work.
What Jesus said makes sense to everybody. Fighting against God is the hardest thing any person can ever do. In contrast, Jesus said that following Him is the easiest thing—yes, that’s what He said! Listen!—“Come to Me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” Some children have been taught that if they follow Jesus, it is the hard way to go. Never! “The yoke I will give you is easy, ” says Jesus; “and the load I will put on you is light” (Matthew 11:29, 30).