Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Yesterday we met Saul, a powerful half Roman, half Jewish Pharisee in Jerusalem.

Due in part to his violent acts against the disciples, most of them leave the city.

Today he decides to hunt down anyone who belongs to the way, which is what they were calling

the early church at that point, probably because of that time Jesus said he is the way.

Saul goes to the high priest to get legal permission to track any Christ's followers down

and extradite them back to Jerusalem for punishment.

They will not get away from him, or so he thinks.

God has a different plan, one in which Saul can't get away from him.

As Saul heads north out of the city toward Damascus, which is in modern-day Syria, a holy

lightning bolt, or something like that, knocks him to the ground. He and the guys with him

all hear a voice from heaven, but don't see anyone. The voice asks, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

And Saul asks, who are you, Lord? First of all, this is such a great question. I want to keep asking

this question the rest of my life. I want to keep

getting to know him more and more all the time. But there's also something interesting in the question

Jesus asks. Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of the Father. So how can Saul be persecuting him?

In this question, Jesus makes it clear that he has united himself with the church.

One of the images we see in scripture is that he is the head of the body,

and the head is both aware and impacted when the body hurts.

As the church is persecuted, Jesus feels it.

He is compassionate.

He enters into the pain of his people.

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