He was great in his prejudices. He was a real Jew in this respect. They all had very strong prejudices against people who differed from them in their religion. But Paul was stronger in his prejudices than even his countrymen were. We see this in the first mention that is made of him in the New Testament. This was at the death of the first martyr, St. Stephen. The wicked men who stoned him, we are told, “laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man whose name was Saul.” And then we see the strength of his prejudice in the fierceness of the persecution which he carried on against the followers of Jesus. He “breathed out threatenings and slaughter” against them. He was “exceeding mad against them.” Not content with imprisoning and putting to death those who lived in Jerusalem, he “persecuted them even unto strange cities.” Furnished with letters from the chief priests, he went as far as Damascus, that he might seize and bring bound to Jerusalem any of the followers of Jesus found there. How unlikely it seemed that one who was so very strong in his prejudices should ever, himself, become a follower and an apostle of Jesus!
But he was great in his conversion. It was impossible for him to be converted as other men were. It is hearing about Jesus which leads to the conversion of men. But Paul would not listen to the preaching of the gospel. He would allow no one to speak to him about Jesus of Nazareth. He believed that he was a wicked impostor, and he hated him most bitterly. And so it pleased God to work a miracle for his conversion. He had gone on his journey, till he had nearly reached Damascus, when a marvellous scene occurred. Suddenly the heavens seemed to open above him. A light shone around him above the brightness of the sun. A strange voice was heard speaking to him. It came from heaven. The words it spoke were—“Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me!” He gave one look at the opening heavens and then fell overpowered to the earth. “Who art thou, Lord!” was his astonished inquiry. And the answer, more astonishing still, was—“I am Jesus whom thou persecutest!” What a revelation that was to him! How overwhelming was his amazement! No wonder that he was converted by that vision. It was indeed a great conversion. He was baptized by Ananias at Damascus, and began at once to preach that gospel which he had gone there hoping to destroy. Such was the commencement of Paul’s life as a Christian and his labors as an apostle. Everything about it was great.
And then he was great in his privileges. He saw the risen and ascended Lord amidst the glories of the heavenly world. What a privilege this was! It was a privilege which none of the other apostles enjoyed except St. John. We have an account of his vision of the glorious Saviour in the first chapter of the Revelation, verses 10-20. And then afterwards, St. Paul was taken up into the third heavens, or into Paradise, and saw and heard things of which it is not lawful or possible to speak. He had broader and fuller and clearer views of the great doctrines of our holy religion than any of the apostles. And this is one of the greatest privileges we can have in this world. We see the proof of Paul’s privileges in this respect in all the blessed teachings he has given us in his epistles about Christ and his salvation.
He was great in his labors. When he found out the great mistake he had made respecting Christ, and learned to know and love him as the one, only glorious Saviour of lost sinners, the love for Christ kindled in his soul by this discovery constrained him to give himself a living sacrifice to him. And the burning zeal with which he began to work for his Saviour never grew cold. The apostles were all earnest in their labors for Jesus; but Paul was the most earnest and the most untiring of them all. In his case, it was indeed true, that the last became first. No one city or country was large enough to be the field of his labors. He went from city to city, and from country to country, till he had gone all over the world as it was then known. And when he had gone all over the earth once, preaching the gospel, he was not satisfied. When one missionary journey was ended, he began another; and then another, and so on to the end of his days. Then he sealed his life’s labors with his blood, and died a martyr’s death at Rome by order of the cruel emperor Nero. The tradition is that he was beheaded outside of the walls of that great city. And on the spot which is said to be the place of his death, there stands a beautiful church, called after him, and which is a monument to his memory.
How well it may be said of him that he was great in his labors. And yet the Saviour, whom he served so faithfully, had done nothing for him which he has not done for you and me. He bore the same cross, and shed the same precious blood for us, that he did for Paul. Then, in our labors for Jesus, let us try to follow Paul, as he followed Christ. If we try to catch Paul’s spirit, whoever we are, or wherever we may be, we shall find it easy and pleasant to work for our blessed Master. Here is an illustration of what I mean. We may call it:
“Paul’s Spirit in a Child.” A little girl had great dislike for sewing. She had commenced making a bed-quilt, but was not likely to finish it soon. One day she came home from Sabbath-school. They had been having a missionary-meeting there, and she was full of zeal in the missionary cause. “Mamma,” she asked, “can’t I do some work to earn money for our missionary box?”
“Well, Lizzie, darling,” said her mother, “if you will finish one block for the quilt, every other day, I will gladly pay you for it, and you can give this as your own offering to the missionary cause.”
Poor Lizzie’s face grew sad on hearing this; for she disliked this kind of work very much. It seemed as if her missionary spirit was likely to die out at once. But, after thinking over it a little while, her face brightened up and she said, “Well, mamma, I’ll piece blocks, or do anything else you wish me to do, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.” That quilt was soon finished, and there is now an earnest, active little worker for missions in that home. This was Paul’s spirit in a child. And if we get that spirit, it will make us all, like Paul, great in our labors for Christ.
But Paul was great in his sufferings, too, as well as in his labors.