Saul 3 - Acts 9:5-6

Saul sees Jesus through the light that is shining from him, and asks, “Who are thou, Lord?” When I read this, I thought “if Saul didn’t know Jesus was the Son of God, why would he address him as ‘Lord’ here?” From a forum where someone asked the same question, we learn, “In Greek, the world most often translated as ‘lord’ is (kyios). However, by the time of the first century, the vocative from (kyrie) was also commonly used to address someone with respect, without necessarily implying that they were a ‘lord’ or ‘master’ in the sense of a ruler. In modern English, it would be the equivalent of addressing someone as ‘sir.’”

Jesus answers, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” I think it’s important here to note that Jesus is specifically tying himself to the movement of Christianity that is spreading. Even if it was Christ himself who appeared to Saul, if he had simply answered “I am Jesus,” then it would be open to interpretation as to who this Jesus is specifically and what this Jesus wants Saul to do. But the phrase that Jesus uses makes it clear that he is the Jesus was that was murdered and then resurrected from the dead, that the movement of Christianity stemming from the apostles is his personal work, and that even though he is imprisoning and tormenting mortal believers down on earth, Saul is personally fighting against Jesus Christ. He might be messing with insignificant people, but ultimately it is Christ who is being messed with.
Jesus continues, “it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” I imagine this being a simple statement like “quit hitting yourself,” but the IM gives more insight into this phrase specifically. It says, “a ‘prick’ refers to a goad, which is a sharp spear or stick used to poke animals to make them move ahead. Rather than move forward, stubborn animals sometimes kick back to retaliate, literally kicking ‘against the pricks.’ Such a reaction only adds distress as the animal incurs more painful prompting from its master.”
The owner holding the “prick” isn’t harmed by the animal kicking backwards, the only pain received is by the animal doing the kicking. The animal and the master are going to continue moving forward, it’s just a matter of how much the animal wants to suffer along the way. It’s like Jesus is telling Saul, “my gospel is going to keep moving forward, and if you fight against it, you won’t stop it but you’ll suffer.” The IM continues, “The Savior is making clear that if Saul continues to fight against Him, he will only bring distress upon himself. In Greek literature, ‘kicking against the pricks’ was a well-known metaphor for opposing deity.”
Saul “trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” This is where I started to think “hey, maybe Saul isn’t such a bad guy after all.” Because really, the way that someone acts after being corrected speaks to their character. Laman and Lemuel were rebuked by an angel for their violence against Nephi, and they reacted in anger. I imagine myself as Saul, determined to rid the world of apostate Judaism, only to be physically stopped and confronted by a man I thought was dead. I guarantee that my reaction wouldn’t have been “what do you want me to do?” It would have been, “wait, what? I need several months to think about this.”
The fact that he could be confronted by the very being he viewed as a threat, recognize immediately that he was wrong, and desire to do the will of this guy who was his adversary as of two minutes ago, demonstrates Saul’s strong desire to do God’s will and humility. The Ensign article referenced earlier notes that it wasn’t Saul’s learning that was most valuable to the Lord but “with all his varied talents and education, the things that made him most useful to the Lord were his total, unwavering devotion and testimony. Without these, all his other skills would have been ineffective or, as in his early years, used for the wrong purpose.” I feel like Saul’s first question to Jesus “what wilt thou have me to do” is the perfect example of his willing spirit, his most important attribute.