September 13

"And he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice? saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Acts 9:4        

How can Saul, one earthly creature armed only with a letter from another, be said to "persecute" Jesus of Nazareth who sits at the Father’s right hand? The Lord did not say, "Why do you persecute my people?" Instead he asked, "Why do you persecute me?" Christ was certainly in the glory, but the Christ whom Saul persecuted was somehow also on earth.

This is of the greatest significance. Here at once, by implication, Saul of Tarsus is confronted with the Body of Christ—the Head and his members united in one. The oneness of the Body of Christ is not just a future reality in heaven. Were that so, we could only speak of his splendor. But he can be persecuted, so it is also a present fact on earth. Indeed, it links heaven and earth, Head and members, with a unity that God demands shall find a real practical expression down here.