“But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”
My Notes
What Does Acts 9:15 Mean?
The Lord speaks to Ananias about Saul — the persecutor who just had a blinding encounter on the road to Damascus: go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me. The one who was the greatest enemy of the church has been chosen as its greatest messenger.
"A chosen vessel" — the choosing is divine. Saul did not volunteer. God selected him. The vessel (skeuos) is a container — a jar, an instrument, a tool. Saul is a container that God will fill and use.
"To bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel" — the mission is comprehensive. Three audiences: Gentiles (the nations), kings (the powerful), and Israel (God's people). Saul will carry God's name to every level of society.
"For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake" (v.16) — the commission comes with a cost. The chosen vessel will suffer. The bearing of the name includes the bearing of pain. The calling and the suffering are announced together.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does God choosing Saul — the persecutor — reveal about how God selects his instruments?
- 2.How is being a 'chosen vessel' different from being a willing volunteer?
- 3.Why does God announce the suffering alongside the calling?
- 4.What in your past makes you feel disqualified — and how does Saul's story address that?
Devotional
He is a chosen vessel unto me. Saul — the persecutor, the hunter of Christians, the one who held coats while Stephen was stoned — is God's chosen vessel. The last person anyone would have picked. God picked him.
To bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. The mission is massive. Every audience. Every social level. The name of Jesus carried by the one who had been trying to destroy it.
I will shew him how great things he must suffer. The calling comes with a preview of the cost. The chosen vessel will suffer greatly. The bearing and the suffering are inseparable.
God does not choose the qualified. He qualifies the chosen. Saul was the most unlikely vessel in the first century. A religious zealot who was actively destroying the church. And God said: that one. He is mine.
If you think your past disqualifies you — if the things you have done seem too dark for God to use — Saul's story says otherwise. The chosen vessel was chosen while he was still persecuting. The calling was announced while the enemy was still the enemy.
God's choosing does not follow human logic. The vessel he picks is often the one no one else would touch. And the suffering he promises is the evidence that the calling is real.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But the Lord said unto him, go thy way,.... The Syriac version reads, "arise, go thy way"; make no delay, nor any…
Go thy way - This is often the only answer that we obtain to the suggestion of our doubts and hesitations about duty.…
Go thy way - He was thus prevented from going farther in his reasoning on this subject.
He is a chosen vessel unto me -…
As for God, his work is perfect; if he begin, he will make an end: a good work was begun in Saul, when he was brought to…
he is a chosen vessel unto me Literally, "a vessel of election." This is a Hebrew form of expression, cp. Jer 22:28,…
Cross References
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