Acts 9:26-30·~1 min

Saul in Jerusalem

In Jerusalem the disciples are afraid of Saul and do not believe he is a disciple, but Barnabas brings him to the apostles and recounts his encounter with the Lord and his bold witness in Damascus. After that Saul moves freely among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the Lord's name.

W²⁶hen Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus. ²⁸So Saul stayed with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

Saul speaks and debates with the Hellenists, who try to kill him. When the brothers learn of it, they bring him down to Caesarea and send him off to Tarsus.

²⁹He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. ³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

Section summaryWhen Saul comes to Jerusalem, the disciples fear him and do not believe he truly belongs among them until Barnabas brings him in and tells what happened on the road and in Damascus. Saul then moves boldly among them in the Lord's name, but after renewed deadly opposition from the Hellenists, the brothers send him away toward Tarsus through Caesarea.

Role in the chapterThis section shows Saul received into Jerusalem by another believer's trust and testimony. It also shows that his new life does not remove danger but carries him into the same hostile pattern already shaping the church's story.