Acts 9:4-5:
And as (Paul) journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
As Paul travelled to Damascus in search of Christians to persecute, he encountered the risen Christ who appeared to him in a flash of brilliant light.
We know from earlier in the book of Acts that Paul (known as Saul) was present at the stoning of Stephen, and that he “approved of their killing him” (Acts 8:1), and that after this event, he “began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.” (Acts 8:3)
At the beginning of Chapter 9, Saul (later Paul) appeals to the High Priest in Jerusalem for written permission and authority to travel to Damascus to round up other followers of Jesus and bring them in chains back to Jerusalem for trial or execution. In fact, the passage begins by informing us that he went to the High Priest “…breathing out murderous threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord…”, so it’s not unclear what his intentions were when it came to Christians.
But, along the way, something quite unexpected happens. A bright flash of light comes from heaven and knocks him from his horse. We know this detail because, later in the same book of Acts, Paul retells this story to an angry mob in Jerusalem who have come to kill him, the same way they killed Stephen. In Acts 22: 6-8, Paul tells the crowd how he encountered Christ on the road to Damascus, saying:
About noon, as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
“Who are you, Lord?” I asked.
“I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
In both accounts, Paul is blinded by a brilliant light from heaven and hears a voice that asks him a strange question: “Why are you persecuting me?”
This question, at the heart of Paul’s conversion story, suggests something quite radical: What you are doing to these people is painful to Christ. How can this be, unless there is some connection between the human and the Divine? This is the first moment that Paul begins to understand that everything is connected in ways he had never imagined before. Prior to this, he was convinced that there was a strong divide between “Us” and “Them.” The Jewish people were being threatened by those heretical followers of Jesus, and it was his duty to wipe them out in any way he could. But then, suddenly, he is exposed to the reality that there is no “Us and Them.” There is only us. We are all one people. We are all children of God. What harm we do to any one of us hurts all of us.
This revelation is something that Paul would continue to ponder and develop over time, and it would appear over and over again in his later writings to the Church.
I can’t help but draw a parallel between Saul’s conversion experience and something that happened recently in Gaza.
It was December 15, 2023, and three men were advancing toward an IDF position with arms raised over their heads. But, because they believed these three men were Palestinians, IDF soldiers opened fire and killed them. Later, they realized that these three men were hostages taken by Hamas who had been released.
Now, just imagine what would have happened if, somehow, these IDF soldiers could have looked through their sniper scopes and seen their kinsman? Would they have fired the shots that killed these men? Of course not. But why? Because they would have had eyes to see that these men were their own brothers. And yet, the truth is, these men would have been their brothers if they were Palestinians, or Egyptians, or Syrians. Regardless of where those men were born, or what language they spoke, or what God they prayed to, they – and all men and women – are one of us.
Sadly, those IDF snipers did not have the eyes to see this truth on that day, but if we can see it, and if we can help others to see it, then maybe no one else will open fire on their own brothers and sisters ever again.
This is why I say that this Quantum Theology is the answer to everything. Because if we can truly look at our neighbor and see ourselves reflected back at us, we can never do them any violence. If we can look at our enemy and see the face of God reflected back, we can only love them and embrace them. If we can look at the hungry, the homeless, the imprisoned, the outcast, and see in them the same humanity and divinity we see in ourselves, then this is the way we end poverty, homelessness, and genocide.
For Saul, this revelation of our connection to God and to one another came just in time to save hundreds of people in Damascus. And who knows how many others were saved had Paul not seen the light of Oneness that day?
This ability to see Christ in others is one we should not take lightly. It has the power to change us, and better still, to change the whole world around us.
Quantum Theology: Volume One brings together an extraordinary and diverse group of scientists, mathematicians, theologians, mystics, authors, and cultural commentators to explore one of the most provocative conversations of our time: What happens when Quantum Physics and Theology begin to overlap?
Edited and curated by author Keith Giles, this book explores the intersection between science and faith.
My book, “The Quantum Gospel of Mary and the Lost Gospel of Truth” is now available on Amazon.
The book from Keith Giles, “The Quantum Sayings of Jesus: Decoding the Lost Gospel of Thomas” is available now on Amazon.
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