Kicking Against the Pricks
October 30, 2005
Dear Friends,
Saul of Tarsus was in a comfortable place in life. He had a great education as he was taught by one of the most famous teachers of his day, Gamaliel. He had risen up through the ranks of his peers so that he was highly respected. He was an excellent Bible student and zealous for his God.
On his way to Damascus to imprison the believers there, Saul is met by Jesus. Jesus appears in a bright light and says a most peculiar thing to the Pharisee. “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.â€
The metaphor Jesus uses is that of an ox goad. Farmers would use a long, pointed stick to control the large beasts. If they oxen became unruly and kicked against the goad, not only would it hurt, but it could also cause injury. We borrow this language today when we talk about goading or prodding someone. We mean we are urging or coaxing them to take (or not take, as the case may be) a specific course of action.
Jesus tells us that he had been goading Saul even before the road to Damascus. What he doesn’t tell us is what exactly he had been doing. This is one of the mysteries of Scripture that would be absolutely fascinating to fathom.
What was Jesus doing to Paul before the Damascus road? Did Jesus have people enter Paul’s life to urge him to change his ways and stop persecuting Christians? Did Paul have some illness such as his famous “thorn in the flesh†to come upon him to change his perspective? Did Christ allow Stephen to be martyred before Saul to change him into Paul the Apostle?
We will not know the answers to questions like these on this side of the Kingdom of God; however, it does provide us with insight into our own lives. Jesus and God do goad us. It happens all the time whether we recognize it or not. We have the choice to submit to their will or kick against the goads. It is our choice really. We are told that we will encounter trials in our life that will give us the opportunity to be stronger and more spiritual beings if we submit to God’s will in these trials. If we chose rather to kick against the goads, we will probably get hurt or suffer the consequences of our poor judgment.
To be perfectly honest, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between trials that we are to endure for the sake of perseverance and those that should result in a change in our course of direction. It takes a lot of prayer, wise counsel, soul-searching and self-examination to get to the bottom of these conundrums. We can rest assured though that they are happening for our good. “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.†(Rom. 8:28)
It is in our best interest to be on the lookout for Jesus goading us onto the path of salvation. Each of us cannot expect to have a Damascus road experience…nor should we want to.
Have a great week!
