Acts 11:19-26. The disciples who had been scattered due to the persecution begun with Stephen's death found their way to many other places, such as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they preached Jesus Christ to the Jews there. But in Antioch, some also spoke to the Greeks, and many of the Greeks came to believe as well. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to assist with this new ministry to the Greeks. Barnabas was very happy to see the faith of the converts in Antioch, and he exhorted them to remain steadfast. As the number of converts grew, Barnabas went to Tarsus in search of Saul and, finding him, brought him to Antioch with him. For a year Barnabas and Saul stayed with the church in Antioch, teaching a large company of people. And it was here in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

When last we saw Saul, he had been in Jerusalem for his first introduction to the apostles, and Barnabas spoke up for him when the others did not trust him. Apparently, he then returned to his hometown of Tarsus. I assume he was preaching there, as he did in Damascus, but I wonder what kind of reception he was getting? Remember the reaction to Jesus in his hometown? How would Tarsus treat a favored son who returned preaching the very things that he was famous for fighting against? Not too well, I would imagine.

I can identify with Saul when I think about this. He has had this amazing conversion experience, he is absolutely filled with the Holy Spirit, he has met men who know what he is talking about and feel the same way and has felt the camaraderie and shared Spirit of being with them, and he knows he has to spread this, he cannot keep it to himself, so he goes to his hometown first. The first people I tried to talk to when I started feeling this overwhelming call back to the faith were the people closest to me in the world. My family, I thought, was my one definite "safe space", where I could talk about what I was going through with acceptance. I was wrong. The reactions I got were confusion,  distance, occasional mean-spiritedness, and concern for my mental health! I am betting Saul was having a similar experience in Tarsus. But God, as He always does, brought Saul to a place where he could make a difference - Antioch. And there Saul, with Barnabas, had great success. This, I'm sure, gave Saul the confidence (not that I think he was lacking much of that😉!)  to go on and become our greatest evangelizer.

Every step of Saul's journey was necessary for him to become what he was. "Cutting his teeth" in Tarsus was probably necessary to teach him that even he, the confident and well-loved Saul, would be rejected by many. It also, I'm sure, helped him hone his arguments and style, so that he was ready when called to Antioch. To the extent that I am still in Tarsus, I must remember that it is learning process for me and God will call me to Antioch at the time He knows is right.