17 And Ananias went away, and did enter into the house, and having put upon him 'his' hands, said, 'Saul, brother, the Lord hath sent me—Jesus who did appear to thee in the way in which thou wast coming—that thou mayest see again, and mayest be filled with the Holy Spirit.' 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, he saw again also presently, and having risen, was baptized, 19 and having received nourishment, was strengthened, and Saul was with the disciples in Damascus certain days,
20 and immediately in the synagogues he was preaching the Christ, that he is the Son of God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Acts 9:17-20
Commentary on Acts 9:10-22
(Read Acts 9:10-22)
A good work was begun in Saul, when he was brought to Christ's feet with those words, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And never did Christ leave any who were brought to that. Behold, the proud Pharisee, the unmerciful oppressor, the daring blasphemer, prayeth! And thus it is even now, and with the proud infidel, or the abandoned sinner. What happy tidings are these to all who understand the nature and power of prayer, of such prayer as the humbled sinner presents for the blessings of free salvation! Now he began to pray after another manner than he had done; before, he said his prayers, now, he prayed them. Regenerating grace sets people on praying; you may as well find a living man without breath, as a living Christian without prayer. Yet even eminent disciples, like Ananias, sometimes stagger at the commands of the Lord. But it is the Lord's glory to surpass our scanty expectations, and show that those are vessels of his mercy whom we are apt to consider as objects of his vengeance. The teaching of the Holy Spirit takes away the scales of ignorance and pride from the understanding; then the sinner becomes a new creature, and endeavours to recommend the anointed Saviour, the Son of God, to his former companions.