Through the Needle

By Chad Pettit

Description:

Damascus - 33 A.D. The followers of The Way have been scattered throughout the world to escape persecution at the hands of their own countrymen. Countless have been imprisoned. Many have died for their faith in Jesus, the Christ. Few hands are responsible for more blood than Saul, a zealous Pharisee from Tarsus. No wonder then that the disciples of Christ are in hiding throughout the city when word comes that Saul has arrived in Damascus with letters from the High Priest authorizing their arrest. Unknown to them is the encounter on the way to Damascus Saul experienced that now has him cowering as a blind man in the house of a man named Judas. Forced to face the past that put him on the trail of blood, Saul is now trapped in physical darkness as he sees clearly for the first time. While the disciples of Christ hide from him, Saul is trying but failing to hide from himself. On the other side of Damascus, a man named Ananias is tasked by Jesus himself to deliver a message to Saul. Ananias must battle through his own fear and cowardice, face the ridicule and faithlessness of his unbelieving wife, and somehow find a way to the man that will most likely kill him on sight. The truth of Jesus’s words that he came to bring division to a family could not be truer as these polarized worlds collide in a tale filled with supernatural influences from both dark and light.

Book Takeaway:

There is no amount of guilt more powerful than the forgiveness of God, and there is no challenge that cannot be overcome through faith.

Why the author wrote this book:

I wanted to explore the meeting between Paul and Ananias. I was curious about the fear both of them must have faced, along with the guilt that very likely assaulted Paul while he waited to hear from Christ. To me, this is a point in scripture where two men had to show great faith and obedience.