10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” (Acts 9:10–12)
It amazes me that the LORD can take people from various backgrounds in life and unite them in Christ. It also amazes me that God can take mortal enemies and make them more than friends, but brothers in Christ. Such was the case with Saul and Ananias.
Ananias was one of Jesus’ disciples who lived in Damascus. Ironically, Ananias could have become one of Saul’s targets of persecution for following the Lord Jesus. Instead, he became the first believer to minister to Saul.
The Lord Jesus appeared to Ananias in a vision. A vision, in this context, was a supernatural sight from God. Like Saul on the Damascus Road, Ananias immediately knew it was the Lord Jesus who appeared to him. Ananias responded, “Here I am, Lord.”
Jesus answered and said, ““Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”
Years later, the Apostle Paul would say that Ananias was, “a devout man according to the law, well-spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, (in Damascus)” (Acts 22:12). Ananias was God-fearing and reverent according to the Word of God. He also had a good reputation with the Jews who lived in Damascus.
God gave Ananias the responsibility and privilege of laying hands upon Saul in order for this new convert to receive back his physical eyesight. What was Ananias’ initial response to this directive from Jesus? We’ll examine the answer to this question when next we meet.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 
Was Ananias a Gentile or a Jew?
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I would submit that Ananias was probably a Jew. First, at the time of Saul’s conversion, no Gentile had been converted. That would not occur chronologically until Acts 10. Second, Acts 22:12-16 infers that Ananias was Jewish when Paul recalled the disciple saying to him “The God of our fathers appointed you to know His will.” This would be a reference to the Jewish patriarchs and prophets. Third, Acts 22:12 describes Ananias a devout man according to the law. This would be the Mosaic Law. Fourth, the overall context of Acts 22 is Paul addressing the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-22:11).
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