Paul learned to read and write Greek in his hometown of Tarsus, but learned the scriptures in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, a doctor of the law and one of the leading rabbis of the day. Rather than carrying scrolls while he traveled, it is likely that Paul had memorized the Old Testament so he could recall verses quickly to ground or advance his arguments. Many scholars believe he also became a doctor of the law, having attended what would have been considered the Harvard of his day. Paul's future was bright and likely would have included service on the Sanhedrin, something like the Supreme Court for ancient Jews, following in the footsteps of his mentor, Gamaliel.
Like Gamaliel and his father, Paul became a Pharisee. This was no small commitment. Zealous Pharisees, like Paul, prided themselves on strict obedience to the law of Moses and believed they had a sacred prophetic right and duty to interpret the law and the oral traditions for the people. Christ came sharply into conflict with this belief, rebuking the Pharisees for reducing religion to the observance of rules without faith or conviction, rejecting their spiritual pride and calling on his disciples to serve and support others rather than burdening others with the requirement to support them (see Matthew 23, Mark 7:1-23, and Luke 11:37-44).
After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, Christianity was seen as a branch of Judaism the same way that Catholicism and Lutheranism are subdivisions of Christianity today. For Pharisees who believed in strict observance of the law of Moses, or their interpretation of it, Christianity and its teachings of revelation and a crucified messiah was an offensive and dangerous heresy. It was their duty, they believed, to address it.
Gamaliel is said to have defended the Christians among his fellow Pharisees. Paul, on the other hand, put the early saints in prison and approved of their execution (Acts 26:10). On one occasion mentioned in Acts 9, he obtained permission from the high priest to go on a crusade to Damascus and return with bound Christians from the churches there. Paul, who was originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was bent on the purging of all Christians-- heretics and apostates that they were-- from Judaism.
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And [Paul] said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou has seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me (Acts 9:2-5, 26:14-18).
Amid Paul's divine call to be an eyewitness of the Resurrection of Christ and later an apostolic minister of the gospel to the world, a calling he would embrace with the same diligence and vigor as he had his Pharisaical duties, is a brief statement: It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
A prick was a sharp spear used to drive animals. Often the animals would kick back when pricked, causing the spear to sink deeper into the animal's flesh (Come, Follow Me-- For Individuals and Families, 2019). In a similar way, parents and gospel teachers often share doctrines aimed at driving us to faith and repentance. The Book of Mormon prophet Jarom wrote that the prophets, priests and teachers of his day, "did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence... persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah... [and] by so doing they kept them from being destroyed upon the face of the land; for they did prick their hearts with the word, continually stirring them up unto repentance (Jarom 1:11-12).
Alma sought to prick the hearts of his people when he saw them turning to idolatry, perversions, iniquity and worldliness. He wrote:
And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead people to do that which was just-- yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them-- therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God. Therefore he took Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner... and Amulek and Zeezrom... and he also took two of his sons... to preach unto them the word (Alma 31:5-7).
The point of the gospel spear is the Holy Ghost. As we hear truth and the testimonies of the righteous, our hearts are pricked. If we follow the impressions we receive, we are led to do that which is just: to have faith in Christ, to repent of our sin and walk the covenant path. We can also choose to dig in our heels, to refuse to submit our will to God's, to harden our hearts, and to effectively kick against the pricks, or promptings, we receive.
Christ recognized Paul's righteous desire. He knew that Paul wanted to serve God with complete devotion. He knew that Paul, as a Pharisee, was taught, and likely believed, that his persecutions against the Christians were a service to the kingdom of God. Christ also knew that Paul, in his heart of hearts, knew what he was doing was wrong and that his extraordinary brutality toward the Christians was as much an effort to soothe his own conscience-- to salve the injury to his soul from resisting the promptings he may or may not have recognized as such-- as to purify the kingdom. So the comment, recognizing Paul's inner conflict: It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
We are no different than Paul. The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote from Liberty Jail:
When we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of righteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and... Ere [we are] aware, [we are] left unto [ourselves], to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God (D&C 121:37-38).
Each of us has known someone who has chosen the lonely path of kicking against the pricks. Our fellowship of these individuals is essential to preventing their destruction, if they will allow it, as our friendship and kindness continually provides direction back to the safe path.
Even more essential than our fellowship of the proverbial lost sheep is the internal evaluation of our own thoughts and behaviors. What has the Lord been trying to tell us that perhaps we have resisted? What favorite sin or vain ambition injures our souls and prevents our progress? What scriptures or General Conference addresses do we avoid because we know they carry messages that are hard for us to hear?
As Christ, our Redeemer, said to Saul of Tarsus, he says to us: Rise, and stand upon your feet. He has a purpose for each of us and he will qualify us to do his work. As we turn to him, and as we follow his direction, he will make us mighty, as sons and daughters of an almighty God, to the fulfilling of our life mission, the salvation of our souls and the completion of his work. He is directing us to greater happiness, peace, power and exaltation than we could ever claim for ourselves; we need only to stop kicking against the pricks.
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