Who Art Thou, Lord?…What Wilt Thou Have Me To Do?: A Commentary on Paul’s Calling

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?  

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (Acts 9:4-6, KJV 1900)

Here the calling came in the form of a question: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” The most familiar “callings” recorded in scripture are those to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Jesus’ 12 disciples; Yet, perhaps the most popular—and most pragmatic and prescriptive—for modern and postmodern believers (and even unbelievers) alike who seek to understand their “calling” is the call of Saul of Tarsus “who is also called Paul” (Acts 13:9). [See also commentary on the call of Isaiah https://intersectionoffaithandlearning.com/2025/09/09/send-me-a-commentary-on-calling/%5D

Sermons and writings abound concerning Paul’s persecution of Christians, a great light shining about he and his companions, his becoming blind, his recovering from blindness and of course the Lord’s appearance to Paul “as one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:8). Yet, Paul’s inquiries of the LORD: 1. WHO ART THOU? 2. WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO? provides a treasure trove for helping us to plainly understand the concept of “calling” for the believer and unbeliever alike.

First, he inquires “who art thou?” One can hardly follow someone that one is unacquainted with and through simply second hand information; (This happens most often in modern and postmodern society and in the social media age where innuendo, celebrity or some other virtue is ascribed to someone only to learn that quite the opposite is true because one did not seek to learn, know and long deliberate about such personages for one’s self.)

The gospel has been communicated similarly in what might be described as both first-hand, second-hand even third-hand testimony, which has been done for over 2000 years first by eyewitnesses (including Paul) but a host of subsequent believers. (Most of whom had not laid physical eyes upon the Lord.) Yet without respect to how and by whom one has heard of Him, it is a matter of personal, intimate and continuous inquiry to understand who is this Lord who does the “calling.”

Secondly, Paul inquires, “What wilt thou have me to do?” A full reading of Acts chapters 9, 26 and frankly the entire book of Acts—as well as Paul’s letters to the churches—reveal the complete telling of how it was “told” to him. There was the Lord who revealed to Ananias at some distant location what his plans were for Paul (which Ananias certainly shared with Paul upon his first meeting him), there were his discussions and confrontations with Peter and other disciples and finally it was the Lord himself who continually revealed himself to Paul both initially and with further instructions by “appearing” (Acts 26:16) unto him whether by word, vision or revelation (or something other no doubt being consistent with scripture).

Yet is very likely that none of these things would have been revealed to Paul—believers or unbelievers alike—had he not asked perhaps the two most singularly important questions one must ask to learn and discern one’s “calling”: “Who are you Lord?” “And what will you have me to do?”