Lives turned inside out
13 people who met Jesus: who they were, the turning point, and who they became. Always with the reference so you can check.
Paul · Peter · Zacchaeus · The Samaritan woman · Thomas · The Gerasene man · Matthew · Mary Magdalene · The man born blind · Nicodemus · The thief on the cross · James, brother of Jesus · Bartimaeus
Paul
Acts 9:1–22
Before: Saul, the persecutor
A zealous Pharisee and a Roman citizen. He approved of Stephen's death, guarding the clothes of those who stoned him, and was heading to Damascus with letters from the high priest to arrest those who followed the Way.
The turning point
On the road, a light from heaven knocks him down. The voice calling him by name is that of Jesus, whom he was persecuting. Blind for three days, he is welcomed by Ananias, one of the Christians he had come to arrest.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
After: Paul, the apostle
He soon begins proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God. On missionary journeys he plants churches across the Empire and writes letters that now make up a good part of the New Testament. He reaches Rome as a prisoner, still proclaiming.
Peter
Luke 22:54–62 · John 21:15–19 · Acts 2
Before: Peter who denies
The disciple who had promised to go with Jesus even to death warms himself in the high priest's courtyard and, before a servant girl and strangers, denies three times that he knows Him.
The turning point
At the third denial the rooster crows, and Jesus turns and looks at him. Peter goes out and weeps bitterly. After the resurrection, by the sea, Jesus asks him three questions of love and gives him back his mission.
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word that the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
After: Peter who proclaims
At Pentecost, the same man who denied stands before the crowd and proclaims the risen Jesus. About three thousand people believe that day.
Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1–10
Before: Zacchaeus who took
Chief tax collector in Jericho, rich and disliked by everyone. He collected for Rome and was seen as a traitor and a cheat.
The turning point
Being short, he climbs a fig tree just to see Jesus pass by. Jesus stops, looks up, calls Zacchaeus by name, and says He is going to stay at his house, to the crowd's astonishment.
When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”
After: Zacchaeus who gives back
That same day he promises to give half his possessions to the poor and to pay back four times what he took from anyone. Jesus declares that salvation has come to that house.
The Samaritan woman
John 4:1–42
Before: The avoided woman
With a history marked by five marriages, she goes to draw water at noon, the hottest hour, when the well is usually empty.
The turning point
Jesus, tired from the journey, asks for water and talks with her, breaking down barriers between Jews and Samaritans and between men and women. He shows He knows her life without humiliating her and reveals Himself as the Messiah.
Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”
After: The first to proclaim in the town
She leaves her water jar and runs to the town, calling everyone to come see the man who told her everything she had done. Many Samaritans believe in Jesus because of her testimony.
Thomas
John 20:24–29
Before: Thomas who doubts
Absent at the Risen One's first appearance, he won't accept the other disciples' testimony: he will believe only if he sees the nail marks and touches Jesus' side.
The turning point
Eight days later, with the doors locked, Jesus appears, speaks directly to Thomas, and invites him to touch the wounds.
Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”
After: Thomas who worships
He makes one of the highest confessions in the Gospels: my Lord and my God. An ancient tradition says he took the Gospel as far as India.
The Gerasene man
Mark 5:1–20
Before: The man overpowered
He lived among the tombs, screaming and cutting himself with stones. Not even chains could hold him. The town had given up on him.
The turning point
Jesus crosses the sea and goes to him. He sets the man free, and the people find him sitting there, dressed and in his right mind.
When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
After: The first to proclaim in the Decapolis
He wants to follow Jesus, but is sent back home to tell what the Lord has done for him. He proclaims it throughout the Decapolis.
Matthew
Matthew 9:9–13
Before: Levi, the tax collector
A tax collector sitting at the tax booth, a job linked to betrayal and greed, which kept him away from the religious life of the people.
The turning point
Jesus passes by and says just one word to him. Matthew gets up, leaves the table, and later hosts Jesus for a meal with other tax collectors and sinners.
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
After: Matthew, the apostle
He becomes one of the Twelve. Church tradition recognizes him as the author of the first Gospel, which shows Jesus as the promised King.
Mary Magdalene
Luke 8:2 · John 20:1–18
Before: Tormented
A woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. The text gives no details, but it shows a life that had no peace.
The turning point
Healed, she begins to follow Jesus and support the group. She stays near the cross and, on Sunday, weeps by the empty tomb until she hears Jesus call her name.
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
After: The first witness of the resurrection
Jesus sends her to tell the disciples that He is alive. Tradition has called her the apostle to the apostles.
The man born blind
John 9
Before: Blind from birth
A beggar blind from birth. The disciples ask whose fault it was: his or his parents'.
The turning point
Jesus rejects the logic of blame, makes mud, puts it on his eyes, and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam. He comes back seeing.
He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!”
After: The courageous witness
Pressured by the leaders, he defends Jesus with simplicity. He is thrown out of the synagogue, but Jesus goes to find him, and he believes and worships Him.
Nicodemus
John 3:1–21 · 7:50–51 · 19:38–42
Before: The teacher who came by night
A Pharisee and leader of the Jews, respected as a teacher of Israel. He seeks Jesus at night, perhaps so as not to be seen.
The turning point
Jesus speaks to him about being born again and about the love of God, who gives His own Son. Nicodemus leaves with questions, but the conversation doesn't end there.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
After: The disciple who steps out of the shadows
He defends Jesus before the Sanhedrin and, after the crucifixion, brings about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes to bury Him, together with Joseph of Arimathea, in full view of everyone.
The thief on the cross
Luke 23:39–43 · Matthew 27:44
Before: The condemned man who mocked
Crucified next to Jesus. According to Matthew, both thieves also insulted him.
The turning point
In one of the final moments, one of them rebukes the other, admits his own guilt and Jesus' innocence, and makes a simple request.
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”
After: The man who hears a promise
With no time to change his life in anyone's eyes, he receives Jesus' answer: today he will be with him in Paradise.
James, brother of Jesus
John 7:5 · 1 Corinthians 15:7 · Acts 15 · Galatians 2:9
Before: The brother who didn't believe
He grew up in the same house as Jesus. During the ministry, the gospel records that not even Jesus' brothers believed in him.
The turning point
After the resurrection, Jesus appears to James in person. It is one of the appearances Paul lists as testimony.
Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
After: Pillar of the church
He becomes a leader of the church in Jerusalem, and Paul calls him a pillar. Tradition identifies him as the author of the letter of James.
Bartimaeus
Mark 10:46–52
Before: The beggar by the roadside
Blind, sitting by the road on the way out of Jericho, living on whatever others gave him.
The turning point
When he hears that Jesus is passing by, he cries out for mercy. They tell him to be quiet, and he shouts even louder. Jesus stops, calls him and asks what he wants.
“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
After: The man who follows along the road
He regains his sight and doesn't go back to the roadside: he follows Jesus along the road.