Fire and Sword (30 page)

The crowd was out of control and shouted their devotion to Artemis. Even the Jews, who enjoyed the opposition to Paul, realized that this zeal for Artemis was an unintended consequence of their meddling. One of the Jews, a man named Alexander, was convinced that he must talk to the crowd.

“People of Ephesus!” Alexander began. “You bring dishonor to your goddess by behaving in such a manner.”

“And who are you to tell us this?” someone shouted.

“He’s a Jew!” shouted another.

The crowd roared its disapproval and began shouting once more, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” They kept this up for two hours.

Paul, who wanted to come and defend the Gospel, was compelled by his friends to stay away from the fray. And finally some city officials arrived and put an end to the disturbance, accusing the mob of riotous behavior.

“If you demand justice, seek it in our courts,” the magistrate said. “Not in the streets! Now go to your homes!”

**********

Demetrius watched the crowd melt away. He walked over to Clesus, who was still in the theater. He shook his head at his friend. “I thought this would end in Paul’s destruction,” Demetrius said. “Not in a court of law.”

“Ah, my friend, it is the Greek way,” Clesus said. “But so long as Artemis knows your heart, what does it matter? Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”

“Please,” said Demetrius, stopping his ears. “I don’t want to hear those words again. My heart is devoted to the goddess.” He looked toward the temple. “But my ears are tired of her.”

Clesus laughed as they left the theater.

Kara’s countenance was telltale as he sat among the others at the council Lucifer had convened. The Ephesian episode of Paul’s journey had been a disaster. Berenius sat next to him, feeling the unspoken taunts of his fellow angels—many of whom were in league with Pellecus, whose hatred for Kara was well known.

“How are things in Ephesus?” Pellecus asked.

Kara glared at him.

“I have heard that Paul made quite a name for himself,” Pellecus continued. “From what I understand, his demonstrations of power are extraordinary. Is it true what happened with the sons of Sceva?”

“You know it is true,” Berenius snapped.

“How awful,” Pellecus continued, as others snickered. “And you had such high hopes for them. Of course, if I were handling Paul, I would do things differently. He’s human, Kara. A man of words.”

“It certainly isn’t Paul’s words that are imprisoning the people,” Kara said. “He speaks with the dullness of a smooth stone. The other night a fellow went to sleep in the window and actually fell and was killed!”

Everyone laughed.

“What did Paul say to that?” asked Pellecus.

“He brought the man back to life,” Kara begrudgingly admitted. “Don’t you see what I am up against in Ephesus? This man won’t stop here. He plans to continue this plunder. He plans to go to Rome itself.”

He turned to Pellecus. “Then you’ll see what a threat he is. A threat that cannot be stopped. I’m only grateful that he is finally leaving Ephesus.”

“True, Kara,” came the familiar voice of Lucifer. “It seems we cannot stop Paul. But perhaps he can stop himself.”

“What does that mean?” Kara asked.

Lucifer smiled. “He’s returning.”

“What? To Ephesus?” asked Kara.

“No, Kara,” said Lucifer, smiling even more. “Jerusalem!”

Kara glanced at Pellecus. “Interesting,” he said. “Jerusalem is your domain, Pellecus. Now you’ll have a chance to instruct us in handling Paul.”

“Paul, this is Agabus,” said Luke.

The old man greeted Paul. “I heard you were in Caesarea,” he said. “And I have heard from the Spirit of God concerning you.”

Luke, who had rejoined the group before they left Ephesus, looked at the others in the room. Paul had been prophesied over several times since they left Ephesus. Most of the messages centered on his return to Jerusalem. The old man excused himself and took Paul’s belt and picked up the sandals that were near the door.

“I must tell you what the Spirit has revealed to me,” Agabus said. “But first I will show you.”

Agabus took Paul’s belt and tied his own hands and feet with it. Everyone wondered what the man was doing. After securing himself with the belt, he turned to Paul, and, with tears in his eyes, spoke: “Just as you see me here, so will the owner of this belt and these sandals be taken by the Jews in Jerusalem and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles.”

Paul looked at the others.

“Paul, you must not go to Jerusalem,” Luke said. “That is all we have heard since we arrived here. We can leave tonight.”

Some of the other men nodded in agreement and started getting Paul’s things together so he might leave. Paul shook his head and grabbed Luke’s arm. He made them put down the things. Agabus untied himself.

“What are you all doing?” he asked. “Do you think I fear the Jews more than the Lord? If by serving the Lord I end up bound by the Jews as this man says, so be it. I am going to Jerusalem.”

Paul took his belt back and looked at it. “The Lord’s will be done.”

Paul’s Cell, Rome, A.D. 67

“‘The Lord’s will be done.’ I recall how ashamed I was in trying to argue against your going on to Jerusalem that day.”

Paul looked up at his friend.

“Luke, my brother,” Paul said. “You were speaking out of your love for me. Not for lack of faith. But I knew that God’s will was for me to return to Jerusalem.” He motioned with his hands. “And, as you see, the result is that we
did
make it to Rome. Of course, not exactly the accommodations I had hoped for, but …”

Luke smiled. The dank cell that now housed Paul was a far cry from the many opulent rooms Paul had seen in his service to God. And now—as a condemned prisoner—Paul was quite content with this final home. Better by far to die and gain Christ, Paul had often said. A tear came to Luke’s eye as he realized that this gain would happen sooner rather than later.

“You’re sad, my brother,” Paul said. “What is wrong?”

“I’ll miss you, my friend,” Luke said.

“And I you,” answered Paul. “But our parting will be brief. Life is a breath, Luke. And then we shall both be in the presence of the Lord forever. Don’t weep for me. Save your tears for our countrymen who have hardened their hearts to the truth.”

Luke sat down next to Paul.

“As I recall, we had a warm welcome from the brothers when we arrived,” Paul continued. “James was there and some of the others. It was good to see them all again and breathe the air of the holy city once more.”

He took a sip of water. “But then …” Paul raised his arm and showed a scar under his forearm. “I received this in Jerusalem after the Jews incited a near riot. Remember that?”

“I remember,” said Luke, seeing it all once more in his eyes. “The Romans finally had to restore order. Took you with them to their garrison.”

Paul grinned. “They meant to flog me until they discovered I was a Roman citizen. That put the fear of God in them!”

“True,” said Luke. “The only thing Romans respect is Rome. But what you did to the Sanhedrin.
That
is worth remembering.”

Paul smiled and agreed. “There is no easier mind to divide than a closed mind.”

Jerusalem, A.D. 58

Jerusalem hummed as usual with the busyness of a city in a constant state of agitation. It seemed to Paul that there were more Romans patrolling these days than when he last visited. It was obvious that the recent tensions between the Gentile occupiers and the Jewish zealots had brought reprisals. And as always, the Temple was at the heart of the conflict.

As Paul walked the steps of the Temple Mount, several religious spirits began scurrying about, pointing him out to the other angels who were ever present at such a place of spiritual significance. One angel in particular, Benzib, an agent of Pellecus, was particularly alert to Paul’s arrival.

“Lord Pellecus! Paul is here. At the Temple!”

“I can see that, Benzib,” Pellecus said. “He certainly causes quite a stir among the Host. But don’t worry, my friend. I have a feeling this will be Paul’s last visit to this place. In fact, I’m quite sure of it.”

He pointed to a group of men. “You see those Jews?”

“Those men near the column? Yes.”

“They are Ephesians. And their hatred for Paul is almost as vicious as our own.”

He looked at Benzib, “You know what to do.”

Benzib smiled and vanished.

So many people were drifting in and out of the Temple that the Jews who had made pilgrimage were waiting in the Court of Gentiles before they could make sacrifice.

One Jew in particular, an Ephesian by the name of Alexander, was amazed at the number of people who were coming in and out of the area. They had arrived in Jerusalem just the day before and were anxious to make sacrifice.

“As if we don’t see enough of these Gentiles in Ephesus,” Alexander growled. “But at least they aren’t worshiping their goddess in this place.”

“There’s a reason this is called the Court of Gentiles,” said one of the Ephesians with him.

“Let’s move on from here,” Alexander said. “It still feels strange.”