Empire's End (22 page)

“I told Him, ‘Lord, I have heard from many how much harm this Saul has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to capture all who call on Your name.' What kind of a man presumes the Creator needs to be informed of something? And you wonder whether the apostles trust me?”

“But they trust the Cypriot?”

“They have known him longer. He has proved himself.” Ananias waved him over. “Joseph! Please!”

He was talking with the couple who had helped me escape Damascus and was apparently quite taken with them. “A basket!” he said, laughing loudly. “Come, you must introduce me.”

As Judas busied himself with farewells to the rest of his guests, Ananias made the introductions, and Joseph seemed to enjoy my reunion with the
husband and wife. “It sounds as if you owe these people your life,” he said as they embraced me.

“I do indeed. Only the Lord knows what would have become of all of us had I been discovered dangling outside their window.”

Joseph put a hand on each of their shoulders. “May He reward you richly for your courage and faithfulness.”

They thanked him, and the wife said they needed to be going.

“We all should go,” Ananias said. “Judas' home has not been his own since early this morning.”

Moments later, with thanks all around and yet another eloquent expression of praise from Joseph—this time for Judas—I found myself in a covered two-wheeled, one-horse cart designed for two passengers. With my bag in my lap, I wedged myself between the other two for the ten-minute ride to Ananias' home with neither any idea what lay ahead nor an iota of concern about it. I had resigned myself to the fact that this was to be my lot in life. God would somehow get me where He wanted me, and I would do His bidding.

It wasn't going to be easy. I didn't expect it or need it to be. But there was a certain comfort in the idea that the details were not my concern. All I had to do was be prepared to plead the case for the gospel to anyone who would listen.

Joseph wrestled the skittish mixed breed through the narrow streets to a secluded alley and tied him near a small water trough and bale of hay. Ananias led us into his meager quarters and showed us where we would bed down, then poured us each a cup of wine at a small table with a stub of a candle set in the middle. “I recommend letting that wick determine the length of our discussion about your trip,” he said. “It's been a long day for all of us.”

THE ROAD FROM DAMASCUS

T
HERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT
this man. His earnestness made my fatigue melt away. It didn't leave me for long, and I knew I would sleep soundly, in an actual bed for the first time in more than a month. I was indoors and safe in the home of Ananias, whom I knew and trusted. I had been weary with grief and from travel for a long time. Despite that I was healthy from all the walking and invigorated from finally having had the opportunity to preach, much uncertainly lay ahead and could have discouraged me—had it not been for Joseph.

He reached across the table and pulled me to within inches of his face, peering intently into my eyes. “I need to tell you, friend, you have a passion for your message.”

“It shows?” I said, smiling.

“It does! I can tell you believe it with all your being.”

“Well, my story is true, and who wouldn't believe it when Jesus Himself blocks your path and blinds you with His glory?”

“And this man,” Joseph said, releasing me and gesturing toward Ananias, “he is such a loyal friend to you. When he sent for me, telling me of God's work in your life, I came at once. He told me how he had upheld you in prayer every day since you had escaped this city, though he never heard from you in all that time.”

“Well, I couldn't—I wanted to send word, but—”

“Oh, I understand! He understands. I'm just saying he's a faithful friend. Now, about our journey. You noticed my horse is young.”

“And energetic.”

“Unfortunately, he has not learned to pace himself. It took me almost a week to get here, and it takes a mature horse but five days. Regardless, we will have plenty of time to talk. I thought you might like to take the western route around the Sea of Galilee so we could stay a night in Capernaum where the Lord spent so much time.”

“I'd love that, Joseph! Did you know Him?”

“Sadly, I did not. I first heard of Him when I was in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Weeks, but of course by then—”

“Pentecost.”

“Yes. By then He was in heaven.”

“And Peter and John got into so much trouble. Were you one of the thousands who became followers of The Way that day?”

“I was. I had thought myself devout. And I was! I was a Levite and had traveled all that way at my own expense because of my devotion to God. But like everyone else, I heard the commotion and found this uneducated Judean speaking with such fervor that I had to listen. I knew his language, but all those foreigners somehow miraculously understood him, too! I was astonished! And the more I listened, the more
amazing I found it, beyond the miracle of the multitudes understanding in their own tongues. I was persuaded by the logic of the man's argument.”

“Tell me what he said, so that I may preach like him.”

“You must preach as the Lord directs you,” Joseph said. “But I see that our candle is almost gone. Let me just say this, and I will tell you the rest on the road tomorrow: because Peter and the other apostles were speaking in languages so many could understand, and everyone could tell from their dress that they were Judeans, some accused them of being drunk. But Peter assured everyone that neither he nor his friends had been drinking. Then he quoted the prophet Joel to these Jews like myself and finished, saying, ‘It shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”

The flame had disappeared, and in the darkness I grasped Joseph's arm. “You must not stop yet.”

“No, not yet,” Ananias said. “Another moment, please. I'm not going with you tomorrow.”

Joseph laughed. “Peter went on to quote David concerning the Lord, that David had foreseen Him before his face, at his right hand that he would not be shaken. His heart rejoiced, his tongue was glad, his flesh rested in hope.”

“Praise God!” I said.

“Peter claimed that David was a prophet, knowing God would raise up the Christ to sit on his own throne, so he was speaking concerning the resurrection of the Christ. Then Peter said, ‘This Jesus God has raised up, and we are all witnesses.' Well, my brothers, eyewitnesses are hard to refute! Peter said that God had made Jesus, ‘whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.'

“When I heard that, and I dare say most of those assembled appeared
to feel the same, I was wounded deeply in my spirit. I called out to Peter and the rest, ‘What shall I do?'

“Peter said, ‘Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' He said the promise extended to our children and to all who were afar off, as many as the Lord would call. It took until evening, but about three thousand of us were baptized that day.”

I heard Joseph rise. “I must sleep,” he said.

How I did not fully awaken I do not understand, but long before dawn I became aware of muffled activity and conversation and most pleasant smells emanating from the alley side of Ananias' home. But the man had provided such comfortable sleeping quarters that I remained immobile, trying to commune with God, allow my body to restore itself for the passage south, and organize my thoughts about how to find Taryn.

As eager as I was to get to Jerusalem and meet men who had known Jesus personally, using my satchel as a pillow with my journal and my treasured note inside, I also found myself yearning to be reunited with my love. I wanted to see her, to hold her, to look into her eyes. I did not want to forget the sound of her voice, her look, her gentle spirit.

And Corydon. What was life like for him? He had to be impressed, moving from a tent in the desert to the home of a Roman general. Would he be confused, or would he have enough memories of his father or grandfather or me to know the value of a man loving God above all else? What a tragedy if he became enamored with militarism or worse, pantheism.

My discomfiture was allayed somewhat by Joseph's consistently cheery disposition, which seemed to pick up where it had left off the night before. He exulted over Ananias' hospitality, his thoughtfulness at having arranged for two ladies of The Way to arrive early to prepare a bountiful
breakfast, bake bread, and pack provisions that would feed us throughout our journey.

Joseph lauded our benefactors with all the descriptors he could think of, praising them until their faces were rosy. And before we boarded his cart with the basket of victuals stuck fast between us, he gathered the three in the alley and likely woke the neighbors, saying, “May you continue to live for God in generosity of spirit, setting your minds on His ways, not clinging to the things of this world, but taking up your cross and following Jesus. May God grant you a share in His eternal covenant, and may Christ Himself be proud of you when He returns in glory. Now may the Holy Spirit grant you strength in your faith and lead you in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.”

When I offered to drive the horse, Joseph let me know that the very idea offended him. “You are my guest and my passenger. While he is a contentious youngster who tries my patience and my endurance, I will not have you struggling with him even for a few moments when your mind should be on the things of God.”

“But so should yours, sir.”

He let go of the reins with one hand to gesture, but while he was saying, “I'll not hear another word about it,” the young stallion veered off route and had to be yanked back. That served only somehow to amuse Joseph and return him to the subject he had begun the night before.

“I had planned for a festival visit of only a fortnight, as I did every year on my sojourn to Jerusalem, but now I wanted to stay. I had a cousin and an aunt there who had also become believers, and with no family on Cyprus, I sent word back to sell my estate so I could look at settling in Israel, perhaps even in Jerusalem.”

“You wanted to work with the apostles?”

“I was willing to do anything for the Lord. And providentially, by the
time my land was sold and the money eventually found its way to me, thousands of others had made the same decision. Most had not come from as far away as I, of course, but we all spent our days sitting at the apostles' feet, studying doctrine and fellowshipping, breaking bread, and praying. Not once did anyone doubt the men's calling, because they performed many signs and wonders.

“We new believers shared everything in common, sold our possessions, and divided the money, giving to each other as anyone had need. We were all of one accord, praising God, and the Lord added to His church daily.”

“I wish I could have been there.”

“But you were there, were you not?” Joseph said.

“I wasn't far away,” I said. “I received regular reports of you rabble-rousers.”

“Yes, it wasn't long before the authorities took notice of Peter and John. One afternoon at about three o'clock they were entering the Temple for prayer through the Beautiful Gate when they were accosted by the lame man who lay there every day.”

“I remember hearing that story. Peter told him he couldn't give him any money but what he had he would give. He told the man to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, correct?”

“That's the one,” Joseph said. “But of course Peter could not just let the work of God speak for itself. I don't think your superiors would have had a case against him if he had just left it alone. But he demanded to know why everybody looked so surprised. He told them that it was through faith in the name of Jesus that this man was made strong. He insisted they repent and be converted so that their sins could be blotted out.”

“That's what got back to us at the Sanhedrin and got him into such trouble.”

“Yes, he and John were arrested and held till the next day, but many
who had heard him believed and the number of believers grew to about five thousand. Were you there the next day when Peter and John were asked by what power or name had they done this?”

“I was there,” I said, “when Peter said, ‘Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the stone that was rejected by you builders, and it has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.'”

I told Joseph I had been among the council when they threatened Peter and John and forbade them to speak anymore in Jesus' name. “But Peter and John said, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.'

“We couldn't punish them, because we didn't know what you people would do.”

Joseph said, “When Peter and John reported all that the chief priests and elders had said, we praised God.”

“That's where they got the courage to defy the Sanhedrin?”

“All I remember, Paul, is that we had a prayer meeting that ended with a believer calling out to God to grant His servants boldness that they may speak His word. And when we had prayed, the place was shaken and we were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and we went from there preaching the word of God with boldness.”

When the sun reached its zenith and the horse seemed as thirsty as we were, Joseph reined him in and forced him to walk the last six miles to a way station where we found shade. There he appeared to enjoy a bit of respite from the heat as he was watered, and we sat in a grassy area sharing
a loaf of bread and a handful of figs. I dug through the basket to see what else lay in wait for us, thrilled to show Joseph a rich supply of dried fish that looked and smelled delicious. We decided to save it for special suppers as we neared Jerusalem.