Chapter 2

Cyprus

 

“What a challenge!” Saul pranced around their quarters, doing chores, packing, but acting more like a little boy who’d gotten a new toy. “We’re sent on a mission to preach the gospel to people who’ve never heard it before. I tell you, Barnabas, John Mark, we’ve enjoyed our work here in Antioch; but this is nothing compared with the adventure on which we’re going.”

“That it is,” smiled the tall man as he scratched his chin through his beard. “Isn’t it wonderful how the Lord plants within our hearts the desire to do what He assigns us? It’s no wonder why I love Jesus so very much!”

“Me too,” grinned the young man.

“Amen,” affirmed Saul as he folded an extra sash and placed it in his knapsack. “And the nicest part about the whole plan is: Jesus will go with us all the way. And in that way He’ll enjoy our ‘fun’ right along with us.”

The three moved about their flat, gathering and folding the clothes and blankets they would need for their mission, placing to one side the extra clothing they’d give to the poor members of the church, cleaning up the place for the next tenants, and, from time to time, stopping to pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit.

As they finished their work Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark sat at the table examining a crude map of the lands around the Great Sea—The Mediterranean, sometimes jokingly referred to as ‘the Roman Lake.’

“Why don’t we start in Cyprus, your motherland,” suggested Saul.

“Good,” exclaimed Barnabas. “John’s mother used to live there. It will be good to walk the sod of home once more.” He looked again at the map. “Of course, we won’t spend all our time on Cyprus. There are other fields which will need our labor.”

“Look at this town across from Paphos, what is it . . . Perga?” Mark looked closely at the dim scribbling.

“My father told me about that place,” put in Barnabas. “It’s so hot in the summer that the residents all go up onto the mountain to spend the season, so they can be more comfortable.”

“Never heard of a place like that,” confessed Saul. “Every place I’ve been the people work all year, regardless of the weather. Sound’s interesting. Perhaps, if we go there, we’ll discover the secret of their plan.”

 

“It seems like everyone in the church is here to see us off,” commented Barnabas as the three men made the rounds of hugs and kisses. A kiss, as practiced throughout the orient—except for husband and wife—was never given on the lips. Each person held onto the other’s arms and, in a somewhat-singular motion brushed together first their right cheeks and then their left.

“We will miss all of you very much, but we will pray for you as we journey.”

Barnabas raised his arms toward heaven, while the church members prepared to pray. Some bowed their heads, some closed their eyes so as to concentrate on the speaker’s prayer. Husbands and wives held hands, while some of the church brethren placed their arms across each other’s shoulders. Some felt more comfortable kneeling.

“Lord God, Father of all mankind, Creator of the worlds. We petition You to care for this church as the people carry on the work of spreading the gospel here in Antioch. Give them success, O Lord, and bring many souls into a knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord.

“Be with Saul, John Mark and myself as we go forth to carry the gospel to lands afar. Send Your angels with us, as You have promised in the Psalms, that they may care for us at each step of the way, according to Your will.

“We look forward to Your coming when all people will have heard of Your love, and Your people will go to the home You are preparing for us. We pray to You in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

As Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark descended the steps of the church, dozens of members followed, wanting to remain as close to them for as long as they could. Several pressed in close, people whom they had led to Christ in recent days. They were overwhelmed with different emotions—wanting them to stay, and yet delighted that they had such an opportunity to spread the good news of salvation to people in far countries.

“Where will you go first?” asked a young woman who had been baptized but days before.

“We’ll go to Cyprus first,” answered Barnabas. “From there . . . from there, we have to depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit.”

“The Spirit has led you this far, I’m sure He’ll continue to be with you,” remarked an elder who had come with the group.

“That’s right,” put in Saul. “We cannot go anywhere without His leading. He hasn’t made it known to us what He plans for us beyond Cyprus.”

The road to the river was lined with houses, businesses, and booths in the street where men and women sought to sell their merchandise. But none of the Christian group heard the salespeople calling out for them to buy; all were lost in thoughts and memories of their personal ties with Barnabas and Saul.

“The ship sails within the hour.” Barnabas thought out loud. “We’ll stow our things aboard, and still have time to speak with our friends.”

“That’s a good suggestion,” returned Saul.

Barnabas glanced at his friend, wondering what suggestion he had made that pleased his friend. Then he realized that he had actually expressed his thoughts verbally.

“Ha-ha,” the taller man laughed. “I must have told you what I was thinking. I didn’t realize I was speaking.”

“That’s all right, friend,” Saul chuckled. “You’ll probably hear me doing the same thing.”

“Me too,” chimed in John Mark with a smile.

Reaching the boat, the missionaries dismissed themselves, and went in search of the captain. After paying for their passage, and putting their things aboard, they returned again to their friends.

“The captain told us that he will be casting off in a few minutes, so we should stay here beside the boat.” Saul looked about to see other passengers boarding as well.

There were no passenger ships in those days—only freighters. But all of them had some provision for ferrying passengers to the next port of call.

 “I think we should make our final farewells,” Barnabas suggested. “The seamen seem about to cast off the ropes.”

After a few more hugs and kisses, the pioneers stepped up the stairs and onto deck, just as the boat began to move. The captain acted in a professional way, and skillfully guided his men as they turned the boat, swept across the river and faced the bark downstream. A few more gestures of goodbye, and the boat drifted out of sight, south toward the sea. In a few more moments, Antioch in Syria sank into the background, and soon disappeared altogether.

Slipping down the river presented no difficulty for the Orontes moved swiftly. And, the Romans had maintained a clear channel so that the shipping lanes remained secure.

The river swept along the base of the Pierian hills, which added to the grandeur of the scene. The three men occupied their time gazing at the beauty along the riverbank and at the mountains in the distance.

“Beautiful country,” mused Saul.

“Yes,” returned Barnabas. “A land like Eden of old—except with a lot more sin.”

“Hey, Uncle, Eden didn’t have any sin!” The young man laughed as he chided the older man.

Barnabas made a “dumb” face and said: “Well there, you see, this land does have a lot more sin than Eden, doesn’t it?” He took John Mark’s hat and handed it to Saul, and the three played keep-away for several minutes, much to the amusement of the sailors.

The time taken for the journey from Antioch to the sea passed quickly, and the ship moored briefly at the upper part of the harbor at Seleucia, before the river enters the sea. The captain planned to take the boat on to Joppa, and from there, in several “hops”—from port to port—to eventually arrive in Alexandria. So, the three men lighted off in Seleucia, hoping to find a ship bound for Salamis on Cyprus.

Saul looked about him at the city and its surroundings. “Seleucia by the Sea,” had been designated by Pompey as a free city—its citizens considered Romans—much as Tarsus and Alexandria.  The place had two main characteristics: that of a fortress and a seaport. It stood on a rocky prominence, at the southern end of a tall range of hills projecting from Mt. Amanus. The ground rose towards the north-east into high and craggy summits; and around the greater part of its circumference of four miles, the city was protected by its position at the base of the mountains.

The harbor had been man-made since no natural haven existed at the spot. Using stones of immense size—some of them twenty feet long, five feet deep, and six feet wide—the inhabitants had built two Jetties. The northern breakwater took a wider sweep and overlapped the southern wall, forming a secure southern entrance and a protected basin. The builders fastened the stones together with great iron clamps. The sea wall protected the ships in the harbor from the swells of the western sea.

Barnabas, Saul and John Mark soon found a vessel headed for Cyprus. The boat looked to be somewhat smaller than the ship on which they had descended the Orontes, but it seemed to be safe enough. Like others of the time, the ship had one square-rigged sail, which carried the vessel along at a rate of only a few knots.

The three missionaries stepped aboard the ship and spoke briefly with the captain.

“We’d like to book passage to Salamis,” spoke Barnabas with the upturn of a question at the end.

“S’ppose we can do it.” He didn’t seem very friendly, but not putoffish either. “Ya wanna pay ‘r work?”

“We’ll pay.”

“All right, din. Put yer things in da cab’n an’ we’ll be sail’n soon.”

As they opened the door of the cabin, they realized they’d not be spending much time in there.

“Phew!” snorted John Mark. “I’ve never smelled anything as bad as that.”

“Nor I,” returned Barnabas shutting the door. “Perhaps it would be best to just keep our things with us and find some place to sit on deck.” They noticed that other passengers had made similar decisions.

 

“Leggo th’ sail!” shouted the captain, as the shipmen cast off the ropes. “Easy she goes through th’ gate.”

The ship moved slowly, first a little to the north, and then it made a sharp bend south as it slipped between the two breakwaters and into the Great Sea. The slow swells from the north caused a rocking motion that imitated the soothing swing of a Mother’s arms as she cuddled her child.

Saul looked back at the receding Syrian coast as they made slow progress toward Cyprus. The whole sweep of the bay of Antioch lay on their left, the low ground about the mouth of the Orontes, the wild, woody country beyond it, and then the peak of Mt. Casius, rising symmetrically from the very edge of the sea to a height of five thousand feet. On the right, on the south-western horizon, through the mist, they saw the island of Cyprus. Having left fairly early in the day, the pioneers expected to arrive on the Island by nightfall.

The winds blew mildly, and the ship didn’t make as good time as they had hoped. The sky darkened and soon the stars peeped out of the blackness overhead. The sailors reckoned that the sky was a giant bowl and the stars were merely pin-holes in the bowl allowing the light to shine trough.

John Mark knew better. “What a wonderful sky,” he exclaimed. “It seems so much darker and the stars seem brighter out here on the sea.”

“I’ve noticed that,” remarked Barnabas. “And to think, Jesus, our Savior and God, created all this. And He loved us so much that, even though He was the all-powerful God of the universe, he came down here as a man and died for our sins.” The tall man paused for a moment. “It’s humbling to realize that the God who created all that we see died for me.”

“He must love us very much,” replied John Mark.

“Yes . . . He does.”

John Mark began humming a tune he’d learned as a child, and Barnabas joined him.

“Did you ever learn the words to that song?” asked the older man.

“No. I didn’t know that it had words.”

“They go something like this.” Barnabas’ began singing softly, with a hesitant voice, but as he grew more confident, his voice became louder and more clear. Some of the crew looked his direction and listened to the song.

 

“The love that Jesus had for me,

However can it be,

that He should die for me.

All earth and heaven stand in view

Of love so deep and true,

He died for me and you.

 

“My God, before You made the sand,

Before You made the man,

You felt his cruel hand.

You loved us more than we could know,

You came to us below,

Your loving Name to show.*

 

“He died for you and me.” Saul whispered, filled with the awe of the moment.

 

The sail had been furled for the night and a sea anchor cast out so that the ship would have a better chance of holding its position during the night. Sailors feared sailing at night. Who knows what evil lurked out there, what object they might strike?

As the pale light of dawn grasped at one cloud, then another, the crew began to move about on deck. In spite of precautions, the ship had proceeded south somewhat below Cyprus, making it necessary for them to swing about and face into the wind. The air moved over the ship at a greater speed than on the preceding day, and had shifted more to the east. This made it necessary for the captain to tack the ship (a zig-zag  pattern) in order to make headway toward the northeast.

As the ship progressed slowly toward Salamis, the three missionaries sat cross-legged on the deck, discussing their plans for the work they intended to do in the city.

“The Jews have been migrating to Cyprus for centuries,” explained Barnabas. “There are hundreds of them in the area of Salamis. We’ll find a number of synagogues, and they will be the center of our work here.”

“I agree,” put in Saul. “We’ll begin by speaking in a chosen synagogue week after week if they allow us. We’ll seek to make friends among the Jews and also among the Proselytes, and God fearers (Gentiles who have come close to the Jewish faith, but have not yet become Proselytes). These people can also lead us to others with whom we can study in private.”

“Why don’t we just preach about Jesus in the market place?” asked John Mark. “It seems to me that it would be more direct to reach the Gentiles that way than to go through the synagogues like you say.”

“That’s true,” returned Saul, “but we want to win the Jews as well. And if we start by preaching to the Gentiles, the Jews won’t even let us into their synagogues.”

“That makes sense.” John Mark remained silent for a minute. “I’d just never thought of it that way before.”

“And when we can do no more in one synagogue, we can move on to the next.” Barnabas, the group’s leader, made the final decision.

“There are a number of Christians here, you know,” Barnabas continued explaining details of his native land. “They came here after the persecution . . .”

“Which I started,” added Saul with disgust.

“Yes, I remember,” replied Barnabas with a wry smile. “And they have built up quite a group through the years hence.” He looked down at is nephew. “John’s mother came from among them. She was a brave woman to go back to Jerusalem during those tempestuous times.” He rubbed his hand through Mark’s hair. “And you had the courage to go with her. I trust that you will continue to be so valiant.” He scanned the shoreline, and studied the approaching port. Then, as if an afterthought, he added, “You’ll need it as our mission moves forward.”

“I’m ready.” The voice was strong, but the face showed a slight tinge of fear.

 

"Brothers and fathers, listen to me!” Barnabas was invited to speak to those who had come to the synagogue and he began to reason with them. “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.' So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran.” Speakers were expected to spend some time reviewing God’s leading during past generations before continuing with their message.

“After the death of his father, Tera, God led Abraham to the land of Canaan, but He gave him no inheritance there, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child.  God spoke to him in this way: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will come out of that country and worship Me in this place.'

The tall apostle looked into the eyes of those who listened as he continued. “Abraham became the father of Isaac and later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs, who went down into Egypt. They became enslaved by the Egyptians, but they increased greatly in number.

"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for in his father's house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian.

Barnabas cleared his throat, and then continued. “Moses fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. After forty years had passed, an Angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord's voice: 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

“Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.' This is the same Moses whom they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert. This is that Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will send you a prophet like unto me.’

“It is of this prophet about which we want to speak,” continued Barnabas. “Jesus of Nazareth, son of Abraham, son of David, was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the King. He was baptized by John, and began to work with power and in the Spirit of God. During a period of three and one-half years he preached the gospel of the forgiveness of sin, and of the resurrection of life. He healed many sick people, opened blind eyes, cast out many devils, and raised the dead.”

Barnabas dropped his eyes for a moment, and went on: “In spite of all the good things He did, the Jewish leaders arrested Him and brought Him to trial before Pilate who had Him crucified.” He looked at his audience again. “Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The third day he rose from the grave and was witnessed by over 500 people during the succeeding 40 days. Then He ascended up to heaven, there to serve as our eternal High Priest.”

The apostle paused before going on. “When Jesus died on the cross, He took upon Himself all the sins of the world, and paid the penalty for those sins. If you accept Him as your Savior, He can take away your sins, and free you from the guilt that takes away the peace of your heart.

“Brothers, I call upon you today to accept this Jesus as your Messiah, your Christ. He will save you from your sins, and give you eternal life in the Kingdom of God.”

“This is good news!” called out one of the God-fearers near the back of the room. “We want to hear more about this Jesus.”

The general feeling of the congregation seemed positive, and the ruler of the synagogue extended to the visitors an invitation to speak again on the next Sabbath.

During the week, working from house to house among the Jewish settlements, Barnabas, John Mark, and Saul taught the Scriptures and convinced all who would listen that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 

After several weeks of preaching in the synagogues and in the market places, and of studying from the scriptures in the homes of Jews and Greeks alike, the Christian community had grown to almost double its original size. And when Barnabas suggested that his team should move on to Paphos, there rose a cry from among the members of the church: “Please don’t go,” they pled. “The work has only begun.”

“Yes, there is still much to do,” replied Barnabas. “But we have broken ground and planted the seed. Now, it’s up to you and your families to cultivate the plants, and produce a harvest. God will send His Spirit to help you.”

With that, the apostles made the round of hugs and kisses, and set out on a 100-mile walk that would take them the length of the island to the capitol city of Paphos. The sun beat down on the three missionaries as they hoofed it down the road that skirted the sea along the southern part of the island and extended on toward Paphos. The dry air drew moisture from their bodies and they had to make frequent stops to drink from their goat-skin “canteens.”

 

“Paphos is quite a famous place, you know,” commented Barnabas as they came in sight of the old city sitting on an eminence up ahead. “Pilgrims from around the world come to pay homage to the ‘god’ in the sanctuary up on the hill.”

“I’ve heard of it,” mused Saul. “Paphos of the poets.”

“Aye,” returned Barnabas, “then you have heard of it. Few people know that the city once had a poet’s guild. Some of the greatest poets of the world came from this city.”

“I thought Paphos was a seaport,” put in John Mark. “Why is it so far from the sea?”

“It is a seaport,” Barnabas smiled, “but the port is about two miles away, down at the sea. In fact, that’s where most of the people live.”

“Didn’t the city experience an earthquake . . . not to long ago?” asked Saul.

“Yes. It actually destroyed the city and killed many people.” He picked a stalk of Alwin grass and sucked the sap from it’s tender end. “Emperor Augustus rebuilt the city and gave it his own name—Augusta, or as some called it, Sebaste. But it didn’t work. People still called it ‘Paphos.’”

“That’s strange,” laughed John Mark.

“Paphos is the residence of the Roman Governor,” continued the tall man. “But it has an awkward appearance, a strong garrison of imperial solders in the midst of a Greek population . . . the power of Rome side by side with frivolous amusements!” He smiled. “And the residence of the governor has achieved somewhat the style of a royal court.”

“You keep up on affairs of Cyprus, don’t you?” suggested Saul.

“I have many friends in Cyprus.”

The Sabbath, being several days away, the missionaries entered into discussions with people in the market place, telling them about Jesus, His sacrifice and ascension into heaven. It didn’t take long for a small group to gather about the apostles.

“This Jesus, whom we preach to you, was God, who came down to earth as a man.” Barnabas sought to make the message clear to His mostly Greek audience. “He worked among men, teaching truth to His countrymen, healing sicknesses, and even raising dead people to life again. But the chief rulers of our nation arrested Him, brought Him to trial, and crucified Him. But on the third day He rose up from the dead and was seen by many people over the next 40 days. After that He was taken off into heaven, there to prepare a place where He will one day bring all those who believe on His name.”

Several people crowded around them wanting to hear more. Saul, Barnabas and John Mark split up so that they could reach more people. Each of the three men spent the entire day teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who had come into their group. Several people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Master during the day, and the apostles explained to them, during the evening, what kind of person Jesus had been, and the kind of life He lived. Several wanted to follow Jesus’ example and be baptized like He had been. So the apostles led them into a pool of water near the shore, and gently laid them down into the water until they were completely submerged. Then they rose to walk in a new life with Jesus.

From that moment, the three missionaries began to train the new Christians in the work of the church. They helped them to organize into a church, and began to train certain of the older men to be elders of the church. After several days of work, the church had grown to a considerable size.

One of the most difficult things that the apostles faced was that of helping the people realize that they would have to leave their old idolatry behind—with all its ceremonies and trappings—and take on the new life of a Christian.

“There can be no union between the Christian and idol worship,” explained Saul. “When you serve Jesus as your God and Savior, you have no more need of the things that you used when you worshiped idols and images. You must rid our houses of everything that pertains to pagan idolatry. You don’t want anything around your dwelling that will remind you of the old life you have left behind. You are entering into a new life with Jesus, now. The old has passed away; behold all things have become new.”

“That’s right,” offered Barnabas. “We might call it ‘the new birth.’ We are not born in the human way of speaking, but we are born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives and we become new creatures. We have the same bodies, of course. But God has taken the stony heart out of our bodies, as it were, and replaced it with a heart of flesh. Now, the Lord can put His laws in our hearts, and write them on our minds. Our sins and lawless acts He will not remember any more."         

“Amen!” shouted one of the newly baptized believers.

 

The work of Barnabas, Saul and John Mark could not long remain unknown to the Roman authorities. The governor of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus, heard about the work these men were doing, and became intrigued with the reports he received. The governor wanted to hear it too, and sent a messenger to invite them to his residence for an interview.

The governor was a man well-versed in philosophy, a prudent man who desired to hear the Word of God. Unfortunately, he had become attached with a Jewish false prophet—a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus. This man had given himself the Arabic name, Elymas—The Wise.

But Sergius Paulus was not so captivated by the sorcerer that he was turned away from knowing the truth. For this reason he had sent for Barnabas and Saul. He wanted to know more of the Word of God they preached.

“But your grace,” objected Elymas, “These men are foreigners, Jews who have come here to stir up trouble. I think you’re wasting your time listening to them . . .”

“I have summoned them,” interrupted Sergius Paulus, “and I shall hear them.” The governor was adamant.

Within the hour the two apostles and John Mark stood before the governor. They bowed from respect for the office he held.

“You invited us to see you?” asked Barnabas.

“Yes,” returned the governor. “I would like to hear this new teaching you’ve been sharing with the people in town.”

“Your wasting your time, your grace.” Elymas couldn’t help himself. “You can see right away that these men aren’t much better than beggars. Look at their clothes.”

Barnabas considered Elymas merely interference and intended to continue.

But Saul set his eyes on Elymas, and the sorcerer began to back down. Saul wouldn’t let him get away. “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!” he hissed. “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?”

Saul stepped a little closer and continued, raising his voice: “Now the hand of the Lord is against you,” he shouted. “You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.”

The tension in the room could be sliced with a knife. Sergius Paulus, were he a lesser man, would have called for the guards; Barnabas and John Mark stood aghast at Saul’s sudden outburst, as they had seen little that would seem to cause it. Elymas was a little frustrating to them, but he didn’t seem to pose any threat.

But suddenly, it happened. The curse that Saul had put on Elymas struck like the thud of a sledgehammer, and the little man groped about the room, trying to find someone who would guide him by the hand. He was blind! He could see no light at all, even though sunlight streamed from the glazed openings in the dome above the governor’s seat.

Sergius Paulus stood up, his mouth open, scarcely believing what he had seen. His court sorcerer had been overcome by the Jesus of whom Saul preached.

Saul didn’t wait for a second invitation to speak and launched into his message. “The Jesus whom we preach is the God who created the world,” he spoke softly, but with urgency. “He came to us in the form of a man, lived with us for 33 years, and taught the truth as it is revealed in Scripture. Our Jewish leaders were angry at Him, because He was taking away their prestige. They had Him arrested, tried at night, condemned to die by Pilate, and crucified. It was to pay the price for our sins that He died. He was buried and the Roman seal was placed over His tomb, guarded by a Centurion and his band. But on the third day, Jesus rose from the grave and in the next 40 days He was seen by over 500 people. Then He ascended to heaven to minister to us from His glorious throne.”

“And He has sent us to bring the good news of His salvation to the world,” put in Barnabas. “That is the purpose of our visit to Paphos, your honor. We are preaching to the people how Jesus can save them from sin.”

“I’m overwhelmed,” confessed Sergius Paulus. “This Jesus whom you preach, is obviously the powerful God of heaven, just as you described. How else could he have stricken Elymas blind like he has just done.” The governor had risen from his seat at the blinding of Elymas, but now he took his seat once more. “Tell me more of this Jesus. I would like so much for Him to take away my sins.”

 

“You have a Roman name don’t you?” asked Barnabas.

“Yes,” Saul replied. “Paul.”

“We’ll be working with many gentiles on this journey, and I believe you will be more accepted if you use the name Paul.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, I do.” Barnabas stared at the floor for a moment, and than back at Paul. “I’ve more or less been the leader of our group since we left Antioch. From what I’ve seen today, it seems obvious to me that the Holy Spirit has chosen you as the leader. So I will accept your direction from this moment.”

“No, Barnabas. You make a good leader.”

“I insist,” replied the tall man. “God has chosen you as the one to direct this mission. And I gladly accept the guidance you receive from the Holy Spirit.”

“It seems wise to me too,” put in John Mark.

“May I be worthy of the trust you have placed in me.” Paul stood up and turned toward the home in which they lodged. “I guess we’d best get a bite to eat and some rest. Tomorrow we sail for Perga.”

 

 

*From “The Love That Jesus Had for Me,” by Thurman C. Petty, Jr., Gilmore, CA, 1984