by David Riley
After a short time, the weeping subsided and Temeros sat with his head bowed forward.
“My friend, I am sorry you have suffered so much. All I can tell you is that our Lord has defeated death and there is great comfort in knowing that your mother believed before this terrible act occurred. I can assure you that she is in paradise with God as we speak. Jesus has overcome the power of death in our lives. When we who believe in Him lose a loved one, we miss them terribly, but we do not grieve as people who have no hope. We know that we will see them again if we trust Him to guide us and believe that he has paid the price for our wrongdoing.”
Temeros sniffed, listening. “Do you really believe that? Aren’t you a doctor? Isn’t death irreversible?”
Luke nodded. “Yes from a human standpoint, we cannot avoid death. But I have spent the last few years researching the life of Jesus and learning from Paul. Paul himself had an encounter with Jesus in person, hearing His voice, and this was long after His death. There are many witnesses who saw Him alive after His crucifixion. I have talked to them and I believe their report. I can’t explain it but I believe it. I just know beyond doubt that Jesus is divine and is my Lord and Savior.”
“If He is so holy and good, why does He cause so much pain?!” Temeros asked, still with some anger in his voice.
“I can assure you,” Luke responded, “that Jesus did not cause this to happen. When we began to turn away from our selfish pursuits and worldly ways and focus our lives on Jesus, our enemy, Satan, fights back. The ones we have left behind as we pursue Him sometimes get angry or try to change our beliefs. Doing what is right and good can sometimes cause division. Our Lord Himself said that in our lives with Him, we will face tribulations, but He promised He has overcome the world! Can you imagine that? Even Paul has taught that we cannot be separated from God’s love, no matter what happens to us in this life. And he would know! He has been stoned and attacked and left for dead, as well as being stuck in a Roman prison for the past two years. The Jewish people hate him, as do the followers of false gods, even the followers of Artemis in the temple in Ephesus.”
Temeros sat silently as he processed all of this. He knew this made sense and that the tragedy in his home was not something Paul caused, but he still felt angry and wanted vengeance on someone. But everything he had heard pierced his heart and he recognized truth in Luke’s words.
“I miss her,” he said quietly. “I tried to save her. Why was I saved and she was not? I don’t understand and it makes me angry.”
Luke answered, “In the times when I don’t understand why God allows something painful to happen in my life, all I can do it trust in what I know. God is good, God is just, and God is all-knowing. His ways are not my ways but His ways are perfect. I choose to believe that He will work all things together for some sort of good in His timing. I know that He has saved me through the sacrifice and resurrection of my Lord and one day I will see my loved ones that have died. I find great comfort in this.”
“I wish I could have that same comfort. I need time to think about all of this,” Temeros responded quietly, his anger gone and replaced with longing for the peace and certainty he saw in Luke.
“I will be praying that God will direct you. I am always available to talk more when you are ready,” Luke said with a gentle smile. “I will give you a break and go check on my other patients but I will be back later.”
He got up and walked away, leaving Temeros lost in his thoughts. The anger and desire for vengeance had faded as they talked. His head was spinning as he considered their conversation. As he sat there in the shadow of a stack of crates, two Roman soldiers stopped near him on the other side, deep in conversation.
“I don’t trust him,” said one. “I tell you, Porcius, he is up to something. That crowd that he has gathered around him all the time could cause big problems if they banded together.”
Porcius answered with a sneer, “What do you expect to do about it, Cassius? You know he is the favorite of our Centurion. In fact, I think Julius secretly believes all of that stuff about Jesus that he keeps spouting. Surely he can’t be naïve enough to believe someone came back from the dead?! That is ridiculous!”
“Definitely! I don’t know why he is so enamored with a prisoner! Just because he is a Roman citizen! Why would a lowly prisoner deserve that honor? I have not been granted that privilege myself, and I am a soldier of the Empire! It is disgraceful.”
“I agree!” Porcius said, nodding. “I don’t think he should be commanding Roman soldiers if he is giving that much influence to a common criminal! We need to keep an eye on him. Gaius is not much better. He is always yelling at us for one thing or another. As for that prisoner, we should teach him a lesson in humility!”
Cassius glanced sharply at him. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, you know that we are almost to port in Fair Havens. I have it on good authority that since it is so late in the year, there is a good possibility we may have to winter there. Surely in the next few weeks or months, a lone prisoner could quietly disappear or have an ‘accident.’”
“Hmm,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “I think you may be on to something. That way we could remove that risk of rebellion as well as his power over Julius. Of course we could not have it traced back to us.”
“We have some time to think about it. Let’s keep this to ourselves but we will talk more,” Porcius said as they walked away.
Temeros was stunned by what he had overheard. As he sat there mulling over the conversation he had heard, his mind was in a jumble. What should he do with this information? Just a short time ago, he would have been glad to join in the schemes he had overheard. His opinions about Paul had been darkly colored by his father’s rantings.
Now, however, his anger and desire for revenge had given way to longing for the hope the believers seemed to have. His mother had died with this hope in Jesus and he now realized it was because of the ministry of Paul. Thinking of her brought deep sadness and the desire to see her again. Luke was certain he could see her again if he, too, believed. He wanted to hear more about Jesus and the eternal life He offered.
Notes:
3 Psalm 19:1–3 (NIV)
4 See 1 Corinthians 12:12–26.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, Julius met with the ship’s captain. They were approaching port in Fair Havens and would likely be anchoring there that afternoon. Arriving at any port required a plan for managing the prisoners under his care. There must be tight control over each one. Roman law was strict and there were severe penalties even to death for the soldiers who allowed any prisoner to escape. The confusion and tumult of the arrival process and of the crew and supplies being transferred on and off the ship were prime opportunities for prisoners to slip away.
Julius was the ranking officer onboard, but he understood the importance of delegating authority to his officers. They knew the men best. At the same time, he wanted to protect Paul and he knew some of the soldiers did not share that sentiment. He pulled Gaius aside. As his optio, his second-in-command, the responsibility of organizing this activity fell to him.
“Gaius, I want to be sure Paul is not mistreated by the men. I know some of them have been grumbling. Can you oversee that for me?”
“Of course, Sir,” he said, keeping his manner more formal as he glanced at the soldiers walking by. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on them, especially Cassius and Porcius. They seem to spend a lot of time in secret conversation and are quick to stop talking whenever I come around. I have heard that they feel Paul is being treated with favoritism and I get the impression they want to change that. I’ll be sure they are assigned elsewhere.”
“Thank you,” Julius responded. “I respect Paul very much, even though he is a prisoner. As a citizen of Rome, he deserves our protection while he is in our custody.”
“I have heard some of the crew say we are not likely to continue the journey from here, due to the lateness of the season. Did th
e captain tell you if he plans to winter at Fair Havens?” Gaius asked.
“At our discussion this morning, I asked him that. He definitely feels it is too late in the season to push on to Rome. However, Fair Havens is a busy port. He wants to see if they are overcrowded before he decides. The other option would be Phoenix a few hours further west. He will speak to the master of the port and then make a decision. If we decide to go there, then we will relax the guard.”
Gaius smiled. “I will be glad to be ashore for a few months. Life onboard a ship gets old after a period of time. It will be nice to walk around on solid ground and not bump into the same people every few minutes.”
Julius nodded in agreement. “Shore leave is always a welcome relief. I think I have forgotten what it is like to be off duty and be able to relax in an inn and sleep in a real bed. Let’s gather the men and make the announcement.”
Gaius gave the order for all of the soldiers to gather for their assignments. It took several minutes for them to arrive and line up in their ranks. The group of prisoners were seated on deck in plain sight so all of the soldiers were gathered. The men were called to attention, and a head count was taken to be sure all were present and accounted for.
Julius addressed the gathered men with a loud voice.
“Soldiers of Rome, we will soon be arriving in the port of Fair Havens. The prisoners in our charge must be accounted for during this process. I don’t need to remind you of the severe penalty if any should escape! Discipline has been relaxed during our voyage but that will change now. Gaius will be assigning guards to each prisoner until the next step in our journey is decided. As you are aware, it is late in the season. The captain has informed me we will not be able to go to Rome at this time. We will be considering the best option for wintering in port. After talking with the port master at Fair Havens, we will determine whether to disembark there or to go on to Phoenix, a few hours west. Until the decision is made, we will expect you to be on alert and fulfill your duties to the Emperor. As always, complaints and insubordination will be met with the severest discipline.”
He stepped back and gestured to Gaius to take over. Gaius began giving commands. He ordered them to gather all of the prisoners in the main compartment below decks upon his command, approximately two hours prior to arriving. At that time, each would be shackled between two soldiers until further notice. The soldiers groaned at this but knew the drill. They had been through this before. Each secretly hoped he would not be chosen to guard the prisoners during the transfer to shore. It made for a difficult and awkward time for both the prisoners and the guards.
He dismissed the men after ordering them to check the posted guard assignments in one hour’s time. The junior officers were then given the task of making assignments. Gaius spoke privately to the junior officer in charge of Cassius and Porcius. He made it clear to him that they were being closely watched and in danger of reprimand if they stepped out of line. Gaius ordered him to keep them separated from Paul for the time being and then went on to his other duties.
Within a few hours, there was a noticeable air of excitement spreading around the ship. The ship’s crew fell to their assigned duties quickly and efficiently. The foreman was calling out orders as various crews were assigned to the main sail, others to the foresail, and some to the anchors at the bow and stern, and the oarsmen took their position to maneuver to their mooring site. The boat, which had been towed behind the ship, was reeled in and readied for the captain and Julius to go ashore when the time came.
The passengers lined the rails on the starboard side of the ship watching the approaching shore and the activity in the port. There were three other ships anchored in the port as well, but none as large as theirs. The soldiers that were not assigned below decks with the prisoners were on deck watching as well.
Temeros found a place on the rail near the stern. His head was no longer throbbing but his shoulder still ached. He was not able to assist with the arrival of the ship but was fascinated as he observed his coworkers performing their tasks. Luke walked over to where he stood and greeted him.
“It’s good to see you today, Temeros. Glad to see you seem to be feeling better,” he said.
“Hi, Luke,” he answered. “Yes, my head feels much better, but my shoulder still aches. I think the pain is a little better today.”
“Good!” Luke gestured toward the crowded deck. “It is always exciting to see the activity of pulling into port. I’ve been on many ships and never cease to enjoy watching this.”
Temeros nodded and was silent for a moment as he thought once more about the conversation he heard the day before. “Luke, I need to tell you something,” he said.
Luke turned toward him expectantly. “What is it?”
“Yesterday after you left me on deck, I overheard two soldiers talking. They were talking about Paul and it sounded as though they were planning to hurt him.”
“What!?” Luke said in surprise. “Why would they want to do that?”
“I think they envy his citizenship. They feel he has influence over your centurion, and they did not like that. They said they fear he may try to overthrow the ship since he has so many followers on board.”
“That is ridiculous! He is a prisoner! How could he do that?”
“I don’t know. It sounded silly to me, too.”
“What are they planning to do?”
“They were not specific. They just said when the ship is wintering in port, it would be easy for a prisoner to have an accident.”
Luke considered this with a grim expression on his face. “I’m glad you told me. I will speak to Paul and also alert the centurion.”
“Please don’t tell them it was me who informed you!” Temeros said.
“Of course not! I will talk to you again soon,” he said as he turned to go.
—————
Meanwhile, Cassius and Porcius were at the bow of the ship, leaning on the rail to the port side, away from shore. Their heads were together as they conversed quietly.
“I’ve been thinking,” Cassius said. “Fair Havens is a busy port, with people everywhere. It may be harder to do what we are thinking here.”
Porcius nodded. “I was thinking about that too. I have a friend who has been to Phoenix and it is more isolated. Plus, they have more inns and more women willing to sell their wares over a long winter!” he said sneering.
Cassius leered at that. “I think we need to try to somehow convince the captain it would be better to go on to Phoenix instead of staying here. Not only will it make our winter more enjoyable, but the town would lend itself more to our purposes, with fewer witnesses who would question what we were up to!”
“I have a few friends on the ship’s crew, and I think they could be easily swayed to get more of their crewmates to push for going on!”
“Let’s see if we can do that before the captain makes up his mind!” Cassius said. They pushed back from the railing and walked away to find the crew.
—————
The idea of going on from Fair Havens to winter in Phoenix with all of its “amenities” caught on rapidly with the crew. Soon the word spread to Rayiz, the foreman. As he made his rounds among the various work crews, he heard several of them mention this. He finished his checklist and went to report to the Captain.
“Sir,” he said. “There is talk among the crew that Phoenix is a much better place to winter in than Fair Havens. Several of them seem to know it well.”
The captain considered this for a moment. “Have you ever been there Rayiz?” he asked.
“No, I have not. I have talked to others on past voyages who have, though. They tell me it has a variety of inns and places for lodging.” He did not mention other sources of entertainment.
“Well, Fair Havens is very nice but also crowded. There are already three other ships here. I will take the Centurion, Julius, with me to talk to the port master before deciding, but it may be best to go on.”
Rayiz nodded, smili
ng inwardly and already imagining a few months of relaxation and indulgence in port. “Yes sir. I will wait to inform the men until I hear from you.” He went back to check on the men again.
—————
In the midst of the activity on deck, Julius and Gaius were discussing the plans as they walked. They stopped for a moment near Paul. As they conversed, Paul stood and made his way over to them.
“Excuse me, Julius!” He called out to them. “Do you have a moment?”
Julius paused and turned to him. “Hello, Paul. I am pretty busy. Can it wait?”
“I just need a minute of your time. I feel it is important that I talk to you before you go ashore with the captain.”
He sighed and motioned for Gaius to wait a moment. “Ok. What can I do for you?”
“I know we have taken much more time in our journey than was intended. Now that it is late in the season, after the Jewish fast, it is becoming more dangerous to continue to Rome. I heard you speaking to your troops earlier about plans for wintering.”
“Yes, go on.”
“In my prayers today, God spoke to me and I feel I need to give you a message.” At this, Gaius rolled his eyes. Julius kept his expression neutral.
“I’m not sure why God would want to give me a message but please continue,” Julius said.
“I know that if we continue further, we will be faced with disaster and the loss of the ship and cargo, as well as risking our lives. I believe strongly we should winter here in Fair Havens.”
Julius and Gaius looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
“Thank you for your input but we have not yet decided. When the captain and I go ashore, we will have more information on which to base our decision.”
Paul nodded. “I understand, and I appreciate you listening. Please understand this is not just my opinion but I feel truly this is God’s leading. Even if the captain wants to go further, you are the highest ranking officer and he will have to obey you. I believe as you have been with me, you have heard God’s teaching. I pray that you will come to know Christ and His saving power. I don’t want you to be in danger of losing your life by continuing on before you have given your life to Him.”
