“Yes,” said Jason. “That is us.”
“You are the ones with the power to heal?”
“We have had that honor on occasion,” Stephen said.
“My father is in need of your power. Please come with me. I’ll pay you well.”
Stephen looked proudly at Paul.
“We don’t want your money, friend,” Jason said to the man. “We only wish to serve our god by serving you. Lead on!”
The brothers followed the distraught man down the street. Paul looked at Silas and Timothy. Silas shrugged, but Paul was intrigued. He motioned Silas and Timothy to follow him.
“Let’s go see this,” he said. “I’m interested in this deceit.”
“What?” said Silas. “Let’s not dignify such nonsense with our presence.”
Paul laughed. “The best way to defeat an adversary is to gain knowledge of how he works,” he said. “I’m not going to dignify their activity but study it. Remember Silas, we know our enemy’s motives—but we must also learn his tactics.”
Lucifer’s arrival in Ephesus was a great moment for Kara. Ever since Paul’s conversion and great success, Kara’s stature had fallen in Lucifer’s eyes. He hoped that Lucifer, seeing Ephesus so overrun with spiritual deception, would elevate his status with his peers, and bring him back into Lucifer’s inner circle.
“Welcome, great lord!” Kara announced. “All Ephesus is at your feet.”
Lucifer smirked at Kara’s obvious ingratiating demeanor.
“Really?” Lucifer asked. “All of Ephesus?”
“Except for Paul,” admitted Kara. “But he shall leave Ephesus soon.”
“I don’t want Paul leaving,” Lucifer said. “I want him dead. This city is a great haven for deception. Humans here are completely given over to their passions—especially the desire for otherworldly and religious pursuits. Paul must be stopped here.”
“That is the brilliance of these men,” said Kara. “Willing dupes who think they possess the same power as Paul. People see them as mastering the same ministry. In the end, it will compromise Paul’s presence here.” Kara sneered. “He’ll become just another religious healer in a city filled with such men!”
“Let’s hope you’re right, Kara,” said Lucifer. “Before you become just another angel in a world filled with such creatures.”
Meanwhile, Grolus simultaneously focused on the preparations and listened to Kara’s gloating. He seethed inwardly as Kara went on and on. He was glad to get away from him as he followed the sons of Sceva to the sick man’s home. As they neared the house, Grolus knew the spirit who would be in attendance. Jaza had been afflicting this man for years.
Jaza, a spirit who specialized in human illness, saw the men coming. He also saw Grolus. Jaza too knew that Lucifer was in Ephesus. Like Grolus, he, too, was weary of Kara’s continual proud glow. Most of the angels under Kara’s authority were on the brink of rebelling and finding their own domains. As he thought about Kara, Jaza’s anger flared, and as a result the man began seizing violently.
“See?” the son of the possessed man said as he brought the seven healers into the room. “He is doing it again. More and more lately….”
Stephen walked to the bedside. The man was beginning to drool at the corners of his mouth. Jaza decided to make this one especially good—what with Lucifer in attendance. The man began thrashing about in the bed. Stephen called his brothers over.
“It’s an evil spirit,” Stephen said to the son. “Your father is possessed. Please leave the room, and we’ll handle this.”
The man nodded.
Stephen watched the man leave—and saw Paul over his shoulder. He smiled to himself. “Everyone over here. Start the prayers. In a moment we’ll call upon the God of Paul.” He glanced at Paul, standing in the doorway. “The gracious God of this power will help us just as He helps all men who call upon Him.”
Jaza stepped out of the man when he heard that Stephen intended to invoke the Most High in this fight. He looked at Grolus, who stood next to Stephen. “This man is calling on the Most High?”
Grolus smiled.
“He has no authority,” Grolus said. “He isn’t like Paul. Paul knows the Spirit of God. These men only think they know Him. There is nothing as foolish as a human who thinks he is intimate with the Most High. Perhaps, Jaza, it’s time that they met a real spirit of power.”
Jaza nodded. “And perhaps it’s time Kara met a spirit of humility!”
Stephen and his brothers continued in their prayers. One had lit some incense that was filling the room with its smoke and fragrance. Finally Stephen motioned that it was time to take authority over the spirit. He leaned over the man, whose eyes were closed. The old man was breathing heavily.
“In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out!”
The old man remained still. Grolus snickered.
Stephen repeated the words. He turned to look at his brothers. When he turned back, the old man’s eyes were open—black, malevolent, and piercing. Stephen was startled by the glaring visage.
“Who are you?” the old man said in a raspy voice.
“I am a servant of God! And you must leave.”
Jaza persisted. “But who are you? You are calling upon the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I know Jesus. I have seen Jesus. And Paul I have heard of. But who are you to take authority over me?”
With that the man jumped out of bed and shoved Stephen down on the ground. He turned on the other brothers and began beating and tearing and biting and otherwise abusing them in the little room. They finally ran from the room, bleeding, most of their clothes gone, and Grolus howling with laughter! Paul was nearly knocked down as the men poured out of the house. Stephen was the last out, thrown down at Paul’s feet. Paul helped him up.
“How did it go?” Paul could not help but ask.
Stephen brushed himself off and limped away.
Inside, the spirits were still celebrating their victory over both humans and Kara. The sight of Paul, however, sobered them up. “Outside is power I respect,” Jaza said. “Perhaps it’s time we left this region.”
Grolus nodded, and the two vanished.
“Of course, the crowning achievement in Ephesus is the temple to Artemis,” said Kara. “Or Diana. I must admit that I have done well here for our … your kingdom.”
Lucifer was looking past Kara.
“Isn’t that one of your crowning achievements also?” he asked.
Kara turned in horror at the site of a bedraggled Stephen scurrying up the street. He had caught up with his brothers, and word was already spreading about what had happened to these seven men. Lucifer turned to Kara.
“I have been betrayed,” was all Kara could manage. “Grolus betrayed me.”
“Betrayal I respect,” Lucifer said. “But inability is unforgivable. Fix it!”
“Yes, my lord!” Kara stammered as Lucifer vanished angrily.
“Paul! Paul!”
Paul turned to an old man who was a practicing sorcerer.
“You know me, Paul,” he began. “I am bringing these to you because I know that yours is the one true God. I wish to repent of these crimes against God and man.” He dropped an armload of scrolls and other occultic items at Paul’s feet. “Here! Bring your magic. Your amulets. Your scrolls!” he shouted.
Within an hour Paul had amassed a fortune in magical artifacts. A huge crowd stood around as Silas and Timothy put a torch to the pile. Smoke went up over Ephesus as the instruments of diviners, fortune tellers, sorcerers, conjurers, and others were destroyed by Paul.
“Great is our Lord,” Paul said to Silas as the fire roared. “He has brought life to these people. Light has come to darkness!”
“If only Rome could see such power,” Silas said. “All the legions of the empire are nothing in comparison.”
Paul smiled at Silas.
“Rome will see the power one day,” he said. “One day I must go to Rome. The Lord has told me. But for now Ephesus i
s our work; to God be the glory!”
Unseen by Paul, Kara stood with several of his highest ranking angels. They too watched the flames. Ashes, bits of scroll, strange smoke from some of the bizarre chemicals, and acrid fragrances filled the air around them. The smoke even obscured the view of the temple of Artemis. One of the angels turned to Kara.
“Lord Kara. What are you going to do? This Paul is undoing everything we have built here in Ephesus.”
“He must be stopped,” added another.
“Not every human is enamored with Paul,” said Kara. “And I have already seen to it that one man in particular will have a hand in this. The Greeks love drama. This is only the first act.”
He indicated one man in the crowd who was visibly disturbed by what was happening in the city. He looked at his fellow citizens in disbelief that so much money was literally going up in smoke.
“Act two is about to begin!” Kara declared.
Demetrius carefully placed the silver idol on its display setting. The likeness to Artemis was astonishing—the goddess must be pleased. Yet, as he looked down the wall, he could see rows and rows of the little statues. He had created a tidy business of selling temple images for the many pilgrims who made their way to pay homage to the greatest goddess in that region.
But times had changed. He hadn’t made a sale in a week—not since an Egyptian merchant had come into the shop and bought one of the idols to take back with him to Alexandria. He touched the statue. “Artemis,” he whispered. “Make your greatness known once more. Please overcome this God of Paul.”
“Demetrius? Praying?” came a voice from the front of his shop. “I thought you were more interested in drachmas than devotion!”
Demetrius turned to see his friend Clesus, a fellow merchant whose shop was next door. Clesus dealt in eastern rugs. He smiled at him. “Maybe praying is what’s needed,” Demetrius said. “Ever since Paul arrived, my business has fallen. Every dealer in Artemis merchandise is suffering. That man is a menace.”
“True,” Clesus conceded. “Even some of the taverns have shut down. But what can you do? People are easily led.”
“Too easily,” Demetrius growled. “If this keeps up, Clesus, I’ll leave Ephesus and go to a place where the gods are truly appreciated.”
“More devotion?” Clesus asked slyly.
“More drachmas,” Demetrius answered, smiling.
“More drachmas,” Kara said to Berenius. “That’s the easy part. But he’s right about one thing: Paul is a menace.”
Kara stood with Berenius outside of Demetrius’ shop. They watched Clesus leave and enter his own little shop. Demetrius remained in the doorway. He scanned the horizon, looking at the temple in the distance. Shaking his head, he turned and went back into his store.
“Poor Demetrius,” Kara said. “I’d say he needs some encouraging.”
Berenius nodded in agreement. “And maybe a little guidance,” he added.
“Paul is a menace,” Berenius spoke into Demetrius’ mind.
Demetrius thought about Paul and found himself getting angry. “That man is a threat to all of us. Not just me,” he thought to himself.
“Craftsmen of your skill shouldn’t be ruined by a foreign fanatic…”
“I know the other craftsmen in Ephesus are in the same situation,” he thought.
“Perhaps it’s time to fight this Paul…”
Demetrius slammed his hand down. “It’s time to act!” he said aloud. He stormed out of his shop and hurried down the empty street.
Berenius walked over to where Kara was standing. Kara smiled at him.
“Well done, Berenius,” Kara said. “You planted the seed deeply.”
“It was easy,” he answered. “Greed is fertile soil.”
The men standing before Demetrius had all fallen on hard times. Their businesses and standing in the community had been diminished by Paul’s successful introduction of the Gospel to Ephesus. Demetrius stood to speak: “Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. You see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people not only here in Ephesus but also in nearly the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.”
Several men grumbled.
“You there, Sevin. Your business has fallen off so much that you had to sell your horses. I heard of one fellow whose wife has left him.”
“See, there is some good come from this fellow!”
Everyone laughed.
“In all seriousness, there is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty. And yes, Clesus, I am speaking as one who is devout—not just driven by drachmas.”
One of the men stood up.
“Demetrius is right,” he said. “We must restore the honor of our goddess. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Let that be our cry!”
“So be it!” Demetrius agreed. “May her greatness finally drive Paul and his band out of Ephesus forever!”
Gaius, a Macedonian who had been with Paul for some time, turned to Aristarchus, another Macedonian. They had been part of Paul’s mission ever since meeting him when Paul first arrived in their region. Gaius cocked his head as if listening to something. “What is that sound?” he asked.
Aristarchus heard it now too. It sounded like a dull roar. No, it was a shout. A crowd shouting. And getting louder and louder. Other people stood around watching and waiting as well, wondering what was coming their way. Finally they could make it out.
“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
“Is it another feast day?” Gaius asked.
“I don’t think so,” said Aristarchus, pointing to an angry-looking mob headed their way. “Unless we are the ones being feasted upon.”
Demetrius led the contingent of merchants to Gaius and Aristarchus. The men stood their ground and asked Demetrius what was the matter.
“Where is Paul?” he demanded.
Gaius shrugged. “He isn’t here.”
“They’ll do!” someone shouted, and before they even knew what was happening to them, the two men found themselves in the custody of this mob of merchants who were still shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The crowd took the two men to the city theater and continued their mindless chanting.
**********
From a distance, Kara and Berenius enjoyed the spectacle. More and more people gathered at the Ephesian theater, wondering about the commotion. Some came out of curiosity; others came because they, too, were angry at Paul. Still others came out of true devotion to Artemis.
“Humans are so easily roused,” Kara noted. “Your suggestion was quite effective, Berenius. Well done.”
The angel laughed.
“It was already in his heart to oppose Paul,” said Berenius. “A willing heart is always easy to guide.”
“Now let us hope that more than noise is occurring in this theater,” Kara said. “I’m tired of human chatter. It’s time for blood.”
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.
Chapter Twelve
BACK TO JERUSALEM
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.
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