Fire and Sword (23 page)

Jereliah motioned for him to be quiet.

“You there! Citizen!” Jereliah called to a man standing near the crowd that had gathered around Paul. “Come here.”

The man walked over.

“What are you doing? This man is talking nonsense. Can’t you see that?”

The man looked puzzled. “Didn’t you hear him? We are free—all of us. You as well.”

“Don’t lecture me on religious matters,” Jereliah said, dismissing the man. He turned to Simeon. “These men are fools. Completely taken in.”

“What shall we do?” Simeon asked.

“I’m thinking, Simeon,” Jereliah answered. “Somehow we have to get through to these men of Pisidian Antioch. This sort of poison spreads fast.”

Off to their side, Pellecus was standing with several other angels. He turned to them. “A fool calling a fool a fool,” he said. “These Jews are just as stupid as the Gentiles. But believe I have the answer to Simeon’s question.”

“You have a way to turn the hearts of these men?” Strabor asked. “They are like mongrels feeding on scraps.”

“Not the men, Strabor. Men are idiots. No, I have observed among men that the best way to bring about a change is often through women,” Pellecus said. “We saw this to great effect with Eve. It was a woman who killed a dream in Eden. Perhaps a woman shall kill Paul’s dream here!”

Pellecus came up to Jereliah. He smiled at Strabor and turned to Jereliah and began speaking into his angry mind.

“Look. Look at the women …”

Jereliah glanced casually at the Gentile women, grouped together and watching their husbands from a distance.
Vain, silly women
, he thought to himself.

“What is your master doing?” said Serus, who appeared above Paul.

“Ah, Serus!” said Strabor. “Where have you been? It’s just getting interesting.”

Serus looked at the Jews, huddled together. Several of Pellecus’ angels were moving among them, fueling their hatred of Paul. He also noticed angels moving toward the women to do the same to them. They were screaming in delight, jeering the women as they began planting thoughts about Paul in their minds.

“The women this time,” Serus surmised.

“Why not?” Pellecus answered, interrupting his work on Jereliah. “It worked on Eve. They are the same emotionally gullible creatures as they have always been. Watch and learn, lapdog of Michael.”

“Those women…”
Pellecus continued.
“They don’t like Paul.”

Jereliah looked up. He saw the women standing in groups along the rim of the hill. He called Simeon over.

“The women don’t like Paul, do they?” he asked.

“No, they are suspicious.”

“Interesting.”

“The men will never turn on Paul. But these women…”

Jereliah began walking to the women of the town. They were surprised to see a ruler of the synagogue approach them. Strabor accompanied him. He smiled at them.

“Seems your men are taken with this Paul,” Jereliah said.

“It’s all they talk about,” said one woman.

“My husband wants to give him money,” said another. “We have little enough as it is!” Several other women chimed in.

“It’s not their fault,” Jereliah continued. “Paul is a trickster. He uses religion like sorcery to win the minds of men. And then he asks people to give money. If you are not careful, you will lose your men to this man’s bizarre teaching.”

The demon spirits continued moving in and out of the women, feeding their suspicion and focusing their anger on Paul. Some of the leading men in the city had also arrived and were antagonistic toward Paul’s message. The women, God-fearing Gentiles who had been schooled in Jewish teachings, became increasingly agitated with Paul. And with the added weight of agitation by the rulers of the synagogue, they began walking toward the men.

Some of the men saw their wives approaching and walked to them. Others ducked out. A few of the women pulled their husbands out of the group and berated them. All of them turned their anger on Paul and Barnabas.

“Get out of here!” a woman shouted.

“Paul is a troublemaker!” said another.

Paul saw Barnabas trying to quell some of the women who had come to confront him. Two of the men began fighting. Arguments broke out among the citizens. Finally a city official arrived, the husband of one of the leading ladies, and ordered Paul out of the region for inciting a near riot.

“Our work here is done, Barnabas,” Paul said with a half-grin.

“And not too soon,” Barnabas agreed.

The citizens watched Paul and Barnabas leave. They continued calling after them with jeers and catcalls. A few of the men who had believed were greatly confused and confronted the Jewish teachers. Jereliah called Simeon over to him, and Simeon congratulated him on his success.

“A short-lived victory,” Jereliah said, as Paul and Barnabas disappeared down the road. “There are other towns they will go to. Other people willing to follow so persuasive a man. Follow them, Simeon. And wherever they go, incite violence against them. Let them never have a moment’s peace in Asia!”

“It will be done,” Simeon said.

Jereliah gave Simeon money for the effort.

“Not a moment’s peace!” he shouted after him as he left.

Pellecus hated meetings like this—especially when Kara was in attendance. His boast to handle Paul had proven reckless, and though Paul’s life had been threatened a few times, no real harm befell him or Barnabas. And so they were to meet—Lucifer and the three angels that were his vital leaders: Pellecus, Kara, and Rugio. Nobody had up to this point stilled Paul or Peter; his failure was shared by everyone present.

They were meeting at Delphi, a favorite place of Pellecus. He had created the oracle as a means of deceiving local rulers and maintaining influence over this part of the world, which was under his authority. The Oracle of Delphi was built around a sacred spring, and was considered to be the center of the world. The Oracle, a priestess known as the Pythia, was another of Pellecus’ creations, a devotee of the god Apollo. Her cryptic messages delighted the angels who controlled her, and Pellecus was particularly amused at how humans interpreted her nonsense.

“Brothers!” Lucifer said, appearing before them suddenly. “Welcome to Delphi.”

Pellecus was unnerved by Lucifer’s uncharacteristically good humor. In light of recent setbacks, he had expected an angry reaction. The angels watched as Lucifer approached them.

“What news of Saul?” Lucifer asked. “Or should I say Paul?”

Kara and Pellecus looked at each other. Then Rugio spoke up. “He is in Lystra, lord, encouraging the believers there.”

Lucifer stood near the shrine. The oracle sat silent, awaiting her next visitor. He looked at her. “And you didn’t even need the Pythia to tell you this,” he said. The others laughed uneasily.

“Would that she could tell us his next move,” Kara said. “Unfortunately, she is limited to Pellecus’ wisdom.”

“We don’t need the Pythia, nor Pellecus,” said Lucifer. “It’s evident that all of Asia is susceptible to this teaching.”

“Stupid people,” Kara said. “They will listen to anything as long as the speaker is convincing.”

“Paul’s speech is unimpressive,” said Pellecus. “He is not like this woman—she speaks, and men interpret. But Paul—he speaks, and great power follows.”

“Agreed,” said Lucifer. “It is the power he brings with the message. But tell me, my friends—what is it about humans that drives them to seek solace in gods and oracles? To build magnificent temples in homage to stone deities?”

“Simple,” said Pellecus. “The need to know.”

“More than that, Pellecus,” Lucifer answered. “The need to know that someone greater than
themselves
knows. A god.”

Lucifer smiled. He pointed at the Pythia.

“Men seek her out because they believe she hears from the god Apollo,” Lucifer said. “And they leave thinking they have encountered divinity.”

“Yes?” Pellecus responded. “But how does that help us with Paul?”

“The Lycaonians are particularly devout,” Lucifer continued. “In Lystra, they are constantly looking for signs from the gods. It occurs to me, my friends, that since we cannot stop the power that the Most High exerts through these men, we might use it to obscure the message.”

“The message?” Kara answered.

“The message, Kara, is the compelling issue. The power is only a sign—an indicator that the message is real. Power comes and goes. Miracles happen on occasion. And the message—this evangel—is enduring. We cannot destroy the message—but perhaps we can confuse the source of its power.”

“How, my lord?” asked Rugio.

“Lystra is seeking the gods,” Lucifer said. “Let us introduce them to a couple.”

Barnabas’ feet were throbbing. The trek to Lystra had seemed unending. He was glad to be seated in the market square, his feet resting in a bowl of water. He looked up as Paul returned with some food from a vendor. The locals glanced at the strange men as they walked by, keeping their distance.

“Ready?” Paul asked as Barnabas finished the brown bread.

“The Lycaonians are certainly suspicious of strangers,” Barnabas said, standing up. “I hope they are more receptive than the Pisidians were.”

“We’ll find out,” Paul said. “Right over there.”

Barnabas followed Paul to the center of the market. There Paul began telling the people of Lystra about the God he served. A crowd began to gather. Some were bored. Others went about their business. But a few were listening—including a man who was crippled. As Paul spoke, he knew in his spirit that this man had faith to be healed.

“You there,” Paul shouted. “Stand up! On your feet!”

The man, who could not walk and had been accustomed to pulling himself along on a crude cart, suddenly felt a surge of warmth throughout his body. As people watched in amazement, the man stood up for the first time in years. A great shout of joy went up around the man as he gave praise to God and thanked Paul. A large crowd gathered to see what was happening—and many watched and waited to see what Paul might do next.