(AN: Here is a new chapter, filled with danger and some of the less agreeable points of Paul.)

Friends and Enemies

Needless to say, the warm welcome that Paul and Barnabas received in Antioch was doubled when they returned after the events in Jerusalem. Staying at the house of Gaius, they prayed for direction. Now that the good news, the gospel, had been allowed to come to the Gentiles, the only question was where to go next. Little word there was from Jerusalem, save that the believers, the kristianos, were growing despite persecution. No word came from the other believers who were scattered abroad, especially the disciples. When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, they heard that John had taken Miriam the elder and Miriam of Magdala to Ephesus. Now it seemed that the apostles, those of the Twelve, were scattered abroad and few were ever seen in this part of the world again. True, there was word from Jerusalem, where Peter, Matthew and Thomas were known to remain, but, aside from John in Ephesus, the others were unaccounted. Twelve had become four.

Days had passed with no word from the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit of Holiness. So they remained in the house of Gaius, praying as they had for the past several days. Then, at last, the Word came: Paul and Barnabas would be the ones to spread the gospel. Hearing this, their host Gaius threw them a feast according to what little they had to eat. After all was done, they readied themselves for their journey. Paul and Barnabas would go, along with John Mark, who had chosen to go with them.

"Where will you be going?" Lucas asked.

"Wherever the Spirit will lead." Paul responded.

"And where will that be?" Lucas repeated.

"Cyprus, at first." Barnabas stated. "After that, who knows?"

"If it pleases you," Mnason, the righteous man of Cyprus, interjected. "I am a native of that land. I know you are as well, Barnabas, but I would like to go with you as far as Cyprus. I've missed my home and I might be of help to you."

"That sounds reasonable," Paul said. He then turned to Gaius. "Since we have stayed at your inn for a long while, please, tell us, how much do we owe you for your..."

But Gaius laughed. "I do not charge for my hospitality. It is enough that I have entertained the servants of the Kingdom. Who knows, for I might have entertained angels unaware, as Abraham did." Paul and Barnabas laughed. "The LORD shall provide for me, even anything that I have over-spent, He will ensure that I have just enough and plenty to spare."

"Bless Him and bless you, friend Gaius," Paul said. "We have been strengthened greatly by our stay here, and we shall remember you in our prayers. Farewell."

"And to you, Paul." Gaius said.

"Farewell, dear Gaius," Barnabas said.

"Ah, Barnabas, my friend," Gaius embraced him. "How I shall miss you. You have been a great help to us believers from the very start, and I feel that we would not be where we are now if not for your help."

"It was all by the grace of Jesus," Barnabas said. "May He bless and keep you."

"Farewell, master Gaius." John Mark nodded.

"Good sir," he said to John Mark. "I hope to see your account of the gospel of Jesus set down in full as quickly as possible."

"By the grace of God," John Mark said. "I shall leave nothing out and everything shall be as I remember it."

"Mnason," Gaius said. "Paul, Barnabas, and young master John Mark. Godspeed!"

"Godspeed!" Paul returned. "Shalom."

So they passed out of the house and went on their way.

From Antioch they traveled to Seleucia by the sea, and then chartered a ship to Cyprus. The weather was not favorable, so they had to wait out the winter months in Seleucia. After the weather became favorable, they boarded their ship and set sail for Cyprus. Once they arrived, they visited the town of Salamis, where there were a number of Jews living. Here Mnason and Barnabas were known and introduced Paul and John Mark to their friends.

Eventually their ministry took over and they were all abroad about the town and island, preaching the good news. Were it just Paul and Barnabas, the good news could be spread easily among the people of Cyprus: but now they had John Mark to their help, and their ministry went very well and many people were baptized.

"King Solomon said that two are better than one," Paul once told Barnabas. "And here we have three!"

At last there came a day when Paul, Barnabas and Mark were staying at the house of Mnason in Salamis. While they were eating and discussing, there came a knock at the door. Mnason approached and looked out of a place in his door where two wooden boards were split and he could look out at those who called at his house.

"Who's there?" Mark asked.

"Soldiers," Mnason whispered. "Just a moment, I will speak with them." He opened the door. "Hello, sirs. What can I do for you?"

"We are sent here by the governor of Paphos," the captain said. "We seek the one known as Saul of Tarsus."

"My name is Paul," the ex-Pharisee said, standing up and walking to Mnason's side. "What can I do for you?"

"The governor of Paphos, his Excellency Sergius Paulus," the captain said. "Has heard about your exploits and wishes to hear you speak."

Paul almost exploded with delight. "Did you hear? The governor wants to know the gospel of Jesus Christ!"

Many smiled at this and only a few cheered. This seemed a little too good to be true. It was as if they were just a few days out of Israel and now they were being accepted with open arms. Paul then turned back to the soldiers and nodded. "Yes, I will be there at once."

So, at last, a day came when Paul, Barnabas and Mark were on their way to Governor Paulus' mansion in the city of Paphos. While they went on their way, Barnabas noted that Mark was looking a bit down and separative.

"My young man," he said. "What is wrong? We are doing the good work: the sick are healed, the poor and the hungry are filled, and the gospel is being spread to all the people of Cyprus without resistance. This is joyful news! Why are you so downcast?"

"I'm afraid that I've done wrong by coming here," he said.

"Why do you say that?" Barnabas asked with concern.

"My account of the life of Joshua," Mark said, speaking in their native Hebrew. "Remains unfinished. What's worse, I feel that my memory is slipping. I cannot serve two masters, the writing of this record and this missionary. Both are good and righteous, but I know not which one I should devote all my time towards."

"Forget about your book, young man!" Paul stated without a second thought, or even a glance in Mark's direction. "Plenty of time to write stories when you're old and gray, like I'll be soon." He laughed aloud, then turned his eyes forward, toward his destination. Barnabas, however, noticed that Mark's expression had not changed.

"Did you hear that?" Mark asked. "He tells me to forget this work, forget the gospel of Joshua! Plenty of time when I'm old indeed! When I'm old, I will have forgotten it all!"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to insult your work," Barnabas said. "He just..."

But he was interrupted as they approached the outskirts of Paphos. They entered the mansion of Governor Paulus, where the guards announced them to the governor. As they stood there, Paul standing straight before him and Barnabas and Mark behind him, they saw a man standing in the shadows who cast nervous glances in their direction.

"Which one of you is Saul of Tarsus?" Sergius Paulus asked, his eyes on the tall, rugged figure of Barnabas.

"My name is Paul," the short ex-Pharisee said. "Though I was once Saul of Tarsus."

Governor Paulus looked surprised at the short man with the dagger-like beard and hair growing beneath his kippah. After a moment of surprise, he addressed him thusly.

"I have heard tell of your ministry," he said. "I would like to hear more about your new belief."

"It is no new belief," Paul said. "It is the faith that our fathers, the children of Israel, have held and was prophesied ages ago and has now come to fulfillment in the person of the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God."

"'Son of God?'" a voice mocked. From out of the shadows came the man with the shifty eyes. "Perhaps we shall now say that the earth is round, or that it is not the center of the cosmos, as the Greeks believe."

"Peace, Elymas," Sergius said to the shifty-eyed man. "I would like to hear them speak."

"But, my lord," he continued, speaking to the governor. "They are liars, cheats, charlatans! I am a Jew, I know all about their teachings. They teach that this Jesus of theirs is the Son of God!" He laughed a hideous, mocking laughter. "That His mother was impregnated by some invisible spirit sent from their God! No educated mind believes such nonsense, my lord."

"What do you have to say?" Governor Paulus asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Elymas the shifty-eyed laughed. "She was raped! Molested by a Roman soldier! And, in her shame, she concocted this cock-and-bull story of some rape by angels to keep from being stoned to death!"

"Child of Satan!" Paul shouted, pointing directly in Elymas' direction. "Will you not cease your perversions of the ways of the LORD?"

"Oh, I've only just begun!" Elymas laughed. "You see, my surname is Bar-Jesus. It's only natural, your Christ was my father, birthed by the Magdalene whore!"

"You who call yourself a Jew," Paul said, his eyes burning with fiery indignation in Elymas' direction. "Blaspheme the Torah by reason of being a sorcerer! An enemy of all righteousness, filled with subtilty and mischief. Now the hand of the LORD is upon you: because you sought to blind the eyes of Governor Paulus to the truth of Jesus, for three months you shall be blind and unable to see the sun that you caused men to worship!"

Suddenly, the laughing figure of Elymas was covered in a dark shadow. From out of that cloud of darkness there came out frenzied cries, then the sound of one falling to the ground, calling out: "Help me! Save me!" He walked out, or rather crawled out, shrouded in the shadows of darkness. Governor Paulus laughed once he was gone, then told them to continue.

After their time in Cyprus had ended, they bade farewell to Mnason and Governor Paulus and all the believers of Salamis and Paphos. The weather had changed and they left for the coast of Anatolia as soon as possible. At last they came to Perga, the capital of Pamphylia, and spent some time there, spreading the good news about Jesus Christ wherever they could find those willing. After they had spent some time there, they gathered their things together and made ready to leave.

But as they were preparing to leave, they noticed that John Mark halted as if he would remain.

"What is it?" Paul asked. "Are you not coming with us?"

"I would," Mark answered. "But I have the writing of this account of..."

"Our Great Commission," Paul answered. "Is to spread the good news to all people. The Ruach HaKodesh leads us to Pisidia!"

"Yet I must..."

"Did not Joshua Himself say that anyone who looks back, having put his hand to the plow, is unworthy of the Kingdom of Heaven?" Paul returned.

A moment of awkward silence followed. Both John Mark and Paul looked at Barnabas, who remained silent. He did not wish to discourage the writing of John Mark's account of the life of Joshua, yet He knew that what Paul said was true.

"So that's how it is, then." John Mark said at last. He turned around, his face set towards the south. "God bless you...both of you." Step by step, the sound of gravel crunching beneath his sandals was heard in his ears.

"Mark, wait!" Barnabas said. He hesitated for a moment, but then sighed and continued his solitary march southward towards Jerusalem.

"A shame," Paul said, as the sound of walking sandals became distant. "He had so much potential, and now he's turned his back on the good news of Joshua the Messiah."

(AN: You know, there are some points in the life of Paul where I just scratch my head and think "That can't be right." Which is why the part of the NT that I have no doubts and no fears about is the Gospel.)

(More danger to come in the next chapter!)