I Appeal To Caesar!

Above all, they hear the gurgling sound of water, not the river yet, but rivulets from the Hermon Mountains, half- hidden by bushes.

They rush headlong to the streams!

Stripping themselves of their blackened, ghostly garments, they shove the bushes aside and plunge into the small stream, purging themselves of the awful sand and black dust. Gurgling, sloshing and spitting out water they cleanse their eyes, mouths, and nostrils. They cleanse their faces, hair, and beards of the awful dust. Finally, they submerge their bodies and drink again. Sanity returns and the numbness and dumbness begin to leave. The men sit naked in the stream laughing hysterically and groaning with appreciation. They made it! * * * * * Saul and his men, still very tired but partially rejuvenated, head for the main road leading to the great gate of the city. “That road will have many travelers, coming from many by-ways,” Saul recalls, “because Damascus is the hub of many caravan routes.” The pompous Pharisee straightens his garments, mounts his revived horse, and rides proudly at the head of his death squad. He seeks to make an impression on the people of Damascus and spread some fear in Christian hearts. “After all,” Saul reminds himself, “I do carry the authorized document of the Temple’s High Priest to root out all the Jewish believers in Jesus who have fled the persecution in Jerusalem.” The official document gives Saul and his five men authority to interrogate all the members of the Jewish