I Appeal To Caesar!

At this time of year, literally thousands of Jewish pilgrims throughout the Mediterranean area are making their annual trips to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast Days of Israel. The boats will be crowded, and space limited. * * * * * Paul ponders the events that have him now walking toward Jerusalem rather than sailing on that merchant ship as planned. He and the team should be on board right now, headed for Caesarea! Of course, they had made arrangements to sail directly from the Corinth port of Cenchrea (12 miles from Corinth), reaching Jerusalem by Passover. A number of local Jewish pilgrims were also scheduled to sail on that same ship, seeking to be in Jerusalem for the Passover. Before going to the dock with the equipment, Paul felt impressed to have a last-minute meeting with his team of eight for final clearance and discussion. Suddenly, their planning session is interrupted by a young man from the Cenchrea home church. “Paul!” he shouts from a distance sprinting toward them. “Paul!” the messenger exclaims, “Do not take passage on that ship! Your enemies plan to kill you when you take the ship out of Cenchrea to return to Jerusalem! You must escape immediately!”

Paul’s eight travel companions jump to their feet as one man, urging Paul to forget his trip to Jerusalem at this time!

Deep in silent thought and prayer, Paul signals for silence, and the team knows he has gotten the answer. “The