THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES – Caesarea
Ten years had passed. Cornelius is the garrison commander of the port city of Caesarea. As his practice, he did not keep residence in the garrison but chose to live in a small villa in the city with his wife, the Lady Pheobe, and his legally adopted son, Trax. Cestus is still with him with a number of his men from Spain who had remained loyal. They with their respective wives are now part of his household. Jacob, whom Cornelius gave his freedom, is at Antioch helping with the developing church there.
During those ten years, Cornelius kept close tabs with some of the disciples. He had heard that Jesus may have appeared to about five hundred people within a span of forty days after his resurrection. Then he got an accounting from Matthew and Simon of how the Eleven watched Jesus literally ascend into the heavens.
Just about three months since He saw Jesus last, at the time of the Pentecost, the Twelve with the newest member being Mathias, were again gathered together for their usual practice of prayer and making plans. With them were the mother of Jesus, including Jesus’ brothers and sisters, Jacob and about a hundred other followers. Cornelius had some expectation that something was going to happen but not exactly what. When he received a message from Jacob, he was filled with amazement.
While they prayed together, the room they were in was inundated with the sound like a violent rushing wind that filled the entire house. Then, a single flame of fire appeared above the heads of each of them. The feeling they all felt was indescribable. Jacob wrote that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, for they began to speak in other languages. But it did not end there. In that particular neighborhood lived devout Jews from other nations. They inquired what was that great noise of rushing wind was? Then the disciples started to talk to them in their respective languages. They were amazed because they knew that the disciples were Galileans and how was it that were conversing in their native language. More people gathered asking what was happening. Speculation upon speculation were doled up until the commotion reached the steps that went up to the Temple Mount. Before it became too chaotic, it was Peter who stood up and gave an incredible sermon about Jesus being the Christ. To Cornelius, what was most incredible was Peter speaking to all those people was feat on its own. The sermon was so arousing that three thousand people professed that they believed and the church in Jerusalem was established.
The story continues on in my next post.
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Johann Quisumbing 