Something was definitely in the wind. Peter knew Jesus had been especially intense with His lessons to them, remarking on this or that healing and discussing at length some of the more difficult cases of demon possession, as well as repeating over and over again the basics of the good news He wanted preached about His soon-coming reign. He had been particularly keen on instructing them to avoid the gentile areas, that the message should go first and foremost to the "lost sheep," as He called them, of the House of Israel! Peter had heard all his life of the " dispersion," those Israelites who had been enslaved in successive waves of invasion under ancient Assyria, and of the troubles during the reign of King Pekah of the Northern Kingdom. Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, had swept through this whole land, including Galilee, and taken tens of thousands captive and dispersed them in Assyrian encampments.

Peter had been taught his history well, for the tutors of this land of Galilee were especially interested in the wars of the past that had raged back and forth across this crossroads of trade, commerce, culture and religion.

Capernaum, at the northern edge of the sea, while a splendid example of Grecian and Herodian architecture, was a place of large trading bazaars, storage sheds and horse and camel stables for the caravans. A natural meeting place of north, south, east and west, it was a place of many languages, many cultures.

Peter's education had necessarily been cosmopolitan from rubbing shoulders with strangers from far places and listening to the elders speak of faraway lands and customs.

Peter remembered how graphically his teacher had described when Ahaz was king of Judah and Hoshea was reigning up in Samaria, Israel's capital city. King Shalmaneser of Assyria had besieged Samaria for three whole years and had finally captured it, taking vast numbers of unfortunate Israelites into captivity up into the Assyrian lands of Halah and Habor by the river they called "Gozan." They had sent large bands of them into many cities of the Medes to be servants working for the gentiles in their homes, on their farms or with their animals and at their trades.

These invasions had happened not once but many times following Jeroboam's succession and the creation of the two separate kingdoms of Israel with a capital at Samaria, up here in the north, and Judah with its capital in Jerusalem.

There were uncounted tens of thousands of the modern descendants of those ancient Israelites, Peter knew, scattered all over the lands across the snowy mountains beyond Thrace and Dacia and on the islands from which the Phoenician traders and Roman ships brought metals for the tools of war.

It would be some task, Peter thought, if they were to go preach to all the "dispersion" of the "lost sheep of the House of Israel," for it was said many of them were established in colonies beyond the seas, in vast new lands only vaguely rumored of in the talk of seafarers from Gaul.

He had heard some of the older ones along the dockyards in Joppa talking of the fearsome, hairy giants that lived in the bleak, rain-drenched islands far to the north beyond the Gates of Hercules and who called themselves the Tuatha de Danaan, the Tribe of Dan. Their land was called "Dan's Mark," Peter thought he remembered, and there had been Jewish people who had settled nearby, for the seamen said a part of the mainland to the east in a vast, almost landlocked sea was called "Jute Land."

It would be fabulous, Peter imagined, once Jesus' new kingdom was established, if He delegated some of them to captain expeditions to many of these exotic, far off places and take news of the vast, empire-shaking revolution that had begun and encourage these peoples to recognize Jesus' rule and to cooperate with Him in trade.

At length, when they were all seated, Jesus began speaking to them about an exciting new adventure. He was sending them out at last on their own, and each man was going along with one other so there would be six pairs of them (Peter hoped the Lord didn't send him with Judas, for he had difficulty liking the man because of his shifty eyes and his swarthy, secretive look), and they were to begin traveling far and wide, taking the message of Jesus' coming kingdom to the people!

Matthew was busily taking notes again, looking around and listing the names of all those present. Peter glanced at what he was writing, "Names: 12—Simon (called 'Petros'), A'drew, bro., Phip, Bart," and the abbreviated names of all the others.

Jesus said, "Don't go into any of the gentile countries, and do not even enter into any Samaritan city. You are to go, rather, to the 'lost sheep' of the House of Israel! As you travel you are to preach, saying as your main theme, 'The Kingdom of God is right at hand!'

"I want you to heal the sick, raise the dead. . . "

Wow! Peter thought! He wants us, me, to try to perform some of the same miraculous, fabulous, shocking, surprising, impossible miracles He has been able to perform! Peter's scalp prickled with expectancy. Raise the dead. Would God perform such miracles through a man such as me? Peter wondered.

". . . Cleanse lepers, cast out demons," Jesus was saying, "and, remember, you have received these great gifts and this commission freely, so give of your gifts and your knowledge freely.

"Don't worry about taking an undue amount of gold or silver in your purse or even brass; you won't require any special traveling money in your wallets nor even an extra coat or walking stick. The laborer is perfectly worthy of his hire! So, whatever town or village into which you enter, search out there who is worthy and of reputation before God and you will be able to stay there until you need to leave for another town.

"When you come upon such a house, greet the home owner with respect and use My name, and if the house is worthy let your peace come upon it. If it be not worthy, then let your peace return to you. But, whoever will not receive you or listen to your message, when you depart from that city, then shake off the very dust from your feet!

"For I am telling you, it will be far more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city."

Peter passionately hoped that "day of judgment" for these impudent cities was not far away!

It invariably thrilled Peter when Jesus' voice would ring out with power like this, speaking of the future day of reckoning of judgment and government, of the revolution. It seemed that just when Peter would find himself growing overly anxious because the Lord tended to delay, just when he found himself sinking into gloomy moods of impatience and doubt, Jesus would shore up his sagging courage with such statements.

Peter's spirits soared. He would remember these ringing words, and if necessary he would repeat them—loudly!

This must be one of the last really major moves Jesus would make prior to marching on Jerusalem. Apparently He wanted the entire group to go far and wide, simultaneously covering as many major towns and villages as they could, because He planned an immediate move following their return.

Peter perked up his ears and listened more intently.

"Now, look!" Jesus continued. "I am sending you out like gentle sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves! I want you to be as wise as serpents but harmless as doves. Be very careful, beware of them.

"These are the ones who will deliver you up to their courts, and in their churches and synagogues they will have you whipped. Yes, and you will be brought even before governors and kings for My name's sake, as a testimony against them and the gentiles.

"If and when this happens, and you are delivered up, don't take any undue, anxious thought about how or what you shall speak. It will be given to you at the appropriate time what you shall say! It is not you who will do the speaking, but the Spirit of your Father that will speak in you.

"I am telling you the time will come when brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his own child. And children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death!

"You shall be hated of all men for My name's sake, but he that endures to the end, the same shall be saved!

"If they shall persecute you in one city, then flee from that one to the next one because I am telling you the truth. You will not have accomplished fulfilling this great commission among all the cities of Israel until the Son of Man be come!

"Remember that a disciple is not above his master, nor a servant above his lord. It is sufficient for the disciple that he be like his master, and the servant as is his lord. If they have called the Master of the house 'prince of demons, Beelzebub,' how much more will they disparage His household, meaning you!

"Do not fear them, therefore, because there is nothing covered that will not ultimately be revealed, nor hid that will not become known!

"What I tell you in private meetings or in darkness, you speak in the light; what you hear privately in the ear, shout from the rooftops!

"And do not be afraid of them who are able to kill your physical body but are not able to kill the life itself, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both life and body in Gehenna fire!"

So some of them might even be killed; some might not be coming back! Peter looked speculatively about and wondered. There was Simon the Canaanite over there, and, while Peter was a bit uncomfortable that Jesus had chosen such a dark-skinned man as one of the twelve, he knew the Lord wanted a representative group and that Jesus had a great deal of pity and affection for the black peoples of nearby lands, and even for the Samaritans. Would Simon fall victim to racial prejudices, trying to preach this powerful message to the "lost sheep of the House of Israel"? What about Peter's own brother, Andrew? What would that do to the family? Somehow Peter never remotely allowed the shadow of a thought into his mind that he could die in some riotous melee. He could vaguely see himself in this or that confrontation; the scene would invariably end with Peter in full command of the field, silencing the detractors with his words and performing some great sign to shock them into submission. But he couldn't imagine any bodily harm coming to him.

Peter's hand strayed to the hilt of his Roman short sword at his side. He had never used it in anger except to strike a balky mule with the flat of the blade now and then. But he had no doubts about being found equal to the task if and when Jesus called upon him to put the sword to its designed purpose: splitting heads!

Peter could identify with Jesus' statement about a man's foes being those of his own household; it seemed Jesus' own brothers, James, Joses, Simon and Jude, publicly disclaimed Him, didn't believe He was who He said He was, didn't believe He was able to produce such great signs and miracles. Ah, well, familiarity breeds contempt . . . and Peter knew by now that Jesus could only produce those great miracles when the simple, believing, hoping. people were looking to Him out of great sorrow of heart. He'd have to remember that! If a pack of doubters was present, he had better not try to use Jesus' name in casting out any demons or healing any sick; he'd better follow Jesus's example exactly . . .

So they left. Peter took Bartholomew, Judas went with Simon, James teamed up with Andrew, and John went with James, the son of Alphaeus, while Thomas and Philip paired off. Matthew left with Lebbaeus, whom they called Thaddeus.

They fanned out in all directions, Peter and Bart following the steep foot hills and stopping in towns and villages throughout the region. They would always inquire as to the village elders and first determine if they had heard of Jesus, if they knew of the ministry of John and if they believed Jesus was the Messiah.

Where they found interest, belief or even curiosity, they remained a day or two, gaining the approval and permission of the elders to speak to the people. Where they were greeted with hostility, they solemnly took off their traveling shoes, wiped the dust from them, turned around and left.

Peter's first few attempts at speaking were poor, he thought. But one day, as an irate heckler seemed determined to interrupt his message with hoots of scorn and ridicule, saying, "And just who do you think yourself to be, you of rough Galilean speech and fisherman's garb? Are you some prophet?" Peter found himself developing a theme that helped him throughout the remainder of their journey.

"Who am I? I am Simon who is called Peter, a fisherman by trade and a Galilean, right enough. As for my being a prophet, I tell you, no! Look, all of you. I didn't want to believe any of this either! I was tending my family business, working my boat and nets, when Jesus of Nazareth told me to come and follow Him. I did, until He was almost killed at Nazareth by His own countrymen. I returned to my nets, believing the whole thing a misadventure.

"But Jesus came to my boat again and I saw with my own eyes a great miracle." Peter glowingly described the day he nearly swamped their boat trying to drag so many great fish into it, and continued to tell of the little deaf girl, the blind men, the water turning into wine and Jesus fearlessly calming the storm. His voice rose in intensity, and he began quoting the prophets, especially Isaiah and Daniel, saying, "This is Messiah who was to come; He is the Son of Man, the Son of God!

"Repent, all of you, and clean up your lives, for the time of salvation is come to this village! Repent! Repent, and believe the gospel!"

Peter was amazed at how the words came. He could suddenly remember Jesus' parables and analogies. He would say, "The Kingdom of God is like finding a pearl of great price. A man would sell his whole house and all his belongings to buy that one pearl!"

Peter found the crowds listened more favorably when he showed them how he, too, had disbelieved. As he showed them how he had been convinced of Jesus' great calling and commission in spite of himself, how he could not deny the things he had seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears, it seemed to win them over, make them listen with less skepticism.

In some villages, he and Bartholomew would baptize a dozen or more, sometimes a whole family. In others, the leaders rejected him, and he and Bartholomew would copy Jesus' speech against Bethsaida and Chorazin, saying, "Woe unto this town. It will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for you!"

As they traveled, Peter and Bartholomew became more confident.

Thrice they had been assailed by demoniacs.

Each time, with the hair rising along the back of his neck, Peter found himself afraid. But each time, with a prayer to God in His mind, He had commanded, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command you to go!" And each time the demoniac had been thrown to the ground in a violent, frothing fit, and then had been helped, dazed and only semiconscious, to his feet and had looked about him in amazement and in his right mind.

He would begin explaining that he had been as if in a dream, as if one part of him knew what he was doing and saying, but that there was an uncontrollable urge to act crazy, to fly into mindless rages and resort to violence.

Bartholomew was becoming a powerful speaker too. He would speak in his clipped, precise way of the miracles he had witnessed, and, when the afflicted came to him and Peter with their sick, they would pray, lay their hands on the sick and look with gratitude and amazement when they were healed instantly!

Their trip lasted for several weeks.

Making a circuitous journey through Kadesh Naphtali, and reaching the coast south of Tyre, they continued along the coast until coming to Accho Ptolemais, turned eastward and ascended the River Ramah to its headwaters, crossed the ridge and followed another drainage down to Magdala and thence back to Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee.

"We must have preached to at least fifteen thousand people!" Peter said as they strode into Tiberius.

"At least! " said Bart, breathing heavily and planting his walking staff with a thump on the stones of the thoroughfare.

They came to an inn, off-shouldered their small packs and laid their staffs across them against the stable wall.

Beating at the dust on his short skirts, Peter walked to the water cistern, pushed aside a burro and dipped cupped handfuls of water onto his dusty hair and beard.

Bart followed, and they laughed with relief as the rank smelling water bit into the dust and grime of their last twelve miles. Wiping their heads and faces with cloth toweling from Bart's pack, they entered the low stoop, rising beyond the lintel to adjust their eyes to the semi-gloom.

The place was small, only two other customers at this late afternoon time, and they asked for barley and lentil soup of the youngster who piped to them the meager fare.

"And water—do you have a well?" Bart asked.

"Yes, sir, deep and cold," the lad responded.

When he had left to fetch their soup and water, Peter said, "Well, Bart, what do you think? Were we successful?" Peter couldn't quite rid himself of the feeling of failure because of the villages that had proved hostile.

"We'll know when we ask the Lord," Bart said. "I'm anxious to know how Judas and Simon got along, where they went and how they did."

"Why just Judas and Simon? " Peter asked with rising interest.

"Oh, nothing special. I just wonder whether Judas spent as much time preaching as he did haggling over a deal. "

"But Jesus said to take no extra money or scrip. We had barely a day's supply with us when we left, and here we are, able to give money for this soup because of those who gave us of their tithes and gifts."

"I know," Bart admitted. "But I'll wager Judas arrives back with a lot more than he started with."

"You believe him dishonest, then?"

"I don't really know. And perhaps I should not be talking about it, for it is only a feeling I have. I have seen him haggling endlessly over only a few pennies' worth of bread when the price was obviously low, and he never makes any reports to Jesus or anyone else about money matters."

"True. He keeps the common purse, though, and Jesus seems to say nothing."

"I just can't believe Judas would use the cover of Jesus' name and the preaching of the kingdom for personal gain. But there is something about his sharp features, the way he whines and argues, the way he moves his hands . . . "

"I have thought the same thoughts, Peter said, moving back to allow the lad to place a wooden bowl of steaming soup before him. "But I have nothing substantial with which to back it up."

"Maybe," he said as an afterthought, "we should follow Jesus' example and believe the best, believe him completely honest unless Jesus Himself shows us otherwise. "

"You're probably right," admitted Bartholomew, digging into the thick soup of savory barley and lentils. "It's just that we have had an exhausting, yet exciting, interesting trip. We have both lost much weight; we have preached to thousands, been spat on, nearly stoned, chased out of towns, and yet have been used to heal the sick and preach the gospel. And I know you and I had opportunities for accepting larger gifts than we should!"

"I know," Peter said. "Can you imagine? Why, if we had been interested in self-gain, we could have returned riding horses or camels, driving a herd of firstlings before us and with purses full! " Peter thought back to the many times grateful people had wanted to give them a bullock or a foal because a son or daughter had been healed. One town elder had wanted to give them a small sack of Roman silver, which they had refused.

"But we couldn't have lived with ourselves," Bart said, reaching for the clay water urn.

"I'm glad we stuck to Jesus' instructions—to the letter," Peter affirmed.

"I wonder if Judas did. . . " Bart said.

"Well, we'll know tomorrow, or the next day. For it is the fifth day, and by Sabbath I believe all will have returned to Capernaum, " said Peter, stretching hugely and stifling a yawn.

"We'll have to travel fast tomorrow and get to Capernaum as soon as we can," said Bartholomew ruefully, "for our purse is nearly empty now. Maybe good for two more meals."

"Forget it," Peter reassured him. "I know many good people along the shores of the sea. We'll not lack for food or a shelter even if our preaching part of the journey is over. "

They had traveled on through Tiberius, gained the open shores to the north and remained overnight in the loft of a fisherman's stable before resuming their trek to Capernaum, which they reached late the following afternoon, on preparation day.

When they arrived back in Capernaum, their bodies caked with the dust of the trails, Joanna and Mary Magdalene took their packs, laid out fresh clothing for them and told them that four other teams had come in only yesterday, that most of them were finishing up last-minute chores before Sabbath.

Judas and Simon the Canaanite had arrived this morning.

Inquiring about their condition as if in casual interest, Bart found to his relief they had arrived with no cattle, no horses. Unless Judas had secretly filled his purse, then, there was apparently no evidence of any wrongdoing.

They didn't see Jesus until the morning, for He was by Himself, they said, on the mountain to the west.

That Sabbath morning, with all the disciples and Jesus gathered in the court following a late breakfast of smoked fish, bread, leeks and olives, followed by generous slices of goat cheese and milk, the disciples began excitedly relating their experiences to Jesus.

He would smile and nod, sometimes laugh with them at a humorous story and comment on their experiences.

It was amazing how similar were the experiences of each. With no extra outer garments, no extra shoes, it had proved to be exactly as Jesus had predicted: Whenever the nights turned chilly and they lacked an extra cloak, it seemed there was a willing person to offer them the loan of one; when they needed food it was freely set before them; when their shoes wore thin it was noted by generous persons from place to place and they were given a new pair.

Some of them related excitedly how they had been a little frightened to have been arrested at the behest of religious leaders, hauled into a local tribunal and had to spend anxious hours wondering about their fate.

True to Jesus' predictions, they had found the exact words with which to confound and confuse their enemies so that the only result of such isolated occasions was a further witness, not only to the general public but the local officialdom as well.

Peter exclaimed how remarkable it was that just the right words seemed to come at the right time, and all the disciples commented about the marked similarity of the experiences they had undergone.

It seemed one unit of two had no sooner begun to explain about a particular event than others were nodding and exclaiming they had experienced the same thing exactly!

Peter was tremendously encouraged. Surely the time was growing near when the Lord would announce the beginning of His new kingdom, when they would march on Jerusalem, picking up tens of thousands on the way, and proclaim Him King! Peter knew they could rally uncounted thousands around this Man. And how unselfish He had been; He didn't try to monopolize the glory; He always told people not to go out and sing His praises when a miracle occurred and had even allowed the disciples to earn a little glory of their own by permitting them (no, ordering them) to go out and perform such tremendous feats in units of two.

It was further proof He intended they have leading roles in the new government to be formed; He would make good His word.