Freedom! A Slave is Freed-Twice

By Bob Withrow

"However, in my mind, you have betrayed me. You have been demanding. You treat your slaves and everyone you meet harshly. The more I think about it, the more I want you to leave my house. I'm not sure if I ever want you back, but I need you to give me some time. It's almost easy to say I forgive you, but deep down, it's very hard. I'm really not sure that I have forgiven deep down just yet. We have had many trading deals with each other and have gone together on other deals. I can mentally forgive you, and I pray to God that it gets into my heart, but right now, you and I are finished with our deals."

A first-century slave, a trusted manager of a large estate in Macedonia, has decided he must run away to Rome. He wants to be a free man. He has swindled many neighbors, he has lied to friends and his master, and he has stolen several items to pay his way to Rome and set himself up in a business there. Along the way, he discovers that life doesn't always go according to our plans. This journey of over 1,300 miles on foot definitely does not go according to his original dreams.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637102725

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Freedom! A Slave is Freed-Twice

Bob Withrow

Copyright © 2021 Bob Withrow

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books, Inc.

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2021

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Some Scripture quotations are also taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, and noted as NLT. NLT is copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Title page drawing by Ethan Withrow

ISBN 978-1-63710-271-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63710-272-5 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Other novels by Bob Withrow

A Strange Journey

Listening to God’s Messengers

This is a story taken from the Bible. Except for the biblical characters named, all others are fictitious.

Events are from a sanctified imagination to tell what could have happened to the characters.

This book is dedicated to my very patient, loving, steadfast wife, Beverly. She has been my strong helpmate throughout the years.

Introduction

Slavery is such charged word in the world today. Unfortunately, the term is often used in a casual, derogatory way in today’s society, particularly by some people who have to work for their living. At its basis in real life, slavery has a connotation of an oppressed people, of people being physically beaten when the master decided they weren’t working hard enough, as well as people who have no hope in any area of their lives. In many cases, that was and is still true in small pockets worldwide, as well as in many cases of prostitution. Unfortunately for the afflicted, slavery is something that has gone on for millennium.

For thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, nations would war against each other, tribe fought against tribe. The fallen tribe or country would suffer the indignity of being forced into slavery to the victors. People would often be taken from their homeland and sold around the known world.

Slaves were considered property, and the owner could do with them as he wished. He could work them in the fields and mines, he could teach them to provide valuable services, or he could have them beaten or killed. Looking back to the book of Genesis in the Bible, we see Abraham, Job, and many others had multiple slaves, often called servants. The King James Version calls them servants, but they were the master’s property, in reality, slaves. One of those servants of Abraham was named Eliezer of Damascus, and it’s believed that he was in charge of all of Abraham’s belongings. That would be the livestock, the fields and the field workers, the household and the household slaves, plus anything else Abraham owned.

Abraham trusted him so much that he allowed Eliezer to take ten camels, several other servants, and a literal treasure trove of jewels and clothing and go back to Abraham’s former country, Ur of the Chaldees, to find his son Isaac a wife. Even if Eliezer was a slave, he must have loved his master very much to remain faithful in this task. He didn’t take it all and run off to set himself up in a faraway country. He completed the four- to five-month round-trip journey and returned to Abraham with a wife for Isaac. He remained faithful. I also noticed that none of the servants that went with Eliezer revolted or ran away, remaining faithful to both Abraham and Eliezer. Many biblical scholars today feel that this is a prime example of how Christians ought to be with our Master, Jesus.

If one had several slaves, you allowed them, even sought to have them taught to be doctors, school teachers to your children, money managers, and a few would even became lawyers. Any job that helped you, you could give to a slave. I look back at Jacob’s son Joseph and how he was sold as a slave to Potiphar, a captain in Pharaoh’s army in Egypt. Potiphar made Joseph head of all he had because he saw that Joseph was a smart young man. Joseph was faithful and he ran the entire operation that Potiphar owned. But it only took the word of Potiphar’s wife to send Joseph to prison. That was a slave’s lot. One didn’t need proof to be punished for some wrong, only the word of another person. Real evidence would certainly help with the conviction, but it wasn’t always necessary.

During the time of Jesus and for another one hundred years, it’s said that the population in the city of Rome, along with much of its empire, consisted of about 50 percent slaves. You name the profession and likely you could find many who were slaves, owned by someone. In a large part, they could walk the streets just like free men, but they had to return home when told to. They were responsible to their masters. If they did try to run away, they were subject to whatever fate the master deemed proper, and often it was a severe whipping, and even death.

The Greeks brought a common language to the known world, and the Romans brought the ability to move around easier because of the roads they built. Wikipedia tells us,

Roman engineers were audacious in their plans to join one point to another in as straight a line as possible whatever the difficulties in geography and the costs in manpower. Consequently, roads used bridges, tunnels, viaducts, and many other architectural and engineering tricks to create a series of breathtaking but highly practical monuments which spread from Portugal to Constantinople.

The primary grid spread across the empire from Britain to Syria.

The building of improved roads permitted the rapid deployment of troops and, more importantly, the wheeled vehicles, which supplied them with food and equipment. Roman roads also allowed for an increase in trade and cultural exchange among the various populations. Our interstate highway system was originally designed for that very same purpose, the movement of military equipment. The Roman roads originally were not planned to go through large cities, just close enough to be able to move men and equipment when needed, again similar to what we have today.

The roads also show us the power of Rome and how they indirectly helped unify what was a vast melting pot of cultures, races, and institutions. Combining so many different languages, cultures, and religious beliefs would be impossible unless you had complete control over the various populations.

Roman roads were of several kinds, ranging from small local roads or lanes to broad, long-distance highways built to connect cities, major towns, and military installations. These major roads were often stone-paved and graded for drainage. They were also often flanked by footpaths, bridleways, and drainage ditches. The whole system was comprised of more than 250,000 miles of roads, of which over 50,000 miles were stone-paved. Many were just packed dirt, but most were gravel-covered. That gravel could be as small as pea gravel and as large as small river rock or any combination thereof.

This story is about one first-century slave who ran away but apparently didn’t suffer any pain or severe punishment, which was often inflicted when he returned to his former master. He was redeemed; his earthly debts were paid by another man, and his spiritual debt was paid by One on a hill outside Jerusalem. I hope you enjoy the story.

Chaplain Bob Withrow

Chapter 1

The servants’ quarters were unusually silent. Most of the occupants had already wished their friend good luck as he slipped away in the dark, early morning hours. They knew his chances for a real escape were slim, but just as sure as day follows night, every now and then, someone somewhere felt the need to run away. This was their friend’s turn to try. They were not sure why it was tonight he felt he had to go, or why he felt he had to leave this master especially, because they all were aware that it could mean his eventual death, but maybe, just maybe… It was believed that if he could get far enough into a northern country, maybe, just maybe, it might be possible for him to have a chance at a new life, one as a free man. Could he do it? Many other slaves in the local area had recently tried, but they had all failed. Some were brought back and hanged, some just whipped, but nobody had ever made a true escape from this compound or any other slave owner in the area for that matter. They had all been caught and returned to their master. Many a silent good luck and the gods be with you were whispered that night.

Just before leaving, he had told Claudius, "I am leaving this place, my friend. The weather is beginning to turn warmer, and the snow in the high country is melting. I should be warm enough at night. I also believe that you should be the one to take my place as manager of the household. I have taught you everything you need to know about running our master’s house, as well as taking care of his endeavors in the market. You are well liked by the rest of the staff, both those in the house and those in the fields and doing other tasks. That should mean that when the master begins to yell, when he gets angry that I am gone and he wants to hurt someone, you should be the one to just quietly step in and calm him. It might take a lot of your special coaxing, but you are the one to do it. He’ll listen to you. Be strong. I’m sorry I am leaving you with the burden you will face, but I have to do this. I have to!

I’m going to try and make it to Rome where I’m told a large part of the population are really slaves, up to half of the people there, I heard. Maybe I can eke out a living by telling someone about some fake job with a fake owner and live with some large estate owner. I don’t know what will happen, but this I do know—I need to be free, even if our master has been good to us. But I won’t know anything, I won’t know if it’s even possible unless I try this. I have worked for the master for over ten years, ever since I was a young boy. I’ve had enough of this type of life. I have to go. I hear that there are over four million people in Rome. I can’t imagine that many people, but I should be able to get lost in the crowds there. The gods be with you, my friend. You can do my job. I know you can do it. Stay strong.

"But, Onesimus (o-nés-uh-mus), there are almost one hundred other slaves in our master’s household and in the fields. What makes you think our master will appoint me to take your place? You have been the one to do the trading for horses, for food stuffs, and even for new slaves like me! You have done it all! How can I expect to do it as well as you? And haven’t you been treated so much better than almost all of the other slaves? Why do you want to run away? Our master has been a good master compared to so many others around here. Why put yourself in a position to have to face the lions in the arena someday? Or any other horrible death, for that matter?"

By all of the gods, I just have to go. There are things I have done that I’m not proud of, but because of them, I am no longer safe here. There was a good reason I made sure he bought you. Your quick wit, your ability to reason, and your quiet reserve in manner impressed me, and you impressed the master too. I have tried to help all of the slaves, as well as run the master’s household and his various businesses, but things got out of hand. I got into some trouble, doing things the master will soon be finding out about. Now, for this trip, I have taken some money to help me on the way. I don’t think he’ll miss the few clothes I have, but he’ll find out about the money and the other things I’ve done soon enough. I really do have to go right now. Do a good job. Just remember all that I have taught you and you will do fine. I believe I will be safe. It’s late spring, so it’s warm and I won’t freeze. It’s late enough right now, so the master is asleep. There are more than enough clouds to cover the moon, but they’re broken enough so that I can get enough light to see my way. I can hide if I have to. I believe I will find somewhere to hide from anyone looking for me right away. Now, I have to go.

Claudius had gone back to bed after Onesimus left the compound. Sleep stayed far from him as he debated on the wisdom of a slave leaving a master, as well as what could happen to a slave not reporting the runaway. What would happen to him if the master found out that Claudius knew of the situation and never said a word? I’m too young to die! And I don’t deserve the whip. Aaagh! What can I do? After several hours of tossing back and forth on his small cot, Claudius arose and started for the main house. At this point, loyalty to the master was more important to Claudius than loyalty to a runaway slave, even to one who had been a good friend and mentor. He wouldn’t say anything about any of the missing items, but he felt he had to report the problem of a runaway, all friendship aside. If money was missing, the master would find that out soon enough on his own. Claudius didn’t want the master angry with him because of what another man was doing. That could be deadly both for him and his new family. This master was better than most, but losing both a slave as well as some of his money? One just never knew what might happen. Besides all of that, he was well known for his temper.

He wasn’t too worried about Onesimus. That man seemed to lead a charmed life. He had good looks, he was smart, and he seemed to be able to talk his way out of almost any situation. He was smart in money matters, he could trade anything for that he wanted, and he knew many of the master’s business acquaintances throughout Macedonia. Dangerous as it seemed to Claudius, Onesimus had said he believed he could get along by contacting a few of them to help him in his travels. He must have had a pretty good story cooked up to fool some very smart men. To Claudius, that felt like trouble, but he had heard that some of the business dealings had already been mentioned as strange, maybe even illegal. That could bring Rome down on everyone involved. Roman authorities took a dim view of people trying to cheat the government. They didn’t like you cheating those around you, but they might overlook that. Just don’t cheat the government. Claudius hoped his friend wasn’t too close to those deals and that he really could make it to Rome or even further west. He wished him the best of luck.

Onesimus believed he had a good plan in mind for his escape from Colossae. He believed everyone would start looking to the northwest, especially when hearing about him starting to head for Rome. He believed Claudius would tell the master that was the plan, so Onesimus started walking northeast. His plan was to go to Lystra or Iconium. Both were large enough cities where he felt he could blend in and be safe for a short while. He had taken enough money from his master to supply himself for several weeks if need be. He could read and write, and he was good with numbers. That should be enough to get a job if he had to. For now, he walked, not wanting to draw any attention to himself should there be someone else out at this hour.

* * * * * * *

The road