In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands. (2 Corinthians 11:32-33)

A Ride In A Basket

He could not imagine how different his life would be. Growing up as a Jew in Tarsus in Cilicia, and in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the exactness of the Law of the fathers, Paul was as zealous for God as anyone could be. He was a true child of Israel, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. His passion made him a Hebrew of Hebrews. He was part of the Pharisee sect with a fierce zeal to persecute the church of Christ. And then the night came when he found himself in the dark of night being let down through a window in a basket. King Aretas had issued a warrant for his arrest. The order had a death warrant attached, as the Jews of Damascus intended to kill Paul.

As Paul bumped along the wall enclosed in the basket, his mind turned to where he had been not many days before. He was a man of position and power, with letters from the high priest to bind any who followed Jesus of Nazareth. He had become a lightning rod for threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. Now he was leaving the city in a basket. His life was in the hands of those he had sought to destroy. As he came to rest on the ground, friends quickly helped him up, and they hurriedly ran away.

His escape from Damascus would become a prelude to the sufferings he would endure for the cause of Christ. His life turned out so different than what he thought it would be. The only constant in his life was the devotion to Jehovah God, and that devotion would lead him to die for Jesus Christ. The followers he tried to destroy saved him, lowering him in a basket to safety. Paul would become one of the great preachers of the early church.

Paul’s trip in a basket is not unlike the lives of many of God’s people. Life takes many different turns. Events beyond control overshadow dreams and aspirations. Plans are disrupted, hope dashed, joys lost, and in a moment, life is never the same. Adam and Eve lived in paradise, only for their lives to become tragic in the blink of an eye. Abraham was 75 years old when he found himself in a “basket.” At the age of 17, Joseph’s life would never be the same. David would see his world fall apart because of sin.

Paul did not let the events of Damascus stop him or deter his course. He went on to become one of the greatest examples of faith and courage in the Bible. His ride in a basket was not a defeat but an opportunity to learn how to serve the Lord more fully. Baskets can be used to carry bread for life. Sometimes they carry men who learn humility, dependence, and devotion to the cause of Christ. Some baskets are larger than others. At times, the baskets are lowered over walls of great height. Paul trusted the hands that held his basket, but he trusted God to hold his life – even for a short ride in a basket.