Men Called Him Master | Page 7

of God we suffer all the more. How does John the Baptizer explain that, Andrew?"
"He didn't say anything about it that I remember," Andrew admitted.
People were hurrying along the road back of the beach.
"Come along, men," said Zebedee briskly. "We must clean the nets."
"I think I'll try my luck in the shallow water," said Andrew. He picked up a circular net with weights around the edges. He waded to his knees and threw the net. It fell flat on the water and sank, trapping a small fish under it.
The others began to wash the nets, patiently picking out the seaweed and pebbles caught in them.
"Say! What's going on?" John pointed to a knot of people following a man who was walking along the beach.
"Probably some trader," remarked Simon.
"He looks more like a teacher to me," said John.
"Why not go over and see?" suggested Simon.
In a moment John came running back. "It is Jesus, the Galilean whom Andrew and I saw with John the Baptizer! Andrew! Andrew!" he called. "Come and see him, Simon. Come on!"
"I think I had better finish cleaning this net, John."
"But this man is a Prophet!"
"You go ahead if you want to." John gave Simon a disgusted look. When he turned toward the crowd of people, he noticed that they were moving toward him.
I wish they would come over here, thought John. As if he had read John's mind, Jesus walked nearer the fisherman. Everyone was listening to a scribe who was asking questions. Scribes knew the religious laws and the sacred books thoroughly.
"How can I get into this Kingdom you are telling us about, Rabbi?"
"What is written in the Law? What do you read there?" asked Jesus. The scribe answered: "You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength, and your whole mind. Also, love your neighbor as yourself."
"Correct," said Jesus. "Do that and you will live." Simon's hands were busy, but he smiled to hear Jesus answer the educated man so easily.
The scribe felt foolish because Jesus had made him answer his own question. Hoping to escape embarrassment, he asked, "Just who is my neighbor, Master?"
"There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho," answered Jesus. "He was attacked by some robbers who took everything he had and left him badly hurt. After a while a priest came by, but when he caught sight of the man lying in the ditch bleeding, he went on without even looking a second time. A Levite came along a little later and he too passed by on the other side of the road. Then a Samaritan came along." Simon was listening intently. Like most of the people there, he looked down on Samaritans, and wondered why Jesus had brought this one into the story.
"The two Jews had done nothing to help their fellow countryman, but the Samaritan stopped," continued Jesus. "He put salve on his wounds and tied them up. He put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn by the road. He paid his bill so that he could stay as long as it would take to get well. When the Samaritan left, he said to the manager: 'Take care of him. If you have to do more for him, I will pay you back when I come this way again.'" Jesus looked at the scribe. "Which of these three men was a true neighbor to the man who was beaten?"
"The man who was kind to him," admitted the scribe grudgingly.
"Then go and be like that yourself!" said Jesus.
Simon looked at Jesus amazed, the net in his hand completely forgotten. Not even John the Baptizer would say the Samaritan was better than the others, he thought to himself. No wonder Andrew and John had talked so much about this Rabbi whom they had first met in Judea!
Attracted by the crowd, many more people had come down from the road. They were pressing in on Jesus so much that he turned to Simon and asked abruptly, "May I use your boat?"
Simon was taken by surprise but he quickly recovered himself and said, "Certainly, Rabbi."
Jesus asked him to push out a little way. Then he turned around and spoke to the people on the shore. "The Kingdom of God does not come like a flash of lightning so that you can say, 'Here it is!' The Kingdom of God is right now in your midst."
"Does that mean that our enemies will be destroyed soon, Rabbi?" asked Simon eagerly.
"The Kingdom of God does not come by violence and bloodshed," answered Jesus, "but by the power of God. It is not his will that you should kill persons whom you hate. You should love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you! Pray for those who abuse