a kettle-seller possibly convince anyone?”
“I spoke of Torah—that through the Prophets and the Psalms, the Unknown God is revealed. I told them of the soul, of right and wrong, and of heaven … the abode of the righteous.”
Samson leaned forward. “You told the Greek philosophers these things? You’re a man of courage!”
Porthos shook his head. “Not so. They laughed at me. And when they did, I blushed and hurried away. Even so, in my market stall, when common folk spoke about the cruelty of the gods of Rome, I told them about the Lord, the One God who is named Merciful. One day Messiah will come and heal and forgive our sins. And the lion will lay down with the lamb. Now here’s the miracle. The poor and humble, even among the Greeks, are eager to hear more of our God of mercy.” Porthos held up a thick finger. “That is where we must begin to share the truth … with those who have nothing. Like John the Baptizer has done.”
I had remained silent as I considered the injustice of our oppressors. I wondered quietly what had become of Judah and his dear mother and gentle sister. What had become of all the nations and kings throughout time who had chosen to rule their people by fear? Those empires had all fallen.
After considering these things, I spoke. “To the ends of the world, fear of Rome is like a blindfold that blocks out the light of truth. Along with every nation, we Jews have fallen because of fear. We have given up our freedom. Brutal men control our lives. We compromise our beliefs as long as it is others who are brutalized and not we ourselves. Terror is a powerful religion. The spirit of fear is a god that takes the human heart captive. But our God, the Living God of Israel, longs to fill our hearts with joy and freedom. That is what separates believers from all other people.”
Samson tugged his earlobe. “It is written, somewhere, that the Romans pray to many gods … out of fear. In our Jewish worship the wail of fear gives way to the cry of ‘Hallelujah! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
“Omaine!” Porthos continued. “So what did I learn in Athens? That I must seek the one who will rule my heart and mind with mercy and love. Perhaps when I find him, I will no longer be afraid of anything.”
“You were not afraid to help me the day I was beaten,” I reminded him.
“But I was afraid. Indeed.”
Though Porthos humbly denied his courage in helping me, I was well aware that he risked his life to come to my aid.
“Then why did you do it?” Samson asked.
Porthos did not answer the question. “I promise I am a coward. My knees were knocking as I carried David all the way out the gates of the city.”
Samson asked again, “Porthos, if you are such a coward, why did you save David’s life?”
Patrick raised his cup in salute to Porthos. “He did it because courage is when you are terrified to do the right thing … but it is still the right thing to do … so, you go ahead and do it anyway.”
“Omaine!” Samson clapped Porthos on his broad back and congratulated Patrick. “Well spoken!”
Then we turned our conversation to the weather and the crops.
The morning dawned bright and fair. Porthos shared a final breakfast with Martha and me.
I walked him to the gate and embraced him. “Brother, on your return—anytime—you are always welcome here beneath my roof.”
“There is rebellion in the air, David ben Lazarus. I have come far and now feel I must see for myself the courageous prophet who preaches so against Herod Antipas and his woman, Herodias.”
“When I heard him speak, I felt there never was a man like John.” I handed Porthos a pack filled with supplies. “Perhaps Elijah. But never before or since.”
Samson brought around from the stable a donkey the color of dark red wine. “Here you are, sir.” He presented the reins to Porthos, who bowed slightly.
“I will take the best of care of her,” Porthos assured Samson. Then he turned to me. “A beautiful gift, brother.” Porthos patted the beast’s neck and stroked her ears. “My own two feet have carried me far. I am blessed now to possess four more feet for my journey.”
Samson stroked the donkey. “Her name is Pleasant. And that she is. A filly from