ash 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