ooked at the stranger narrowly. He was from Galilee; his broad
accent showed that. John glanced at Andrew. Surely a Galilean was safe!
"The Prophet says that Israel will soon be free," ventured John. It was
a test question. The stranger smiled as though he agreed, and Andrew
asked enthusiastically: "Do you believe him? He says that God will
overthrow the Romans soon!"

"How does John the Baptizer think all this will happen?" asked the
Galilean traveler. Andrew did not reply for a long while. Finally he
said: "The Prophet tells us that we cannot set ourselves free without
God's help. He says that if we had been willing to change our ways, God
would have rescued us long ago. Therefore we must get rid of sin and
pride and take our stand on God's side. When we do that, great things
will happen!" He looked directly at his fellow traveler. "Do you believe
this?"

The stranger's answer was clear. "John speaks the truth."

Suddenly they heard the thunder of galloping hoofs. A band of horsemen
was bearing down on them. Helmets and spears glinted in the brilliant
sunlight. Andrew and John shouted at the donkeys, but one of them moved
slowly. Desperately John whipped the animal. The donkey leaped. A rope
snapped and one of the heavy baskets dropped to the ground.

The three men heard a soldier curse them. They could hardly see each
other for the thick dust. The basket lay trampled in the dirt; salted
fish were scattered all over the road. Andrew kicked the ruined basket
into the ditch. "May God soon burn Rome and all her soldiers! This land
belongs to us!" He ran a few steps as if to overtake the riders and
shook his fist. "God will strike you!" he shouted. The stranger was
helping John put what was left of the fish in the other three baskets.
Andrew turned to them.

"I have seen whole armies of Romans march through fields of ripe wheat!
I have seen our towns burned by these destroyers! They have killed
thousands of our people! We have seen even our own friends killed by
these murderers!"

The man answered quietly: "I know what they have done. But hating them
will not help." Andrew was taken by surprise.

"We have been oppressed before," continued the stranger. "God has sent
John to us now, just as he has always sent prophets to tell us what we
should do."

"What should we do?"

"Just as you said yourself, we must repent of our sin," replied the
traveler. "God can do very little until he finds men who are willing to
ob