Friends and Heroes

Macky rescues a snobbish, aristocratic Roman girl, Portia, from her runaway horse and she is so fascinated with Macky and the whole world of Alexandria’s Delta Quarter ghetto, that she returns and hires Diana to make a dress for her - at the Governor’s palace! Rebecca is horrified that a Roman should enter their lives and uses the story of how Delilah led Samson astray to warn against being corrupted by foreign ways. But Macky senses there is more to Portia than they have seen so far. Diana teaches the youngsters the value of tolerance through the story of Peter’s friendship with Cornelius, the Roman Centurion - and with help from their new Roman friend Portia, the gang thwart an extortion scheme run by Tobias and his sergeant, Brutacus.

Macky and the family take a risk and give shelter to two men they think are fugitive rebels, brothers Caleb and Aaron. The story of Rahab teaches the family, and Portia, about caring for strangers. Aaron is very sick, and to nurse him Diana needs to cool his raging fever. Disguised as musicians, Macky and Samuel venture into the Governor’s palace to bring back ice from a lavish Roman banquet. When the sickness looks serious, the story of how Peter raised Tabitha back to life encourages Caleb never to give up hope for his brother. We’re left in suspense at the end of the Episode when it’s discovered that Caleb and Aaron are actually dangerous criminals.

Macky and the gang want to rescue some slaves who are forced to work, shackled, in the Roman granary, but their friends and neighbours are worried about the repercussions. Sollie’s mother, Miriam, challenges them by telling the story of Moses beating the Egyptian slave master, and Macky soon finds he has enough support to help the slaves. Once rescued, the slaves must be hidden from the Romans, and Marx Brothers-style havoc ensues as Diana - theatrical wardrobe mistress - hides them right under the Romans’ noses at the theatre. The story of how Paul was changed on the Damascus Road gives Macky hope that even the Romans might one day change - and slavery will disappear.

Whilst Macky and the girls are minding Samuel’s shop, a petty thief steals a piece of jewellery. The silver fish has information vital to the rebel movement engraved on it and if it falls into Roman hands, there will be serious consequences. Macky can’t figure out how to get the fish back, but after telling Leah the story of a resilient John being beaten by the authorities for the crime of healing people, all becomes clear. Moments after getting the fish back, the bars of the harbour prison slam shut on the kids. Just as things are looking desperate, and it seems the gang are to be sent to the salt mines as slaves, Macky remembers the story of Shadrach and the Furnace. Samuel intervenes and creates an elaborate ruse that sets everything right.

Out on Macky’s horse without permission, Leah easily outrides a spoilt Roman boy, Caius, who challenges her to a horse race so he can salvage his damaged pride. Rebecca is furious with her little sister, but Macky tells her the famous story of Joseph and his Brothers and she sees that forgiveness between brothers, or sisters, is more important than chastising Leah for her disobedience. When Leah goes to meet Caius and face his wager, Rebecca plans to help her and stop the Roman boy and his flunkies from cheating to win. Meanwhile Portia has been pulling strings amongst her fellow Roman aristocrats to help Leah from the opposite side. Between them they outwit Caius and Brutacus, but Leah had been hoping to get the wealthy Roman lad to pay his dues after beating him in the race. Rebecca tells Leah the story of Simon Magus, who foolishly thought money would make him all-powerful, and little Leah finally understands her big sister’s message.

Macky and his family have left Alexandria and have sought safety amongst some desert ruins. Macky argues with his father that they have run away from their responsibilities and Samuel tells him the story of Jonah and the Sailors, showing that it is never really possible to leave behind responsibilities. Searching for Samuel back at the shop, a vengeful Tobias arrests their neighbour Nathan and Sollie brings this news to the family in the desert. Returning to the city, Samuel and Macky meet a thief, their old adversary Caleb. When Caleb recounts the story of the Prodigal Son, they know he is no longer a thief and enlist his help to free Nathan from prison. But to their horror, they realise Tobias had been using Nathan as bait to capture Samuel…

Macky arrives in Jerusalem disguised as a member of Portias entourage, and soon comes across both some old adversaries and several new friends. Awed by the sight of the besieged city, he tells Portia the story of Jesus in the Temple as a boy, and a mysterious Roman soldier tells Macky how King David captured Jerusalem, reminding him that great obstacles may be overcome.

The Romans are bringing in an enormous battering ram to use against the walled city of Jerusalem. Macky have to find a way to help out. Waiting to fight it, the zealots liken the Romans to Ahab and Jezebel, who wanted Naboth’s land, had him killed, then took the land for themselves.

This time, Macky sets out to rescue the real Daniel, but his new plan is no less dangerous than his earlier plan. He’s going disguise himself as a young Roman noble and brazenly go right into the Roman camp.

Toadie gets very ill (sick, too) and only Macky can get the medicine that will save Toadie’s life. But will he? He decides to do it when Lucius tells him how Elisha helped Naaman, even though Naaman was an enemy soldier.

As the people in Jerusalem starve, Macky comes across several sacks of grain that Toadie has stolen for himself and hidden in the Roman camp. With the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand in mind, Macky decides to take the grain into the besieged city. But how?

To gain leverage in negotiations, the zealots decide to kidnap General Tiberius. Macky isn’t sure if this is the right thing to do, and recalls the story of Solomon and the baby, envying Solomon’s great wisdom.

Macky is now a dependable courier between Jerusalem and the outside world. But he’s soon given a job that might be too much, even for him: taking an elderly man out of the city for medical care. Unable to use the water tunnel because of its dangerous currents, Macky must find another way. Lucius tells him the ailing man might be taken over a certain part of the city wall, but Macky is suspicious; why should he trust Lucius, a Roman? Lucius tells him the story of Paul/Saul, and his conversion on the road to Damascus. Macky is convinced of Lucius’s desire to help and quickly conceives a plan. But when Macky offers the plan to Sarah, his new zealot friend, she rejects it. Like Macky, she sees no reason to trust a Roman. But unlike Macky, she goes even further: she’s leery of trusting anyone, and she uses the story of Esau and Jacob to back up her distrust. Macky agrees to scrap Lucius’s plan, but that decision almost proves fatal. So it’s Lucius himself who must ride in to save Macky and Sarah. This gives Macky an opportunity to finish the Esau and Jacob story for Sarah, adding the part where the brothers finally reunite.

This time, Macky sets out to rescue the real Daniel, but his new plan is no less dangerous than his earlier plan. He’s going disguise himself as a young Roman noble and brazenly go right into the Roman camp. Isaac uses the story of Elymas, to underscore the danger of trying to be something you’re not, but Macky won’t give up, and soon, both he and Isaac are in disguise inside the Roman camp, sitting down for a huge banquet – catered by Toadie and Brutacus. At this point, Macky is moved to contrast the Romans’ over-abundance and lack of gratitude with his own people’s tribulations, as mentioned in the story of the manna in the desert. The banquet comes to sudden end when Toadie discovers Macky is not all that he seems, and he and Isaac must scramble to get Daniel out of the Roman camp, while also saving their own skins.

Toadie gets very ill (sick, too) and only Macky can get the medicine that will save Toadie’s life. But will he? He decides to do it when Lucius tells him how Elisha helped Naaman, even though Naaman was an enemy soldier. While Toadie hallucinates in his sickbed, Macky takes the medicine out of Jerusalem. As Macky makes the perilous trip to the Roman camp, the zealot Amikam follows him, suspicious. Is Macky trying to betray the zealots in some way? Still grumbling about having to help his enemy, Macky arrives at Lucius’s tent and gets a surprise: Lucius’s young son Antonius is now ill, too. Macky overhears Lucius tell Antonius how Jesus cured the woman who was bleeding, then hands over the medicine – which will now be used to cure both Toadie and Antonius. Just as Macky is leaving Lucius’s tent, Amikam confronts him. Overhearing this, Lucius thinks fast and comes running out after Macky, accusing him of trying to steal from him. Hearing this, Amikam’s suspicions of Macky fade and the two hurry back to Jerusalem together.

As the people in Jerusalem starve, Macky comes across several sacks of grain that Toadie has stolen for himself and hidden in the Roman camp. With the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand in mind, Macky decides to take the grain into the besieged city. But how? Is he going to try to use the Romans’ own catapults to send the grain over the walls? That’s what the Romans believe, largely because a spy has told them that. But Macky has a trick or two up his sleeve, and just when it looks like all is lost and his plot is about to be exposed, Macky proves that he has become craftier with age. As a befuddled Toadie realizes just how badly he has outsmarted himself, Macky and his friends hear the story of the widow whose oil increased beyond all expectation.

To gain leverage in negotiations, the zealots decide to kidnap General Tiberius. Macky isn’t sure if this is the right thing to do, and recalls the story of Solomon and the baby, envying Solomon’s great wisdom. Ultimately, Macky decides to go along with the plot, but once he and the other zealots have sneaked into the Roman camp, he gets a nasty surprise: the zealots don’t want to kidnap Tiberius, they want to assassinate him. Macky refuses to go along with it; a fight starts, and in the resultant confusion, Macky is captured by the Romans. When Portia hears about this, she goes to Lucius, who tells her how Paul, a Roman citizen, claimed his right to be tried in Rome. Thinking that a trial in Rome would be preferable to a summary execution here in Jerusalem, Portia tries the same ploy with Macky – only to learn that Macky is not a Roman citizen.

As Tiberius launches the final assault on Jerusalem, a still-incarcerated Macky begs Portia to help his zealot friend, Sarah. Portia stages a daring rescue from the city, then learns from Sarah that she was never Portia’s rival; Macky has always been Portia’s. As the city falls, Isaac’s children recall the story of Noah’s Ark, and are moved by its message of hope. Later, Isaac tells Portia about Paul’s appearance before King Agrippa and his retelling of what happened to him on the road to Damascus. After that, it’s off to Rome for Portia, Tiberius, Macky and Toadie – the latter two in chains, headed for an uncertain future.

When Macky refuses to kill another trainee during practice, the gladiator school manager decides to send him to the arena the next day. Because he won’t kill, he will almost certainly be killed. Portia goes to Senator Antonius, who has spoken out on behalf of the Friends of Jesus in the Senate. But Antonius seems unwilling to help. We hear the story of King David and Three Soldiers, and Antonius tells Portia about Jesus speaking in Nazareth.

Toadie has a new job: he’s managing a gladiator, and finds he must resort to his usual cheating habits. Macky tells the story of David and Mephibosheth to explain the importance of helping others, and Antonius retells the Parable of the Sower, and the story of the House built on Rock to underline the need for solid foundations in life.

Macky escapes from the warehouse with Portia, but he is badly injured. Trying to keep Macky conscious on the way home, Portia gets him to focus on the story of Joseph and Pharaoh’s Dreams. Later Portia finds she must take the lead in foiling Marcus’s plot, while Macky remains on his sickbed and Sophia tells a frightened Felix how Jesus brought Jairus’s daughter back to life.

Macky and the Masked Rebel rescue some slaves from certain death in the Circus Maximus, and as the scared slaves hide from their pursuers, Absolom reassures them with the story of Elijah and the Poor Widow. An angry Marcus orders Aemelia to be jailed, planning to use Babatunji as bait. Later, Babatunji hears the Parable of the Lost Sheep, and helps Antonius in a daring prisoner swap, understanding now that God cares for each of us.

Hoping to gain approval and payment, Toadie informs Antonius that Marcus is planning to rob Rome’s treasury. Antonius tells The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard to remind Macky that things can be seen differently. When Toadie appears asking to be rewarded, Macky tells him the story of Jesus and the Widow’s Offering to explain how the poor woman quietly donated all she had. Later Macky and the Masked Rebel confront Marcus and his men inside the treasury and Antonius tells Macky the story of Jesus and the Roman Tax.

Portia seeks the Emperor’s help to get Antonius released, but the Emperor decides not to intervene. Our friends recall how Jesus appeared before Pilate, and the events which took place as Jesus carried his cross, and at The Crucifixion.

Macky and Portia finally arrive in Rome, but under very different conditions: Portia is welcomed as the privileged niece of Rome’s new prefect of police, Tiberius, while Macky has arrived in chains... and that’s just the beginning of his problems. Roman officials have decided that the trial he was supposed to get isn’t really necessary, and Macky has been sold to a school for gladiators. There, he meets Aemelia, the school’s owner and a former warrior herself, and Babatunji, the chief trainer. Together they impress on Macky that the only way out is to kill or be killed. Macky soon makes friends with Absolom, a Jewish trainee who seems to accept his unjust lot with little more than a shrug. Macky tells him the story of Amos speaking out about an unjust king, but Absolom remains unconvinced. Soon, hope arrives in the form of Luciana, a mysterious and apparently influential older woman who convinces Aemelia to arrange an obstacle course contest between Macky and another prisoner at the school: Toadie. The prize? Freedom. Macky soon finds that his side of the course is booby-trapped, but despite this, he wins – or so he thinks, until Luciana prevails on her Senator friend, Marcus, to say that the winner is Toadie – who turns out to be Luciana’s son! Despite the unfairness of the decision, Macky’s faith is unshaken. He tells Absolom the story of John, who spoke out against corruption, but then recalls that John was eventually beheaded...

Macky finds that being Antonius’s slave isn’t terribly burdensome. All he has to do is serve the occasional meal and keep an eye on Antonius’s young daughter and son – Sophia and Felix – a task made easy because both kids enjoy Macky’s stories, particularly, on one stormy night, the tale of Jesus calming the storm. To Macky, Antonius is a secretive, enigmatic figure, who keeps very odd hours. Curious, Macky soon finds out why: at night, Antonius dons a mask and goes out and rescues Friends of Jesus who are in jeopardy. Macky is shocked at first, but soon decides that he’d like to help Antonius. Antonius, of course, is surprised that Macky has learned his secret, but he’s adamant in his refusal to let Macky help him. Trying to soften Antonius’s attitude, Macky reminds him of the trust between David and Jonathan, and how Jonathan even went against his own father to save David’s life. But Antonius remains unconvinced – until he walks into a trap set by Brutacus – and only Macky can save him. Soon, the mysterious Masked Rebel has a daring young partner.

Marcus has a mysterious plan in the works, and he’s enlisted Toadie to help him. By accident, Portia sees some evidence of the plot, but she still has no idea of the specifics. Meanwhile, Macky is overburdened as he clandestinely plays host to several refugees. With his patience at an end, he complains to Antonius, and Antonius tells him of Abraham’s hospitality to the three strangers, and how one of them told him that Sarah would soon be having a baby. Later, when Macky expresses frustration with the Romans, Antonius tells him how Jesus visited Zacchaeus and how Zacchaeus soon changed his ways. Warned by Portia that Toadie is up to something unsavoury, Macky initially hides his interest from Portia, but then, in costume, he sets out to see what Toadie is up to. At a warehouse, Macky runs into Portia, who has been doing detective work on her own, and she now realizes that Macky is in league with the mysterious Masked Rebel. But before she can say much about that, she and Macky overhear Marcus, a rabid opponent of the Friends of Jesus, tell a confederate that his plan involves killing several Senators when they gather in their communal bath. Marcus intends to blame the deaths on the Friends of Jesus. Macky is shocked by the brutality of the plan, but before he can get away, Portia looks inside one of the mysterious barrels in the warehouse. It’s filled with the poisonous snakes that Marcus intends for the Senators. And, as one starts to bite her, Macky pushes her away... and is bitten himself!

Marcus has a growing suspicion that Antonius is the Masked Rebel, so he rents Toadie a neighboring villa with orders to keep an eye on Antonius and try to find the hidden passageway that apparently allows Antonius to come and go from his home unseen. Aware of the surveillance, Antonius must curtail his nocturnal activities. And now that he has some spare time, he notices that Felix is being shunned by the other boys because he’s mute. So he tells the boy the story of Bartimaeus, an old blind man whom Jesus picked out of a crowd to help. Meanwhile, Absolom encourages Macky to take on Antonius’ mantle while Antonius is lying low. Macky is reluctant – those are mighty big sandals to fill – so Absolom tells him the story of Saul, a seeming non-entity who eventually became king. Macky decides to go out on a rescue mission solo, while at the same time, Toadie causes the kids’ dog to run away, and Marcus imposes a long and tedious dinner on Antonius. Toadie thinks he has Antonius’s house all to himself and that he can search it for the hidden passageway, but he has a surprise coming: when the others left to find the dog, Felix remained behind, and now the boy must find a way to get the very determined Toadie out of the house, and keep him out.

Frustrated by Marcus’s continual verbal assaults on the Friends of Jesus, Macky urges Antonius to speak out against him in the Senate. Antonius is reluctant to openly confront Marcus, so he tells Macky the story of Jesus humbly entering Jerusalem on a donkey. Macky counters with the story of Jesus throwing the moneylenders out of the Temple... and Antonius gets an idea. He confronts Marcus in the Senate the next day, and Marcus is caught off-guard, speechless for once. Toadie offers to help Marcus get even with Antonius, but Marcus says he doesn’t need any help, and he fires the incompetent Toadie then and there, right in front of Toadie’s mother, Luciana. The next day, Marcus accuses Antonius of sending someone to spy on him. Antonius is arrested, and Macky feels the inevitable guilt for getting him into a predicament that seems to have no solution. To give Macky encouragement, Felix and Sophia tell Macky the story about the man who was lowered through a roof in order to meet Jesus. Macky and Portia decide to confront the so-called spy. They discover that he’s yet another of Marcus’s dupes, secretly scheduled to be eliminated as soon as he testifies against Antonius. Macky and Portia rescue the hapless spy, triggering a chase across Rome’s rooftops. In the end, the spy vanishes, but Macky and Portia are saved from Marcus’s thugs by Toadie, of all people.

When Macky tells Toadie the story of Jesus humbly washing the feet of his disciples, Toadie finally realizes that there will never be any material gain working for Antonius. So where should he turn? The answer comes only a little later, when Felix is taunted by some older children, and he runs away. Toadie goes to Marcus to exploit the situation. Meanwhile, Macky complains to Antonius about Toadie’s love of money and status, and Antonius tells him the story of Jesus helping the group of lepers, and being thanked by only one of them – the foreigner. Moments later, they get the news that Felix is being held for ransom by petty criminals. As the Masked Rebel, Antonius confronts one of the criminals and intimidates him into telling where Felix is. But Antonius decides to go into the place alone, leaving Macky outside to keep watch. Antonius easily defeats the thugs, who are holding an unharmed Felix, but Antonius’s mask terrifies Felix, and Antonius must remove it to calm him down. That’s when Toadie and Marcus reveal themselves. It was a trap, and Antonius is immediately arrested. Denying to passers-by that he’s involved in this, a guilt-ridden Macky hurries away with Felix. Later, when Portia goes to visit Antonius in jail, he tells her the story of Peter’s denials, and Portia realizes just how guilty Macky must feel right now.

Injured during his escape, Antonius entrusts Macky with the scrolls that contain the New Testament stories Antonius has been transcribing. But when Macky and Portia go to retrieve the scrolls, they learn that Marcus has possession of them now, and he intends to burn them in the arena. Portia urges Macky to forget about the scrolls and leave Rome immediately, but Macky is deeply committed to seeing that their stories live on, and he tells her the tale of Jesus meeting Cleopas and the other man to help explain why it’s so important to him that the story lives on. With Absolom’s help, Macky and Portia are able to steal the scrolls back, while at the same time, Marcus falls victim to a horrible accident involving a hungry lion. Leaving Rome for a new and uncertain life, Macky asks Portia if she’s sure she wants to come with him. He tells her the story of the rich young man who wanted to follow Jesus; the young man was prepared to accept the Ten Commandments, but he was unwilling to give up everything he owned. What will Portia decide? Youll have to watch the episode to see!