Friends and Heroes

After Macky fails in an attempt to escape from the Roman camp, Toadie accuses Portia of being a rebel sympathizer.

The Romans are tearing down homes outside Jerusalem and using them for building material. Isaac’s daughter, Rachel, worries what will happen to her when their house is torn down, so, to calm her, Isaac tells her of the kindness Jethro the Midianite showed to Moses, a stranger.

With the story of the Slaughter of the Innocents running through her mind, Portia hatches a plan that could force her uncle and the Romans to allow Jerusalem’s children to escape the besieged city.

Stung by his humiliation at Macky’s hands, Toadie convinces General Tiberius to allow him to take hostages from the nearby villages. These hostages will be executed if Macky doesn’t turn himself in. One of the hostages is Macky’s friend Isaac.

Because of his success against the battering ram, Macky is now a little full of himself. Isaac tells him how strongly Paul and Barnabas objected to being treated as gods in Lystra, but the story doesn’t seem to make much of an impression on Macky.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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 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.