Not all scramblers in life are scavengers.
Not all followers are believers.
The brutal daily life of the first century meant Litigus became world-wise at a young age. He had a sense of sorts, a knack for knowing what to say and when to say it (or not say it at all). He was confident, sure of his decisions, and had a clear understanding of how people worked. But those practical wits also gave him a cynical point of view, a shrewd sense of survival, and a hesitation to trust.
Jesus found helping others to be satisfying. Most of the time. But trying to reorient his listeners' ears away from the day-to-day sword swinging, backstabbing, and hypocritical half-lies made the helping become downright frustrating and exhausting. Add in frequent bouts of instructional fatigue thanks to his apostles, and he found himself looking to get away from it all. Be careful what you wish for-even non-believers believe in that-and he was about to discover how true that is.
He'd heard it asked, whispered into his very own ear, "What's the going price for salvation for you today?"
A chance encounter on a hill leads both men down their own path of self-discovery through theology, compassion, and camaraderie.