Why did Simon want Daniel to see Jesus?

Simon
wants Daniel to accompany him to the synagogue to hear Jesus preach. Initially, Daniel's quite
reluctant to go. He hasn't been to a synagogue for five years and has become somewhat alienated
from his faith in the meantime. But Simon's at pains to point out that what Daniel will hear
from Jesus will be completely different from anything he's ever heard at a synagogue before. As
well as preaching about God, Jesus also preaches about love, and it is this overriding message
of love that distinguishes Jesus from all other prophets, preachers, and holy men.

As someone who's become deeply convinced of the truth of Jesus' message of
non-violence, Simon naturally wants his good friend Daniel to see what all the fuss is about.
That Simon thinks that Daniel will be impressed with Jesus' preaching speaks volumes about the
strength of his faith and commitment. For Daniel, a young man committed to driving the Romans
out of Israel by force, is not the kind of person one would normally expect to be receptive to a
message of peace and love.

And yet Daniel is indeed impressed by what he
hears from Jesus. Nevertheless, he still has to reconcile the substance of Jesus' message with
his current status as a zealot committed to carrying out acts of violence against the hated
Roman oppressor.

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