o were great among the Jews in the days of
long ago, came down and talked with Jesus.

Peter spoke timidly this time, for he did not know what to say.

"Lord," he said, "it is good for us to be here. Let us build three
tabernacles here, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

Then a great cloud came, like a shadow, over the mountain. They heard
a voice from the cloud, like the voice of God, saying: "This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him!"

The disciples fell down to the ground, and there they lay until Jesus
came and touched them. At his touch they looked up, and there was no
one to be seen but Jesus standing there alone.

"Come away," said Jesus, "and tell nobody what you have seen."

They followed him down the mountain, back to where other people were.

Long afterward, they spoke of what had happened. They told of the
brightness, and the beauty, and the visitors from olden days, and the
voice which said that Jesus was the Son of God. But in those days they
never said a word.

They knew that on the mountaintop they had been with God.

10. The Way to Jerusalem

Jesus had made up his mind that he would go to Jerusalem for the
Passover next year. He knew that if he did he would get into trouble.
The disciples knew it too, for he had told them so. There was a hard
time ahead for them all.

There was hardly anyone whom Jesus could count on any more. Often even
the disciples did not understand him. Once in a while other people
would offer to come along and be disciples too. But few actually came,
after Jesus explained how much he expected his disciples to give up
for his sake.

There was one man who came to Jesus, and said bravely, "Lord, I will
follow you wherever you go!"

Jesus replied: "Even the foxes have holes in the ground to sleep in at
night. The birds of the air have their nests. But I travel across the
country without a home that I can call my own."

The man thought of his own comfortable house, and decided he did not
want to follow Jesus after all.

Another time Jesus invited a man to join him. This man said that he
would be glad to come, but that his father had just died, and he must
first look after the funeral. That would take a long time, for the
Jews loved their customs, and when anybody died they held ceremonies
which lasted for many days. Jesus could not wait for this man, so he
answered:

[Illustration]

"Let people who don't believe in me