The encouraging days of our Lord's career were now at an end. His "Bread-of-life" sermon was generally misunderstood and taken as literal, which agitated the question of his sanity, besides his remarks on the assembly concerning his ascending up to where he was before did not help the matter. The invincible Magdalene had convinced two of the twelve and a few of the others that, as he had said his words were spirit and truth, they must not be taken literally, but the thousands, which included his friends and relatives, were in doubt. The Persian and Egyptian scholars, with the Assyrian Knights, Nobles and Princes, argued that his moral lessons did not voice of insanity, neither of deceit, still they were returning home somewhat depressed while the Galileans, including the twelve, save Peter and John, were preparing to go up to Jerusalem to the feast.

Magdalene, Aunt Susanna and Mary, the mother of Jesus, with Peter and John, soon set out with Jesus from the Galilean coast as though they would journey to Tyre. While ascending the hills west of Capernaum, Jesus, turning for the last time, looked down upon the familiar scenes before him. It seemed but a moment since he, with other children, stopped and gazed on old Galilee for the first time. Now along the shore lay boats like the one from which, in days of his great achievement, he had taught the eager throng, which had now disappeared. The sun's dazzling rays bore down upon the dreamy waters of the little mountain inland sea upon whose shore he would walk no more. From Bethsaida, a blue smoke curled languidly over the retreat of his fisherman followers, while upon the hillside to the south lay the garden home of Aunt Susanna, where the once beautiful, but now pale Magdalene had upon every occasion so vehemently defended him whom she was now to follow to his earthly doom.

The little party traveled to the northwest, leaving Nazareth on the south, until noon of the second day, when Jesus turned south as though he would go to Jerusalem, and, as it were, secretly camped in the woods on Mount Carmel, in plain view of the hills of Nazareth, where many of his old acquaintances were now boasting of the failure of his mission.

Magdalene would gladly have run over and hugged and kissed Ruth one more good-bye, but as their route to the south, along the foot of Mount Carmel, had been unnoticed, the Master's orders were to proceed again in the night and cross the Esdraelon Plain before day.

After the evening meal, Jesus read the 28th chapter of First Samuel, and as was their custom, sang and prayed. Then, while the sun still lingered on the hilltop, Jesus pointed out the position of the two armies, and the City of Endor, where Saul consulted the woman the night before he and his sons were slain; then he drew their attention to the traditional homestead of Elijah, who lived nearly fifteen hundred years before.

Peter called attention to the beautiful sunset on the Mount of Transfiguration and inquired if Moses and Elias would ever come again, at which, while all listened for his reply, Jesus turned and looked at the mountain, but did not speak.

Before sunrise next morning the little party had passed Jezreel and by noon arrived at Dothan, where they decided to camp until the following morning. Here they viewed the traditional pit into which Joseph had been cast the day his brothers had sold him into Egypt.

As twilight came on, a party was seen approaching from the north, which proved to be a band of his followers who, having become alarmed, had followed them with the hope of persuading Jesus to return to Nazareth. Among them was Cleophas and his wife, Mary, she being the sister of Joseph, the father of Jesus, but all arguments to induce Jesus to return were of no avail.

The next morning at Jacob's well they found several hundred who fell into line and thus the throng increased until they crossed the Jordan, where they were met by his ten disciples who, with a host of others, had come up from Jerusalem to meet them, and now Jesus went before them towards Jericho.