re. And he could go in only once a year.

The visitors from Nazareth saw a priest coming toward them. Anyone
could tell from his clothes that he was wealthy. He came from one of
the families that were known as the Sadducees. The Sadducees were the
only people who were at all friendly with the Romans. The reason for
this was that they were better off than most other people and
well-satisfied with things as they were. They thought it wise to stay
on good terms with Caesar. Nobody liked the Sadducees very well, but
everyone had to admit that they were certainly very important. They
sat in a high council and governed everything that went on around the
Temple.

And here was a Pharisee, looking very well pleased with himself! Jesus
had seen Pharisees before, around Nazareth, and they always seemed to
have that look. The word "Pharisee" meant "someone who is different."
What made the Pharisees different was that they were always talking
about the Law, and claiming that they obeyed it better than anyone
else. They were kindly folk, on the whole, and very well respected,
but they did not have any official position, like the Sadducees. All
they did was study the Law and tell other people about it. The
Pharisee whom the visitors were watching began to pray so that
everyone could see him. It seemed as if he were saying, "O Lord, I
thank thee that I am better than these other people here!"

Most of the great throng crowding the Temple were not priests, or
Sadducees, or Pharisees. They were plain people who had come to bring
their sacrifices, or to talk about the Scriptures, or simply to be in
the Temple because they loved God's house.

Nobody was paying much attention to Jesus. He was just a young boy,
lost in the crowd.

* * * * *

The days went by, and the lambs were killed and eaten. The prayers
were said and the hymns were sung. It was all over at last, and the
time had come to go home.

Joseph and Mary did not see Jesus the morning they all were supposed
to leave. They did not wait to find him, for the other travelers from
Nazareth were anxious to get started on the long journey back to
Galilee.

Joseph and Mary said to each other:

"Jesus is safe enough. There are so many of us from Nazareth that he
can't get lost. No doubt he is somewhere in the party."

The Nazareth people said good-by to the Temple for another year, and
started off for home. Out through the city gates they went, a