Luke 9

1Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases.

2Then he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

3He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey: no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, and do not have two tunics each.

4Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.

5Wherever people do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

6So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

7Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was happening, and he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead,

8others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen.

9Herod said, “I beheaded John. But who is this I keep hearing such things about?” And he kept trying to see him.

10When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida.

11But the crowds found out and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed healing.

12Late in the day the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and food, because we are in a deserted place here.”

13But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”

14For there were about five thousand men. He said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”

15They did so and had everyone sit down.

16Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, and broke them. He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

17They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up: twelve baskets of broken pieces.

18Once when Jesus was praying alone and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

19They answered, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others, that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.”

20He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”

21But he strictly warned them and ordered them not to tell this to anyone,

22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

23Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to come after me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross every day, and follow me.

24For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will save it.

25What good is it for a person to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

26For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

27But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

28About eight days after he said these things, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto the mountain to pray.

29As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white.

30Suddenly two men were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah,

31who appeared in glory and were speaking about his departure, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.

32Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

33As the men were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what he was saying.

34While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

35Then a voice came out of the cloud: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!”

36When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent and in those days told no one anything of what they had seen.

37The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.

38Just then a man in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child.

39A spirit seizes him, and suddenly he cries out. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth, and it will hardly leave him; it is battering him.

40I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

41Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

42Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

43And they were all astonished at the majesty of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples,

44“Let these words sink into your ears: the Son of Man is about to be handed over into human hands.”

45But they did not understand this saying. It was hidden from them so that they could not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

46An argument started among them about which of them was the greatest.

47But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child and had the child stand beside him.

48Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is great.”

49John answered, “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow along with us.”

50But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

51As the days drew near for him to be taken up, he resolutely set his face to go to Jerusalem.

52He sent messengers ahead of him. They went and entered a Samaritan village to make preparations for him,

53but the people did not welcome him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

54When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to consume them?”

55But he turned and rebuked them,

56and they went on to another village.

57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

59He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those at my home.”

62Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”