Jesus Sends out the Twelve
9 1 Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of our Father and to heal the sick. 3 He told them, "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money; and do not take two tunics each." 4 "Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there." 5 "And wherever they do not welcome you, as you leave that town shake the dust from your feet as a testimony against them."
6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of old had risen. 9 Herod said, "I beheaded John; but who is this man I hear such things about?" And he kept trying to see him.
Five Loaves Feed Five Thousand
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus all they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds learned of it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of our Father, and healed those who needed healing. 12 Now the day was getting late, and the Twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and food, because we are in a remote place here."
13 But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They answered, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people."
14 For there were about five thousand men. He said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."
15 They did so, and had everyone sit down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed them and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up—twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Who Do You Say I Am?
18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
19 They answered, "John the Baptist; but others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of old has risen."
20 "But who do you say that I am?" he asked. Peter answered, "The Christ of our Father." a a v20 When Peter calls Jesus "the Christ of our Father," he confesses Jesus as the Anointed One sent by the Father—the Son distinguished from the Father who sent him.
The Son of Man Must Suffer
21 Jesus sternly warned and ordered them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, "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."
23 Then he said to them all, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." 24 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." 25 "For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?" 26 "For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." 27 "But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of our Father."
The Father Glorifies His Son
28 About eight days after he said this, Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And there were two men talking with him—Moses and Elijah 31 —who appeared in glory and were speaking about his departure, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.
32 Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what he was saying.
34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
35 And a voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!" b b v35 At the transfiguration the Father's own voice names Jesus "my Son, my Chosen One"—the same Son the Father delights in, now revealed in glory.
36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silent and told no one at that time any of the things they had seen.
A Father's Son Freed From Darkness
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 And a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child." 39 A spirit seizes him, and suddenly he screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."
41 Jesus answered, "You unbelieving and perverse generation! How long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
The Son of Man Will Be Delivered
43 And they were all astonished at the majesty of our Father. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
44 "Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into human hands." 45 But they did not understand this saying; it was hidden from them so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46 Now an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, took a little child and had him stand beside him, 48 and 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 you all is the one who is great."
49 John answered, "Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us."
50 "Do not stop him," Jesus said to him, "for whoever is not against you is for you."
Jesus Sets His Face to Jerusalem
51 Now as the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead of him. They went and entered a Samaritan village to make preparations for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to consume them?"
55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59 He said to another, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of our Father."
61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me say farewell to those at my home."
62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of our Father."