Commissioning the Twelve

Summoning the Twelve,(A) He gave them power and authority over all the demons, and power to heal[a] diseases.(B) Then He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.(C)

“Take nothing for the road,”(D) He told them, “no walking stick,(E) no traveling bag, no bread, no money; and don’t take an extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”(F) So they went out and traveled from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.

Herod’s Desire to See Jesus

Herod the tetrarch(G) heard about everything that was going on.(H) He was perplexed, because some said that John had been raised from the dead, some that Elijah had appeared,(I) and others that one of the ancient prophets had risen.(J) “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this I hear such things about?” And he wanted to see Him.(K)

Feeding 5,000

10 When the apostles returned,(L) they reported to Jesus all that they had done.(M) He took them along and withdrew privately to a[b] town called Bethsaida.(N) 11 When the crowds found out, they followed Him. He welcomed them,(O) spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured[c] those who needed healing.

12 Late in the day,[d](P) the Twelve approached and said to Him, “Send the crowd away,(Q) so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”

13 “You give them something to eat,” He told them.

“We have no more than five loaves(R) and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (For about 5,000 men were there.)

Then He told His disciples, “Have them sit down[e] in groups of about 50 each.” 15 They did so, and had them all sit down. 16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,(S) He blessed and broke them.(T) He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up[f] 12 baskets of leftover pieces.

Peter’s Confession of the Messiah

18 While He was praying in private(U) and His disciples were with Him, He asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

19 They answered, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back.”[g](V)

20 “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah!”(W)

His Death and Resurrection Predicted

21 But He strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one,(X) 22 saying,(Y) “The Son of Man(Z) must suffer many things(AA) and be rejected(AB) by the elders, chief priests, and scribes,(AC) be killed, and be raised the third day.”(AD)

Take Up Your Cross

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with[h] Me, he must deny himself,(AE) take up his cross daily,[i] and follow Me.(AF) 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.(AG) 25 What is a man benefited if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits himself?(AH) 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words,(AI) the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory(AJ) and that of the Father and the holy angels.(AK) 27 I tell you the truth: There are some standing here who will not taste death(AL) until they see the kingdom of God.”(AM)

The Transfiguration

28 About eight days after these words,(AN) He took along Peter, John, and James(AO) and went up on the mountain to pray.(AP) 29 As He was praying, the appearance of His face changed,(AQ) and His clothes became dazzling white.(AR) 30 Suddenly, two men were talking with Him—Moses and Elijah. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of His death,[j] which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.

32 Peter and those with him were in a deep sleep,[k](AS) and when they became fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who were standing with Him. 33 As the two men were departing from Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master,(AT) it’s good for us to be here! Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.(AU)

34 While he was saying this, a cloud appeared and overshadowed(AV) them. They became afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 Then a voice came from the cloud,(AW) saying:

This is My Son,(AX) the Chosen One;[l](AY)
listen to Him!(AZ)

36 After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was found. They kept silent, and in those days told no one what they had seen.

The Power of Faith over a Demon

37 The next day,(BA) when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, because he’s my only child.(BB) 39 Often a spirit seizes him; suddenly he shrieks, and it throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth;[m] wounding[n] him, it hardly ever leaves him. 40 I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”(BC)

41 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and rebellious[o] generation!(BD) How long will I be with you and put up with you?(BE) Bring your son here.”

42 As the boy was still approaching, the demon knocked him down and threw him into severe convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, cured the boy,(BF) and gave him back to his father.(BG) 43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God.(BH)

The Second Prediction of His Death

While everyone was amazed at all the things He was doing,(BI) He told His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink in:[p] The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”(BJ)

45 But they did not understand this statement;(BK) it was concealed from them so that they could not grasp it,(BL) and they were afraid to ask Him about it.[q]

Who Is the Greatest?

46 Then an argument started among them about who would be the greatest of them.(BM) 47 But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts,(BN) took a little child and had him stand next to Him. 48 He told them, “Whoever welcomes[r] this little child in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me.(BO) For whoever is least among you—this one is great.”(BP)

In His Name

49 John responded,(BQ) “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name,(BR) and we tried to stop him because he does not follow us.”(BS)

50 “Don’t stop him,” Jesus told him, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”[s](BT)

The Journey to Jerusalem

51 When the days were coming to a close for Him to be taken up,[t](BU) He determined[u](BV) to journey to Jerusalem.(BW) 52 He sent messengers ahead of Him,(BX) and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans(BY) to make preparations for Him. 53 But they did not welcome Him, because He determined to journey to Jerusalem.(BZ) 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”[v](CA)

55 But He turned and rebuked them,[w] 56 and they went to another village.

Following Jesus

57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to Him,(CB) “I will follow You wherever You go!”

58 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky[x] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” 59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”

“Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.”[y]

60 But He told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.”(CC)

61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.”(CD)

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

Footnotes

  1. Luke 9:1 In this passage, different Gk words are translated as heal. In Eng, “to heal” or “to cure” are synonyms with little distinction in meaning. Technically, we do not heal or cure diseases. People are healed or cured from diseases.
  2. Luke 9:10 Other mss add deserted place near a
  3. Luke 9:11 Or healed; in this passage, different Gk words are translated as heal. In Eng, “to heal” or “to cure” are synonyms with little distinction in meaning. Technically, we do not heal or cure diseases. People are healed or cured from diseases.
  4. Luke 9:12 Lit When the day began to decline
  5. Luke 9:14 Lit them recline
  6. Luke 9:17 Lit Then were picked up by them
  7. Luke 9:19 Lit has risen
  8. Luke 9:23 Lit come after
  9. Luke 9:23 Other mss omit daily
  10. Luke 9:31 Or departure; Gk exodus
  11. Luke 9:32 Lit were weighed down with sleep
  12. Luke 9:35 Other mss read the Beloved
  13. Luke 9:39 Lit convulsions with foam
  14. Luke 9:39 Or bruising, or mauling
  15. Luke 9:41 Or corrupt, or perverted, or twisted; Dt 32:5
  16. Luke 9:44 Lit Put these words in your ears
  17. Luke 9:45 Lit about this statement
  18. Luke 9:48 Or receives, throughout the verse
  19. Luke 9:50 Other mss read against us is for us
  20. Luke 9:51 His ascension
  21. Luke 9:51 Lit He stiffened His face to go; Is 50:7
  22. Luke 9:54 Other mss add as Elijah also did
  23. Luke 9:55 Other mss add and said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives but to save them,”
  24. Luke 9:58 Wild birds, as opposed to domestic birds
  25. Luke 9:59 Not necessarily meaning his father was already dead

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(A)(B)

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons(C) and to cure diseases,(D) and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God(E) and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.(F) Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”(G) So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

Now Herod(H) the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John(I) had been raised from the dead,(J) others that Elijah had appeared,(K) and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.(L) But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.(M)

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand(N)(O)

10 When the apostles(P) returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,(Q) 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God,(R) and healed those who needed healing.

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

13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.(S) Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah(T)(U)

18 Once when Jesus was praying(V) in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;(W) others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”(X)

20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”(Y)

Jesus Predicts His Death

21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.(Z) 22 And he said, “The Son of Man(AA) must suffer many things(AB) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,(AC) and he must be killed(AD) and on the third day(AE) be raised to life.”(AF)

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.(AG) 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.(AH) 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them(AI) when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.(AJ)

27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration(AK)

28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James(AL) with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.(AM) 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure,[a](AN) which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy,(AO) but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master,(AP) 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 speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen;(AQ) listen to him.”(AR) 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.(AS)

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy(AT)

37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,”(AU) Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay 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 a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”(AV) 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it,(AW) and they were afraid to ask him about it.

46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.(AX) 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts,(AY) took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.(AZ) For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”(BA)

49 “Master,”(BB) said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”(BC)

Samaritan Opposition

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven,(BD) Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.(BE) 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan(BF) village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John(BG) saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[b]?”(BH) 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus(BI)

57 As they were walking along the road,(BJ) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man(BK) has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”(BL)

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

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

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”(BN)

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

Footnotes

  1. Luke 9:31 Greek exodos
  2. Luke 9:54 Some manuscripts them, just as Elijah did