Luke Chapter 9 The Sending of the Twelve Apostles 9:1 After Jesus called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 9:2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 9:3 He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey-no staff, no traveler's bag, no bread, no money; and do not take an extra tunic. 9:4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you depart from that place. 9:5 Wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them." 9:6 Then they departed and went throughout the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere. Herod's Confusion about Jesus 9:7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 9:8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen. 9:9 Herod said, "I had John beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And he was trying to see him. The Feeding of the Five Thousand 9:10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus all they had done. Then he took them and withdrew in private to a town called Bethsaida, 9:11 but when the crowds found out, they followed him. After welcoming them, he spoke to them about the kingdom of God and cured those who needed healing. 9:12 Now the day began to draw to a close; so the twelve came and said to Jesus, "Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in a desolate place here." 9:13 But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They replied, "We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish-unless we go and buy food for all these people." 9:14 (For there were about five thousand men.) Then he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." 9:15 And they did so, and the people all sat down. 9:16 Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 9:17 So they all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was gathered up-twelve baskets of broken pieces. Peter's Confession 9:18 Once when Jesus was praying by himself near his disciples, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" 9:19 They answered, "John the Baptist; but others say Elijah; and others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen." 9:20 Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God." 9:21 But he forcefully commanded them not to tell this to anyone, 9:22 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." A Call to Discipleship 9:23 Then he said to them all, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 9:25 For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man be will ashamed of this one when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 9:27 But I tell you most certainly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." The Transfiguration 9:28 Now about eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 9:29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 9:30 Then two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him. 9:31 They appeared in glory and spoke about his departure that he was about to carry out at Jerusalem. 9:32 Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, but as they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 9:33 So as the men were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah"-not knowing what he was saying. 9:34 As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 9:35 Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!" 9:36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. So they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. Healing an Epileptic Boy 9:37 Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 9:38 Then a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child. 9:39 A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly leaves him alone, and bruises him. 9:40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 9:41 Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how long will I stay with you and tolerate you? Bring your son here." 9:42 As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 9:43 Then they were all astonished at the mighty power of God. Another Prediction of Jesus' Suffering But while they were all amazed at everything Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 9:44 "Take these words to heart; for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men." 9:45 But they did not understand the significance of this statement; its meaning had been concealed from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him about this statement. Concerning the Greatest 9:46 Now an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 9:47 But Jesus, knowing their innermost thoughts, took a child, stood him by his side, 9:48 and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me; for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great." On the Right Side 9:49 John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he is not a disciple with us." 9:50 But Jesus said to him, "Do not prevent him; for the one who is not against you is for you." Rejection in Samaria 9:51 Now when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem. 9:52 He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him, 9:53 but the villagers refused to welcome him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 9:54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" 9:55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 9:56 and they went on to another village. Challenging Professed Followers 9:57 As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 9:58 But Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 9:59 Jesus said to another, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 9:60 But Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 9:61 Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me say farewell to those at my home." 9:62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."