Jesus Sends Out
the Twelve
1 When Jesus had called the
Twelve
together,
he gave
them power
and
authority
to drive
out all
demons and
to cure
diseases,
2 and he
sent them
out to
proclaim
the
kingdom of
God and to
heal the
sick.
3 He
told them:
“Take
nothing
for the
journey—no
staff, no
bag, no
bread, no
money, no
extra
shirt.
4 Whatever
house you
enter,
stay there
until you
leave that
town.
5 If
people do
not
welcome
you, leave
their town
and shake
the dust
off your
feet as a
testimony
against
them.”
6 So
they set
out and
went from
village to
village,
proclaiming
the good
news and
healing
people
everywhere.
7 Now Herod the tetrarch
heard
about all
that was
going on.
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 long
ago had
come back
to life.
9 But
Herod
said, “I
beheaded
John. Who,
then, is
this I
hear such
things
about?”
And he
tried to
see him.
Jesus Feeds the
Five
Thousand
10 When the apostles
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,
11 but the
crowds
learned
about it
and
followed
him. He
welcomed
them and
spoke to
them about
the
kingdom of
God, 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. 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
18 Once when Jesus was
praying 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;
others say
Elijah;
and still
others,
that one
of the
prophets
of long
ago has
come back
to life.”
20 “But what about you?”
he asked.
“Who do
you say I
am?”
Peter answered, “God’s
Messiah.”
Jesus Predicts His
Death
21 Jesus strictly warned
them not
to tell
this to
anyone.
22 And he
said, “The
Son of Man
must
suffer
many
things and
be
rejected
by the
elders,
the chief
priests
and the
teachers
of the
law, and
he must be
killed and
on the
third day
be raised
to life.”
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.
24 For
whoever
wants to
save their
life will
lose it,
but
whoever
loses
their life
for me
will save
it.
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
when he
comes in
his glory
and in the
glory of
the Father
and of the
holy
angels.
27 “Truly I tell you, some
who are
standing
here will
not taste
death
before
they see
the
kingdom of
God.”
The Transfiguration
28 About eight days after
Jesus said
this, he
took
Peter,
John and
James with
him and
went up
onto a
mountain
to pray.
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,
which he
was about
to bring
to
fulfillment
at
Jerusalem.
32 Peter
and his
companions
were very
sleepy,
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,
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;
listen to
him.”
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.
Jesus Heals a
Demon-Possessed
Boy
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,”
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.”
45 But
they did
not
understand
what this
meant. It
was hidden
from them,
so that
they did
not grasp
it, 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.
47 Jesus,
knowing
their
thoughts,
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. For it
is the one
who is
least
among you
all who is
the
greatest.”
49 “Master,” 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.”
Samaritan
Opposition
51 As the time approached
for him to
be taken
up to
heaven,
Jesus
resolutely
set out
for
Jerusalem.
52 And he
sent
messengers
on ahead,
who went
into a
Samaritan
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 saw
this, they
asked,
“Lord, do
you want
us to call
fire down
from
heaven to
destroy
them?”
55 But
Jesus
turned and
rebuked
them.
56 Then he
and his
disciples
went 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 birds
have
nests, but
the Son of
Man has no
place to
lay his
head.”
59 He said to another man,
“Follow
me.”
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.”
61 Still another said, “I
will
follow
you, Lord;
but first
let me go
back and
say
goodbye to
my
family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one
who puts a
hand to
the plow
and looks
back is
fit for
service in
the
kingdom of
God.”