Luke 9

He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them out to preach God’s Kingdom and to heal the sick.

³He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey—no staffs, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money. Don’t have two tunics each. ⁴Into whatever house you enter, stay there, and depart from there. ⁵As many as don’t receive you, when you depart from that city, shake off even the dust from your feet for a testimony against them.”

But the multitudes, perceiving it, followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them of God’s Kingdom, and he cured those who needed healing. The day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and farms and lodge and get food, for we are here in a deserted place.”

¹³But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” ¹⁴For they were about five thousand men. He said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁸As he was praying alone, the disciples were near him, and he asked them, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”

They answered, “‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elijah,’ and others, that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

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

Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” But he warned them and commanded them to tell this to no one,

²²saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.” ²³He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁴For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self? ²⁶For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. ²⁷But I tell you the truth: There are some of those who stand here who will in no way taste of death until they see God’s Kingdom.”

Behold, a man from the crowd called out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only born child. Behold, a spirit takes him, he suddenly cries out, and it convulses him so that he foams; and it hardly departs from him, bruising him severely. I begged your disciples to cast it out, and they couldn’t.”

⁴¹Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”

But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. They were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples,

⁴⁴“Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.”

It was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. An argument arose among them about which of them was the greatest. Jesus, perceiving the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child, and set him by his side,

⁴⁸and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great.”

John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow with us.”

⁵⁰Jesus said to him, “Don’t forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us.”

They went and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him. They didn’t receive him, because he was traveling with his face set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky and destroy them, just as Elijah did?”

⁵⁵But he turned and rebuked them, “You don’t know of what kind of spirit you are. ⁵⁶For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”

They went to another village. As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord.”

⁵⁸Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” ⁵⁹He said to another, “Follow me!” ⁶⁰But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce God’s Kingdom.”

Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.”

⁶²But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”