Luke 9:46-62
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who Is the Greatest?
46 Then an argument started among them about who would be the greatest of them.(A) 47 But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts,(B) took a little child and had him stand next to Him. 48 He told them, “Whoever welcomes[a] this little child in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me.(C) For whoever is least among you—this one is great.”(D)
In His Name
49 John responded,(E) “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name,(F) and we tried to stop him because he does not follow us.”(G)
50 “Don’t stop him,” Jesus told him, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”[b](H)
The Journey to Jerusalem
51 When the days were coming to a close for Him to be taken up,[c](I) He determined[d](J) to journey to Jerusalem.(K) 52 He sent messengers ahead of Him,(L) and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans(M) to make preparations for Him. 53 But they did not welcome Him, because He determined to journey to Jerusalem.(N) 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?”[e](O)
55 But He turned and rebuked them,[f] 56 and they went to another village.
Following Jesus
57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to Him,(P) “I will follow You wherever You go!”
58 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky[g] 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.”[h]
60 But He told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.”(Q)
61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.”(R)
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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 9:48 Or receives, throughout the verse
- Luke 9:50 Other mss read against us is for us
- Luke 9:51 His ascension
- Luke 9:51 Lit He stiffened His face to go; Is 50:7
- Luke 9:54 Other mss add as Elijah also did
- 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,”
- Luke 9:58 Wild birds, as opposed to domestic birds
- Luke 9:59 Not necessarily meaning his father was already dead
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