Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us

^49 (A)John answered, “Master, we saw someone ^(B)casting out demons in your name, and ^(C)we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, ^(D)for the one who is not against you is for you.”

A Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus

⁵¹ When the days drew near for ^(E)him to be taken up, ^(F)he set his face ^(G)to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² And ^(H)he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of ^(I)the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. ⁵³ But ^(J)the people did not receive him, because ^(K)his face was set towards Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell ^(L)fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”^{[a] 55} But he turned and rebuked them.^{[b] 56} And they went on to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were going ^(M)along the road, ^(N)someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸ And 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.” ⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ And Jesus^[c] said to him, “Leave ^(O)the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and ^(P)proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, ^(Q)but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶² Jesus said to him, ^(R)“No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

10 After this the Lord appointed ^(S)seventy-two^[d] others and ^(T)sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. ^2 (U)And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. ^(V)Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.