Luke 9
New American Standard Bible
Ministry of the Twelve
9 (A)Now He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons, and the power to heal diseases. 2 And He sent them out to (B)proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. 3 And He said to them, “(C)Take nothing for your journey, (D)neither a staff, nor a [a]bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two [b]tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there [c]until you leave that city. 5 And as for all who do not receive you, when you leave that city, (E)shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 And as they were leaving, they began going [d]throughout the villages, (F)preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
7 (G)Now (H)Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that (I)John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some that (J)Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. 9 Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this Man about whom I hear such things?” And (K)he kept trying to see Him.
10 (L)When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. (M)And taking them with Him, He withdrew privately to a city called (N)Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and He welcomed them and began speaking to them about the kingdom of God, and curing those who had need of healing.
Five Thousand Men Fed
12 Now the day [e]was ending, and the twelve came up and said to Him, “Dismiss the crowd, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get [f]something to eat; because here, we are in a secluded place.” 13 But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” But they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (For there were about five thousand men.) But He said to His disciples, “Have them recline to eat (O)in groups of about fifty each.” 15 They did so, and had them all recline. 16 And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples again and again, to serve the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied; and [g]the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve (P)baskets full.
Peter Says Jesus Is The Christ
18 (Q)And it happened that while He was (R)praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the [h]people say that I am?” 19 They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “(S)The [i]Christ of God.” 21 But He [j](T)warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, 22 (U)saying, “(V)The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised on the third day.”
23 And He was saying to them all, “(W)If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For (X)whoever wants to save his [k]life will lose it, but whoever loses his [l]life for My sake, this is the one who will save it. 25 For what good does it do a person if he gains the whole world, but (Y)loses or forfeits himself? 26 (Z)For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 But I say to you truthfully, (AA)there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration
28 (AB)About eight days after these sayings, He took along (AC)Peter, John, and James, and (AD)went up on the mountain (AE)to pray. 29 And while He was (AF)praying, the appearance of His face (AG)became different, and His clothing became white and [m]gleaming. 30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, 31 who, appearing in [n]glory, were speaking of His (AH)departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions (AI)had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who were standing with Him. 33 And as [o]these two men were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “(AJ)Master, it is good that we are here; and (AK)let’s make three [p]tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—(AL)not realizing what he was saying. 34 But while he was saying this, a cloud [q]formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And then (AM)a voice came from the cloud, saying, “(AN)This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” 36 And when the voice [r]had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And (AO)they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
37 (AP)On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. 38 And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, because he is my only son, 39 and a spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves. 40 And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.” 41 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 Now while he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the [s](AQ)greatness of God.
(AR)But while everyone was astonished at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, 44 “As for you, let these words sink into your ears: (AS)for the Son of Man is going to be [t]handed over to men.” 45 But (AT)they [u]did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not comprehend it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.
The Test of Greatness
46 (AU)Now an argument [v]started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, (AV)knowing [w]what they were thinking in their hearts, took a child and had him stand by His side, 48 and He said to them, “(AW)Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; (AX)for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”
49 (AY)John answered and said, “(AZ)Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow along with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; (BA)for the one who is not against you is [x]for you.”
51 When the days were approaching for (BB)His [y]ascension, He [z]was determined (BC)to go to Jerusalem; 52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the (BD)Samaritans to [aa]make arrangements for Him. 53 And they did not receive Him, (BE)because [ab]He was traveling toward Jerusalem. 54 When His disciples (BF)James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to (BG)command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them.[ac] 56 And they went on to another village.
Exacting Discipleship
57 (BH)As they were going on the road, (BI)someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but (BJ)the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 And He said to another, “(BK)Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and (BL)proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but (BM)first permit me to say goodbye to those at my home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “(BN)No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Footnotes
- Luke 9:3 Or knapsack
- Luke 9:3 A long shirt worn next to the skin
- Luke 9:4 Lit and leave from there
- Luke 9:6 Or from village to village
- Luke 9:12 Lit began to decline
- Luke 9:12 Lit provisions
- Luke 9:17 Lit what was left over to them of the broken pieces was
- Luke 9:18 Lit crowds
- Luke 9:20 I.e., Messiah
- Luke 9:21 Or strictly admonished
- Luke 9:24 Or soul
- Luke 9:24 Or soul
- Luke 9:29 Or flashing like lightning
- Luke 9:31 Or splendor
- Luke 9:33 Lit they
- Luke 9:33 Or sacred tents
- Luke 9:34 Lit occurred
- Luke 9:36 Lit occurred
- Luke 9:43 Or majesty
- Luke 9:44 Or betrayed
- Luke 9:45 Lit were not knowing
- Luke 9:46 Lit entered
- Luke 9:47 Lit the reasoning; or argument
- Luke 9:50 Or on your side
- Luke 9:51 Lit taking up
- Luke 9:51 Lit set His face
- Luke 9:52 Or prepare
- Luke 9:53 Lit His face was proceeding toward
- Luke 9:55 Some late mss add: and said, “You do not know of what kind of spirit you are; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save them.”
Luke 9
Living Bible
9 One day Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them authority over all demons—power to cast them out—and to heal all diseases. 2 Then he sent them away to tell everyone about the coming of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
3 “Don’t even take along a walking stick,” he instructed them, “nor a beggar’s bag, nor food, nor money. Not even an extra coat. 4 Be a guest in only one home at each village.
5 “If the people of a town won’t listen to you when you enter it, turn around and leave, demonstrating God’s anger against it[a] by shaking its dust from your feet as you go.”
6 So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.
7 When reports of Jesus’ miracles reached Herod, the governor,[b] he was worried and puzzled, for some were saying, “This is John the Baptist come back to life again”; 8 and others, “It is Elijah or some other ancient prophet risen from the dead.” These rumors were circulating all over the land.
9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man about whom I hear such strange stories?” And he tried to see him.
10 After the apostles returned to Jesus and reported what they had done, he slipped quietly away with them toward the city of Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out where he was going and followed. And he welcomed them, teaching them again about the Kingdom of God and curing those who were ill.
12 Late in the afternoon all twelve of the disciples came and urged him to send the people away to the nearby villages and farms, to find food and lodging for the night. “For there is nothing to eat here in this deserted spot,” they said.
13 But Jesus replied,
“Why, we have only five loaves of bread and two fish among the lot of us,” they protested; “or are you expecting us to go and buy enough for this whole mob?” 14 For there were about 5,000 men there!
“Just tell them to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each,” Jesus replied. 15 So they did.
16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and looked up into the sky and gave thanks; then he broke off pieces for his disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And everyone ate and ate; still, twelve basketfuls of scraps were picked up afterwards!
18 One day as he was alone, praying, with his disciples nearby, he came over and asked them, “Who are the people saying I am?”
19 “John the Baptist,” they told him, “or perhaps Elijah or one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.”
20 Then he asked them, “Who do you think I am?”
Peter replied, “The Messiah—the Christ of God!”
21 He gave them strict orders not to speak of this to anyone. 22 “For I, the Messiah,[c] must suffer much,” he said, “and be rejected by the Jewish leaders—the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the Law—and be killed; and three days later I will come back to life again!”
23 Then he said to all,
26 “When I, the Messiah, come in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels, I will be ashamed then of all who are ashamed of me and of my words now. 27 But this is the simple truth—some of you who are standing here right now will not die until you have seen the Kingdom of God.”
28 Eight days later he took Peter, James, and John with him into the hills to pray. 29 And as he was praying, his face began to shine,[d] and his clothes became dazzling white and blazed with light. 30 Then two men appeared and began talking with him—Moses and Elijah! 31 They were splendid in appearance, glorious to see; and they were speaking of his death at Jerusalem, to be carried out in accordance with God’s plan.
32 Peter and the others had been very drowsy and had fallen asleep. Now they woke up and saw Jesus covered with brightness and glory, and the two men standing with him. 33 As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, all confused and not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, this is wonderful! We’ll put up three shelters—one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah!”
34 But even as he was saying this, a bright cloud formed above them; and terror gripped them as it covered them. 35 And a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him.”
36 Then, as the voice died away, Jesus was there alone with his disciples. They didn’t tell anyone what they had seen until long afterwards.
37 The next day as they descended from the hill, a huge crowd met him, 38 and a man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, this boy here is my only son, 39 and a demon keeps seizing him, making him scream; and it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth; it is always hitting him and hardly ever leaves him alone. 40 I begged your disciples to cast the demon out, but they couldn’t.”
41 “O you stubborn faithless people,” Jesus said to his disciples,[e] “how long should I put up with you? Bring him here.”
42 As the boy was coming the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus ordered the demon to come out, and healed the boy and handed him over to his father.
43 Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of the power of God.
Meanwhile, as they were exclaiming over all the wonderful things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Listen to me and remember what I say. I, the Messiah,[f] am going to be betrayed.” 45 But the disciples didn’t know what he meant, for their minds had been sealed and they were afraid to ask him.
46 Now came an argument among them as to which of them would be greatest in the coming Kingdom![g] 47 But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he stood a little child beside him 48 and said to them, “Anyone who takes care of a little child like this is caring for me! And whoever cares for me is caring for God who sent me. Your care for others is the measure of your greatness.” 49 His disciple John came to him and said, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons. And we told him not to. After all, he isn’t in our group.”
50 But Jesus said, “You shouldn’t have done that! For anyone who is not against you is for you.”
51 As the time drew near for his return to heaven, he moved steadily onward toward Jerusalem with an iron will.
52 One day he sent messengers ahead to reserve rooms for them in a Samaritan village. 53 But they were turned away! The people of the village refused to have anything to do with them because they were headed for Jerusalem.[h]
54 When word came back of what had happened, James and John said to Jesus, “Master, shall we order fire down from heaven to burn them up?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them,[i] 56 and they went on to another village.
57 As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, “I will always follow you no matter where you go.”
58 But Jesus replied, “Remember, I don’t even own a place to lay my head. Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Messiah,[j] have no earthly home at all.”
59 Another time, when he invited a man to come with him and to be his disciple, the man agreed—but wanted to wait until his father’s death.[k]
60 Jesus replied, “Let those without eternal life concern themselves with things like that.[l] Your duty is to come and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God to all the world.”
61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will come, but first let me ask permission of those at home.”[m]
62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Footnotes
- Luke 9:5 demonstrating God’s anger against it, literally, “as a testimony against them.”
- Luke 9:7 Herod, the governor, literally, “Herod the Tetrarch.”
- Luke 9:22 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man”; also in v. 26.
- Luke 9:29 his face began to shine, literally, “the appearance of his face changed.”
- Luke 9:41 to his disciples, implied.
- Luke 9:44 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Luke 9:46 in the coming Kingdom, implied.
- Luke 9:53 A typical case of discrimination (compare John 4:9). The Jews called the Samaritans “half-breeds,” so the Samaritans naturally hated the Jews.
- Luke 9:55 Later manuscripts add to vv. 55-56, “And Jesus said, ‘You don’t realize what your hearts are like. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’”
- Luke 9:58 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Luke 9:59 but wanted to wait until his father’s death, literally, “but he said, ‘Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father,’” perhaps meaning that the man could, when his father died, collect the inheritance and have some security.
- Luke 9:60 Let those without eternal life concern themselves with things like that, or “Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead.”
- Luke 9:61 ask permission of those at home, literally, “bid them farewell at home.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.