⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”^(A)

The Cross and Self-Denial

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.^(A)

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God^[a] and his^[b] righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.^(A)

²⁰ He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah^[a] said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”^(A)

²¹ Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”^(A)

² “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.”

The Call of Matthew

⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.^{(A) 21} As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.