差遣十二使徒

耶稣召集了十二个使徒,赐他们能力和权柄可以医病赶鬼, 又差遣他们出去宣讲上帝国的福音、医治病人。 耶稣叮嘱他们:“出门的时候,什么也不要带,不要带手杖、背包、干粮、金钱,也不要带两件衣服。 有人家接待你们,就住下来,一直住到你们离开。 如果有人不欢迎你们,你们在离开那城的时候,就把脚上的尘土跺掉,作为对他们的警告。”

使徒领命出发,走遍各个乡村,到处宣扬福音,替人治病。

希律的困惑

耶稣的事迹很快便传到希律耳中,令他十分困惑,因为有人说:“约翰死而复活了”, 有人说:“以利亚显现了”,还有人说:“古代的某个先知复活了”。 希律说:“约翰已经被我斩首,这个行奇事的人到底是谁呢?”于是他想见耶稣。

五饼二鱼的神迹

10 使徒回来后,向耶稣报告了他们所行的事。随后耶稣带着他们悄悄地来到伯赛大城。 11 但百姓发现了耶稣的行踪,随即也赶来了。耶稣接待他们,向他们宣讲天国的福音,医好了有病的人。 12 黄昏将近,十二个使徒过来对耶稣说:“请遣散众人,好让他们到附近的村庄去借宿找吃的,因为这地方很偏僻。”

13 耶稣对他们说:“你们给他们吃的吧。”

使徒们说:“我们只有五个饼和两条鱼,除非我们去买食物才够这么一大群人吃。” 14 当时那里约有五千男人。

耶稣便对使徒说:“让这些人分组坐下,每组大约五十人。” 15 于是使徒安排众人都坐好。 16 耶稣拿起那五个饼、两条鱼,举目望着天祝谢后,掰开递给门徒,让他们分给众人。 17 大家都吃饱了,把剩下的零碎收拾起来,竟装满了十二个篮子。

彼得宣告耶稣是基督

18 有一次,耶稣独自祷告的时候,门徒也在旁边。

耶稣问他们:“人们说我是谁?”

19 他们答道:“有人说你是施洗者约翰,也有人说你是以利亚,或是一位复活的古代先知。”

20 耶稣对他们说:“那么,你们说我是谁?”

彼得回答说:“你是上帝所立的基督。”

21 耶稣郑重地吩咐他们不许泄露祂的身份, 22 又说:“人子必须受许多苦,被长老、祭司长和律法教师弃绝,杀害,但必在第三天复活。”

跟从主的代价

23 耶稣又教导众人说:“如果有人要跟从我,就应当舍己,天天背起他的十字架跟从我。 24 因为想救自己生命的,必失去生命;但为了我而失去生命的,必得到生命。 25 人若赚得全世界,却失去自己或丧掉自己,又有什么益处呢? 26 如果有人以我和我的道为耻,将来人子在自己、天父和圣天使的荣耀中降临时,也必以这人为耻。 27 我实在告诉你们,有些站在这里的人在有生之年就必看见上帝的国。”

登山变象

28 讲完这些话后大约八天,耶稣带着彼得、约翰和雅各一同到山上祷告。 29 耶稣在祷告的时候,容貌改变了,衣裳洁白发光。 30 忽然,摩西和以利亚二人在跟耶稣交谈。 31 二人在荣光中显现,谈论有关耶稣离世的事情,就是祂在耶路撒冷将要成就的事。 32 彼得和两个同伴都困得睡着了,他们醒来后,看见了耶稣的荣光以及站在祂身边的两个人。 33 当摩西和以利亚要离开时,彼得对耶稣说:“老师,我们在这里真好!让我们搭三座帐篷,一座给你,一座给摩西,一座给以利亚。”其实彼得并不知道自己在说什么。 34 他的话还没说完,有一朵云彩飘来,笼罩他们,他们进入云彩中,都很害怕。 35 云彩中有声音说:“这是我的儿子,是我拣选的,你们要听从祂!” 36 声音消逝了,门徒只见耶稣独自在那里。那些日子,他们对这事都绝口不提,没有告诉任何人。

山下赶鬼

37 次日,他们来到山下,有一大群人迎接耶稣。 38 人群中有一个人高声喊叫:“老师,求求你看看我的儿子吧!他是我的独生子, 39 鬼控制着他,他常常突然狂喊乱叫、抽搐、口吐白沫,倍受折磨,无休无止。 40 我曾求过你的门徒把鬼赶出去,但他们都无能为力。”

41 耶稣回答说:“唉!这又不信又败坏的世代啊!我要跟你们在一起容忍你们多久呢?把你的儿子带来吧。”

42 那孩子走过来时,鬼又把他摔倒,使他抽搐,耶稣立刻斥责污鬼,把那孩子治好了,交给他父亲。 43 大家看见了上帝的大能,都很惊奇。

再次预言受难

他们正为耶稣所做的一切惊讶不已时,耶稣对门徒说: 44 “你们要牢记人子所说的话,因为祂将要被交到人的手里。” 45 但门徒不明白这句话的意思,因为还没有向他们显明,他们听不懂,又不敢追问耶稣。

论地位

46 门徒开始议论他们当中谁最伟大。 47 耶稣知道他们的心思,就叫了一个小孩子来,让他站在自己身旁, 48 然后对门徒说:“任何人为了我的缘故接待这样一个小孩子,就是接待我;接待我,就是接待差我来的那位。你们当中最卑微的其实是最伟大的。”

49 约翰说:“老师,我们看见有人奉你的名赶鬼,就阻止他,因为他不是和我们一起跟从你的。” 50 耶稣却对他说:“你不要阻止他,因为不反对你们的,就是支持你们的。”

不肯接待耶稣的村庄

51 耶稣被接回天家的日子快到了,祂决定前往耶路撒冷。 52 祂先派人到撒玛利亚的一个村庄去预备食宿, 53 但撒玛利亚人见他们是上耶路撒冷去的,不肯接待他们。 54 祂的门徒雅各和约翰见状,说:“主啊,你要我们[a]叫天上的火降下来烧死他们吗?” 55 耶稣转过身来责备他们[b] 56 接着,一行人改道去另一个村子。

跟从主的代价

57 在路上有人对耶稣说:“无论你往哪里去,我都要跟从你。”

58 耶稣对他说:“狐狸有洞,飞鸟有窝,人子却没有安枕之处。”

59 耶稣又对另一个人说:“跟从我!”但是那人说:“主啊,请让我先回去安葬我的父亲。”

60 耶稣说:“让死人去埋葬他们的死人吧,你只管去传扬上帝国的福音。”

61 又有一个人说:“主啊!我愿意跟从你,但请让我先回去向家人告别。”

62 耶稣说:“手扶着犁向后看的人不配进上帝的国。”

Footnotes

  1. 9:54 有古卷加“像以利亚一样”。
  2. 9:55 有古卷在“责备他们”之后有“说,‘你们的心如何,你们自己不知道,人子来是为了拯救人,不是为了毁灭人。’”

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples(A)

Jesus called the twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. Then he sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick, after saying to them, “Take nothing with you for the trip: no walking stick, no beggar's bag, no food, no money, not even an extra shirt. Wherever you are welcomed, stay in the same house until you leave that town; (B)wherever people don't welcome you, leave that town and shake the dust off your feet as a warning to them.”

The disciples left and traveled through all the villages, preaching the Good News and healing people everywhere.

Herod's Confusion(C)

(D)When Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about all the things that were happening, he was very confused, because some people were saying that John the Baptist had come back to life. Others were saying that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. Herod said, “I had John's head cut off; but who is this man I hear these things about?” And he kept trying to see Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand(E)

10 The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He took them with him, and they went off by themselves to a town named Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds heard about it, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, and healed those who needed it.

12 When the sun was beginning to set, the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the people away so that they can go to the villages and farms around here and find food and lodging, because this is a lonely place.”

13 But Jesus said to them, “You yourselves give them something to eat.”

They answered, “All we have are five loaves and two fish. Do you want us to go and buy food for this whole crowd?” 14 (There were about five thousand men there.)

Jesus said to his disciples, “Make the people sit down in groups of about fifty each.”

15 After the disciples had done so, 16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, thanked God for them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and had enough, and the disciples took up twelve baskets of what was left over.

Peter's Declaration about Jesus(F)

18 One day when Jesus was praying alone, the disciples came to him. “Who do the crowds say I am?” he asked them.

19 (G)“Some say that you are John the Baptist,” they answered. “Others say that you are Elijah, while others say that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

20 (H)“What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are God's Messiah.”

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death(I)

21 Then Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. 22 He also told them, “The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will be raised to life.”

23 (J)And he said to them all, “If you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, take up your cross every day, and follow me. 24 (K)For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but are yourself lost or defeated? Of course not! 26 If you are ashamed of me and of my teaching, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 I assure you that there are some here who will not die until they have seen the Kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration(L)

28 About a week after he had said these things, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up a hill to pray. 29 While he was praying, his face changed its appearance, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly two men were there talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in heavenly glory and talked with Jesus about the way in which he would soon fulfill God's purpose by dying in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were sound asleep, but they woke up and saw Jesus' glory and the two men who were standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, how good it is that we are here! We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not really know what he was saying.)

34 While he was still speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them with its shadow; and the disciples were afraid as the cloud came over them. 35 (M)A voice said from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen—listen to him!”

36 When the voice stopped, there was Jesus all alone. The disciples kept quiet about all this and told no one at that time anything they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit(N)

37 The next day Jesus and the three disciples went down from the hill, and a large crowd met Jesus. 38 A man shouted from the crowd, “Teacher! I beg you, look at my son—my only son! 39 A spirit attacks him with a sudden shout and throws him into a fit, so that he foams at the mouth; it keeps on hurting him and will hardly let him go! 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn't.”

41 Jesus answered, “How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.”

42 As the boy was coming, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a fit. Jesus gave a command to the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 All the people were amazed at the mighty power of God.

Jesus Speaks Again about His Death(O)

The people were still marveling at everything Jesus was doing, when he said to his disciples, 44 “Don't forget what I am about to tell you! The Son of Man is going to be handed over to the power of human beings.” 45 But the disciples did not know what this meant. It had been hidden from them so that they could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about the matter.

Who Is the Greatest?(P)

46 (Q)An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he took a child, stood him by his side, 48 (R)and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, also welcomes the one who sent me. For the one who is least among you all is the greatest.”

Whoever Is Not against You Is for You(S)

49 John spoke up, “Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he doesn't belong to our group.”

50 “Do not try to stop him,” Jesus said to him and to the other disciples, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”

A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus

51 As the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind and set out on his way to Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers ahead of him, who went into a village in Samaria to get everything ready for him. 53 But the people there would not receive him, because it was clear that he was on his way to Jerusalem. 54 (T)When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”[a]

55 Jesus turned and rebuked them.[b] 56 Then Jesus and his disciples went on to another village.

The Would-Be Followers of Jesus(U)

57 As they went on their way, a man said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But that man said, “Sir, first let me go back and bury my father.”

60 Jesus answered, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

61 (V)Someone else said, “I will follow you, sir; but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.”

62 Jesus said to him, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 9:54 Some manuscripts add as Elijah did.
  2. Luke 9:55 Some manuscripts add and said, “You don't know what kind of a Spirit you belong to; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy human lives, but to save them.”