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.”
Luke 9
New King James Version
Sending Out the Twelve(A)
9 Then (B)He called His twelve disciples together and (C)gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 (D)He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 (E)And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
4 (F)“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 (G)And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, (H)shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
6 (I)So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Herod Seeks to See Jesus(J)
7 (K)Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. 9 Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” (L)So he sought to see Him.
Feeding the Five Thousand(M)
10 (N)And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. (O)Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 (P)When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”
13 But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men.
Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.
16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He (Q)blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 So they all ate and were [a]filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ(R)
18 (S)And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 So they answered and said, (T)“John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”
20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
(U)Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(V)
21 (W)And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, (X)“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 the third day.”
Take Up the Cross and Follow Him(Y)
23 (Z)Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [b]daily, and follow Me. 24 (AA)For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 (AB)For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 (AC)For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be (AD)ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 (AE)But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus Transfigured on the Mount(AF)
28 (AG)Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were (AH)Moses and (AI)Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His [c]decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him (AJ)were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three [d]tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the (AK)cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, (AL)“This is [e]My beloved Son. (AM)Hear Him!” 36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. (AN)But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.
A Boy Is Healed(AO)
37 (AP)Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. 38 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. 40 So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
41 Then Jesus answered and said, “O [f]faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and [g]bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death(AQ)
43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.
But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 44 (AR)“Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” 45 (AS)But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.
Who Is the Greatest?(AT)
46 (AU)Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, (AV)perceiving the thought of their heart, took a (AW)little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, (AX)“Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and (AY)whoever receives Me (AZ)receives Him who sent Me. (BA)For he who is least among you all will be great.”
Jesus Forbids Sectarianism(BB)
49 (BC)Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”
50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for (BD)he who is not against [h]us is on [i]our side.”
A Samaritan Village Rejects the Savior
51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for (BE)Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But (BF)they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples (BG)James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, [j]just as (BH)Elijah did?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, [k]and said, “You do not know what manner of (BI)spirit you are of. 56 [l]For (BJ)the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.
The Cost of Discipleship(BK)
57 (BL)Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, 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 (BM)has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 (BN)Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, (BO)I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is (BP)fit for the kingdom of God.”
Footnotes
- Luke 9:17 satisfied
- Luke 9:23 M omits daily
- Luke 9:31 Death, lit. departure
- Luke 9:33 tents
- Luke 9:35 NU My Son, the Chosen One
- Luke 9:41 unbelieving
- Luke 9:41 put up with
- Luke 9:50 NU you
- Luke 9:50 NU your
- Luke 9:54 NU omits just as Elijah did
- Luke 9:55 NU omits the rest of v. 55.
- Luke 9:56 NU omits For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
