Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.^{(A) 22} And he said, “The Son of Man^(B) must suffer many things^(C) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^(D) and he must be killed^(E) and on the third day^(F) be raised to life.”^(G)

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.^{(H) 24} For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.^{(I) 25} What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them^(J) when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.^(K)

²⁷ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss^(A) for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing^(B) Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ^{(C) 9} and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,^(D) but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness^(E) that comes from God on the basis of faith.^{(F) 10} I want to know^(G) Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings,^(H) becoming like him in his death,^{(I) 11} and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection^(J) from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,^(K) but I press on to take hold^(L) of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.^{(M) 13} Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind^(N) and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on^(O) toward the goal to win the prize^(P) for which God has called^(Q) me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

¹⁵ All of us, then, who are mature^(R) should take such a view of things.^(S) And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.^{(T) 16} Only let us live up to what we have already attained.