¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

³³ But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”^(A)

³⁴ Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

³⁶ Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”^(A)

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now,^(B) but you will follow later.”^(C)

³⁷ Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

³⁸ Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!^(D)

³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.^(A)

The Cost of Following Jesus^(A)

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road,^(B) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man^(C) has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”^(D)

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”^(E)

³² “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.^{(A) 33} To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^(B)

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^(C) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.^(D)

²⁰ Where is the wise person?^(A) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?^(B) Has not God made foolish^(C) the wisdom of the world?

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.^{(A) 27} And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^(B)

⁶ this Ezra^(A) came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted^(B) him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.^(C)