¹⁹ A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

³³ And he said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!” ³⁴ Jesus^[a] said, “I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day until you have denied three times that you know me.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

³⁶ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”^{(A) 37} Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”^{(B) 38} Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.

³³ So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.^(A)

³² Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’;^{(A) 33} and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^{(B) 34} When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.^(C)

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?^(A)

The Cost of Discipleship

²⁵ Now large crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.^{(A) 27} Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^(B)

Would-Be Followers of Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “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 has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”^{(A) 60} And Jesus^[a] said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶ this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord the God of Israel had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.^(A)