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Jesus called together the 12 disciples. He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to heal diseases. 2 Then he sent them out to announce God's kingdom and to heal those who were ill. 3 He told them, ‘Don't take anything for the journey. Do not take a walking stick or a bag. Do not take any bread, money or extra clothes. 4 When you are invited into a house, stay there until you leave town. 5 Some people may not welcome you. If they don't, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet. This will be a witness against the people living there.’ 6 So the 12 disciples left. They went from village to village. They announced the good news and healed people everywhere. 7 Now Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about everything that was going on. He was bewildered, because some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. 8 Others were saying that Elijah had appeared. Still others were saying that a prophet of long ago had come back to life. 9 But Herod said, ‘I had John's head cut off. So who is it that I hear such things about?’ And he tried to see Jesus.
10 The disciples returned. They told Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him. They went off by themselves to a town called Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds learned about it and followed Jesus. He welcomed them and spoke to them about God's kingdom. He also healed those who needed to be healed.
12 Late in the afternoon the 12 disciples came to him. They said, ‘Send the crowd away. They can go to the nearby villages and countryside. There they can find food and a place to stay. There is nothing here.’
13 Jesus replied, ‘You give them something to eat.’
The disciples answered, ‘We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. We would have to go and buy food for all this crowd.’ 14 About 5,000 men were there.
But Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Have them sit down in groups of about 50 each.’ 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He broke them into pieces. Then he gave them to the disciples to give to the people. 17 All of them ate and were satisfied. The disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftover pieces.
9:1–17 Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to spread the good news of God's kingdom. God's power was at work in the disciples. They drove out demons and healed those who were ill. When they returned from their journey, Jesus fed God's people. There was so much food that after everyone had eaten there was a lot left over. This showed that God can provide for his people even when it seems impossible.
18 One day Jesus was praying alone. Only his disciples were with him. He asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’
19 They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’
20 ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’
Peter answered, ‘God's Messiah.’
21 Jesus strongly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 He said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things. The elders will not accept him. The chief priests and the teachers of the law will not accept him either. He must be killed and on the third day rise from the dead.’
23 Then he said to all of them, ‘Whoever wants to follow me must say no to themselves. They must pick up their cross every day and follow me. 24 Whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it if someone gains the whole world but loses or gives up their very self? 26 Suppose someone is ashamed of me and my words. The Son of Man will come in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Then he will be ashamed of that person.
27 ‘What I'm about to tell you is true. Some who are standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom.’
9:18–27 People in Israel had many different ideas about who Jesus really was. The disciples finally recognised out loud that Jesus was Israel's Messiah. Jesus was working to change their understanding of what the Messiah would do. The Messiah wouldn't fight a battle against the Romans. That is what many Jews had been expecting. Instead, Jesus would face death. His battle would be against everything that tries to stop God's kingdom. Jesus would return in glory and offer new life to all who follow him faithfully. His disciples would have to learn to suffer like their Messiah did. They would also have to learn to serve others like Jesus did. That is what it meant to pick up their cross and follow him.
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he went up on a mountain to pray. He took Peter, John and James with him. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed. His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in shining glory. Jesus and the two of them talked together. 31 They talked about how he would be leaving them soon. This was going to happen in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions had been very sleepy. But then they became completely awake. They saw Jesus' glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter spoke up. ‘Master’, he said to him, ‘it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters. One will be for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ Peter didn't really know what he was saying.
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them. The disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud. It said, ‘This is my Son, and I have chosen him. Listen to him.’ 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept quiet about this. They didn't tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
9:28–36 It was a regular practice for Jesus to go up a mountain to pray. In this story he took his most trusted disciples Peter, John and James with him. Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain with Jesus. Moses was important in the Old Testament books about Israel's covenant history. Elijah was one of the most important Old Testament prophets. Their presence showed that everything the Old Testament said about Jesus was true. Jesus spoke with them about the work he would do in Jerusalem. Peter, John and James were amazed as well as confused. Then God spoke out of the cloud. Long ago God had spoken to Moses from a cloud. That was when he gave Israel his instructions recorded in the Mount Sinai covenant. On the mountain with Jesus, God again gave instructions from a cloud. God's instructions to the three disciples were to listen to his Son.
37 The next day Jesus and those who were with him came down from the mountain. A large crowd met Jesus. 38 A man in the crowd called out. ‘Teacher’, he said, ‘I beg you to look at my son. He is my only child. 39 A spirit takes hold of him, and he suddenly screams. It throws him into fits so that he foams at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him. It is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out. But they couldn't do it.’
41 ‘You unbelieving and evil people!’ Jesus replied. ‘How long do I have to stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you?’ Then he said to the man, ‘Bring your son here.’
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him into a fit. The boy fell to the ground. But Jesus ordered the evil spirit to leave the boy. Then Jesus healed him and gave him back to his father. 43 They were all amazed at God's greatness.
Everyone was wondering about all that Jesus did. Then Jesus said to his disciples, 44 ‘Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men.’ 45 But they didn't understand what this meant. That was because it was hidden from them. And they were afraid to ask Jesus about it.
46 The disciples began to argue about which one of them would be the most important person. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he took a little child and stood the child beside him. 48 Then he spoke to them. ‘Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me,’ he said. ‘And anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. The one considered least important among all of you is really the most important.’
49 ‘Master’, said John, ‘we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.’
50 ‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said. ‘Anyone who is not against you is for you.’
9:37–50 The disciples were Jesus' partners but they couldn't do everything Jesus did. Jesus healed the boy whom the disciples couldn't help. The disciples still didn't understand what kind of kingdom Jesus would bring. It didn't make sense to them that the Messiah would die. They were concerned with how important they would be in God's kingdom. Jesus told them to change their thinking and to become like children. They had to give up their power. Little children can't speak up for their rights and they have no power over others. Yet Jesus the Messiah takes care of them. He is the leader who serves others and suffers for them. Jesus' followers must follow his example.
51 The time grew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven. So he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers on ahead. They went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. 53 But the people there did not welcome Jesus. That was because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 The disciples James and John saw this. They asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them?’ 55 But Jesus turned and commanded them not to do it. 56 Then Jesus and his disciples went on to another village.
57 Once Jesus and those who were with him were walking along the road. A man said to Jesus, ‘I will follow you no matter where you go.’
58 Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’
59 He said to another man, ‘Follow me.’
But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’
60 Jesus said to him, ‘Let dead people bury their own dead. You go and tell others about God's kingdom.’
61 Still another person said, ‘I will follow you, Lord. But first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.’
62 Jesus replied, ‘Suppose someone starts to plough and then looks back. That person is not fit for service in God's kingdom.’
9:51–62 The rest of Luke's gospel is about Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and his work there. That is where Jesus would give up his life to save people from sin. Then he would rule as King from heaven. A village in Samaria refused to let Jesus stay there while he travelled to Jerusalem. Jesus didn't punish them. He also didn't punish those who said they would follow him but didn't keep their promise. Jesus invited people into God's kingdom. He wouldn't become King through violence or by forcing people to follow him.