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Luke 9
Contemporary English Version
Luke 9
Contemporary English Version
Instructions for the Twelve Apostles
(Matthew 10.5-15; Mark 6.7-13)
9 Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases. 2 Then he sent them to tell about God's kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 (A) He told them, “Don't take anything with you! Don't take a walking stick or a traveling bag or food or money or even a change of clothes. 4 When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. 5 (B) If people won't welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet[a] as a warning to them.”
6 The apostles left and went from village to village, telling the good news and healing people everywhere.
Herod Is Worried
(Matthew 14.1-12; Mark 6.14-29)
7 (C) Herod[b] the ruler heard about all that was happening, and he was worried. Some people were saying John the Baptist had come back to life. 8 Others were saying Elijah had come[c] or one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life. 9 But Herod said, “I had John's head cut off! Who is this I hear so much about?” Herod was eager to meet Jesus.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Matthew 14.13-21; Mark 6.30-44; John 6.1-14)
10 The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He then took them with him to the village of Bethsaida, where they could be alone. 11 But a lot of people found out about this and followed him. Jesus welcomed them. He spoke about God's kingdom and healed everyone who was sick.
12 Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, “Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It's like a desert!”
13 Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.”
But they replied, “We have only five small loaves of bread[d] and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food.” 14 There were about 5,000 men in the crowd.
Jesus said to his disciples, “Tell the people to sit in groups of 50.” 15 They did this, and all the people sat down. 16 Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people.
17 Everyone ate all they wanted. What was left over filled twelve baskets.
Who Is Jesus?
(Matthew 16.13-19; Mark 8.27-29)
18 When Jesus was alone praying, his disciples came to him, and he asked them, “What do people say about me?”
19 (D) They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist or Elijah[e] or a prophet from long ago who has come back to life.”
20 (E) Jesus then asked, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah sent from God.”
21 Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to tell anyone about this.
Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Matthew 16.20-28; Mark 8.30—9.1)
22 Jesus told his disciples, “The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.”
23 (F) Then Jesus said to all the people:
If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross every day and follow me. 24 (G) If you want to save your life,[f] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it. 25 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself or waste your life? 26 If you are ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of his Father and the holy angels. 27 You can be sure some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom.
The True Glory of Jesus
(Matthew 17.1-8; Mark 9.2-8)
28 (H) About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 While he was praying, his face changed, and his clothes became shining white. 30 Suddenly Moses and Elijah were there speaking with him. 31 They appeared in heavenly glory and talked about all that Jesus' death[g] in Jerusalem would mean.
32 Peter and the other two disciples had been sound asleep. All at once they woke up and saw how glorious Jesus was. They also saw the two men who were with him.
33 Moses and Elijah were about to leave, when Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But Peter did not know what he was talking about.
34 While Peter was still speaking, a shadow from a cloud passed over, and they were frightened as the cloud covered them. 35 (I) From the cloud a voice spoke, “This is my chosen Son. Listen to what he says!”
36 After the voice had spoken, Peter, John, and James saw only Jesus. For some time they kept quiet and did not say anything about what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Boy
(Matthew 17.14-18; Mark 9.14-27)
37 The next day Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd. 38 Just then someone in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child! 39 A demon often attacks him and makes him scream. It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won't leave him until it has completely worn the boy out. 40 I begged your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it.”
41 Jesus said to them, “You people are stubborn and don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?”
Then Jesus said to the man, “Bring your son to me.” 42 While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over. Jesus ordered the demon to stop. Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 Everyone was amazed at God's great power.
Jesus Again Speaks about His Death
(Matthew 17.22,23; Mark 9.30-32)
While everyone was still amazed at what Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, 44 “Pay close attention to what I am telling you! The Son of Man will be handed over to his enemies.” 45 But the disciples did not know what he meant. The meaning was hidden from them. They could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask.
Who Is the Greatest?
(Matthew 18.1-5; Mark 9.33-37)
46 (J) Jesus' disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he had a child stand there beside him. 48 (K) Then he said to his disciples, “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest.”
For or against Jesus
(Mark 9.38-40)
49 John said, “Master, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But we told him to stop, because he isn't one of us.”
50 “Don't stop him!” Jesus said. “Anyone who isn't against you is for you.”
A Samaritan Village Refuses To Receive Jesus
51 Not long before it was time for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. 52 He sent some messengers on ahead to a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. 53 But he was on his way to Jerusalem, so the people there refused to welcome him. 54 (L) When the disciples James and John saw what was happening, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy these people?”[h]
55 But Jesus turned and corrected them for what they had said.[i] 56 Then they all went on to another village.
Three People Who Wanted To Be Followers
(Matthew 8.19-22)
57 Along the way someone said to Jesus, “I'll follow you anywhere!”
58 Jesus said, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own.”
59 Jesus told someone else to come with him. But the man said, “Lord, let me wait until I bury my father.”[j]
60 Jesus answered, “Let the dead take care of the dead, while you go and tell about God's kingdom.”
61 (M) Then someone said to Jesus, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and take care of things at home.”
62 Jesus answered, “Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn't worth a thing to God's kingdom!”
Footnotes
- 9.5 shake the dust from your feet: This was a way of showing rejection.
- 9.7 Herod: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.
- 9.8 Elijah had come: Many of the Jewish people expected the prophet Elijah to come and prepare the way for the Messiah.
- 9.13 small loaves of bread: These would have been flat and round or in the shape of a bun.
- 9.19 Elijah: See the note at 9.8.
- 9.24 life: In verses 24,25 a Greek word which often means “soul” is translated “life” and “yourself.”
- 9.31 Jesus' death: In Greek this is “his departure,” which probably includes his rising to life and his return to heaven.
- 9.54 to destroy these people: Some manuscripts add “as Elijah did.”
- 9.55 what they had said: Some manuscripts add, “and said, ‘Don't you know what spirit you belong to? The Son of Man did not come to destroy people's lives, but to save them.’ ”
- 9.59 bury my father: The Jewish people taught that giving someone a proper burial was even more important than helping the poor.
Luke 9
New International Version
Luke 9
New International Version
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(A)(B)
9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons(C) and to cure diseases,(D) 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God(E) and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.(F) 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”(G) 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
7 Now Herod(H) the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John(I) had been raised from the dead,(J) 8 others that Elijah had appeared,(K) and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.(L) 9 But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.(M)
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand(N)(O)
10 When the apostles(P) returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,(Q) 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God,(R) and healed those who needed healing.
12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.(S) Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah(T)(U)
18 Once when Jesus was praying(V) in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;(W) others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”(X)
20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”(Y)
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.(Z) 22 And he said, “The Son of Man(AA) must suffer many things(AB) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,(AC) and he must be killed(AD) and on the third day(AE) be raised to life.”(AF)
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.(AG) 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.(AH) 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(AI) when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.(AJ)
27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration(AK)
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James(AL) with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.(AM) 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure,[a](AN) which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy,(AO) but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master,(AP) it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen;(AQ) listen to him.”(AR) 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.(AS)
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy(AT)
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,”(AU) Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”(AV) 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it,(AW) and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.(AX) 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts,(AY) took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.(AZ) For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”(BA)
49 “Master,”(BB) said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”(BC)
Samaritan Opposition
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven,(BD) Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.(BE) 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan(BF) village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John(BG) saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[b]?”(BH) 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus(BI)
57 As they were walking along the road,(BJ) 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(BK) has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”(BL)
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.”(BM)
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”(BN)
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
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