1Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and the ability to cure diseases.
2He sent them out to preach about God’s Kingdom and to heal the sick.
3He told them, “Take nothing for your journey—no walking stick, no bag, no bread, no money, and don’t even take a second shirt.
4Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.
5If people don’t welcome you, when you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet. This will be a warning to them.”
6So they left and went through all the villages, preaching the Good News and healing people everywhere.
7Herod, the regional ruler, heard about everything Jesus was doing. He was very confused because some people were saying that John the Baptist had risen from the dead,
8others were saying that Elijah had appeared, and still others were saying that one of the ancient prophets had risen again.
9Herod said, “I had John beheaded, so who is this person I keep hearing about?” He kept trying to see Jesus.
10When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. He took them with him and went privately to a lonely place near a town called Bethsaida.
11But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about God’s Kingdom, and healed those who needed healing.
12As the day was ending, the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby villages and farms to find lodging and food, because we are in a deserted place here.”
13But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They replied, “We only have five loaves of bread and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
14There were about five thousand men. Jesus said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
15They did so, and everyone sat down.
16He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks for them. Then he broke them into pieces and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the crowd.
17Everyone ate and was full. Afterward, the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of leftover pieces.
18As Jesus was praying alone, his disciples were with him. He asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19They answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others say that one of the ancient prophets has risen again.”
20Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ of God.”
21But Jesus strictly warned them and commanded them not to tell this to anyone,
22saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things. The elders, chief priests, and religious scholars will reject him. He will be killed, and on the third day, he will be raised up."
23He said to everyone, "If anyone wants to follow me, they must say no to themselves, pick up their cross, and follow me.
24Because whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever gives up their life for my sake will save it.
25What good does it do someone if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit their own self?
26Because if anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels.
27But I am telling you the truth: Some of you standing here will not die until you see God's Kingdom."
28About eight days after saying these things, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray.
29As he was praying, his face changed, and his clothes became white and shiny.
30Suddenly, two men were talking with him—Moses and Elijah.
31They appeared in glory and spoke about his departure, which he was about to complete in Jerusalem.
32Peter and those with him were very sleepy, but when they woke up completely, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
33As Moses and Elijah were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let's make three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He didn't know what he was saying.
34While he was saying this, a cloud came and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
35A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!"
36When the voice spoke, only Jesus was there. They kept quiet and didn't tell anyone in those days anything they had seen.
37The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.
38Then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you, please look at my son, because he is my only child.
39A spirit takes hold of him, and he suddenly screams. It throws him into convulsions, making him foam at the mouth, and it rarely leaves him, severely bruising him.
40I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they couldn't."
41Jesus answered, "You unbelieving and corrupt generation, how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."
42While the boy was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him violently. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
43Everyone was amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at everything Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
44"Listen carefully to these words, because the Son of Man is going to be handed over to people."
45But they didn't understand this saying. Its meaning was hidden from them so they couldn't grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46An argument started among them about which of them was the greatest.
47Jesus knew what they were thinking in their hearts, so he took a small child and had him stand beside him.
48Then he said to them, "Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the one who is least important among all of you, that one is truly great."
49John quickly spoke up, "Master, we saw someone using your name to drive out demons, and we told him to stop because he doesn't follow with us."
50But Jesus said to him, "Don't try to stop him, because anyone who is not against us is for us."
51As the time approached for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he determinedly began his journey toward Jerusalem.
52He sent messengers ahead of him. They went into a Samaritan village to prepare a place for him.
53But the people there did not welcome him, because he was clearly on his way to Jerusalem.
54When his followers James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them, just like Elijah did?"
55But Jesus turned and corrected them, saying, "You don't understand what kind of spirit you have.
56For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people's lives, but to save them." So they went to another village.
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go."
58Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59He said to another man, "Follow me!" But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60But Jesus told him, "Let the dead bury their own dead. Your job is to go and announce God's Kingdom."
61Another person also said, "Lord, I will follow you, but first let me go say goodbye to my family at home."
62But Jesus said to him, "Anyone who puts their hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for God's Kingdom."