Luke 9
1 Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases.
[One day] Jesus summoned his twelve [apostles], and gave them power to expel all [kinds of] demons and to heal [people with] diseases. He gave them authority to do that.
2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
[Before] he sent them out to heal people and to tell people [what it meant to let] God (rule/have complete control [over]) [their lives],
3 “Take nothing for the journey,” He told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic.
he said to them, “Do not take things for your journey. Do not take a walking stick or a [traveler’s] bag or food or money. Do not take (an extra shirt/extra clothes).
4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that area.
Whenever you enter some house [to lodge there], stay in that house until you leave that town.
5 If anyone does not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town, as a testimony against them.”
[In towns] where the people do not welcome you, [you should not continue to stay there. Just] leave those towns. And as you leave, shake off the dust from your feet. [Do that to] warn them [that God will punish them for rejecting your message].”
6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
Then they left and traveled through many villages. Everywhere [they went], they told people God’s good message and healed sick people.
7 When Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, he was perplexed. For some were saying that John had risen from the dead,
Herod [Antipas], the ruler of [that] district, heard about the things that [Jesus and his disciples] were doing. [He had previously commanded his soldiers to execute John the Baptizer, so now] he was perplexed, because some people were saying that John had become alive again [and was doing those miracles].
8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that a prophet of old had arisen.
Others were saying that [the prophet] Elijah had appeared [again as had been prophesied]. Others were saying that one of the [other] former prophets had become alive again [and was doing those miracles].
9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this man I hear such things about?” And he kept trying to see Jesus.
But Herod said, “[It cannot be John who is doing these things], [because] I [commanded my soldiers to] cut off his head. So who is [this man] that I am hearing these things about?” And he kept wanting to see [Jesus].
10 Then the apostles returned and reported to Jesus all that they had done. Taking them away privately, He withdrew to a town called Bethsaida.
When the apostles returned [from traveling to various towns], they told Jesus the things that they had done. Then he took them and they went by themselves [by boat] to a town called Bethsaida.
11 But the crowds found out and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed healing.
But when the crowds [of people who had been with Jesus] found out about that, they followed him [on land. When they got to where he was], he welcomed them. He taught them about how God is going to some day (rule as king/have complete control [over people’s lives]). He also healed the sick people.
12 As the day neared its end, the Twelve came to Jesus and said, “Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside for lodging and provisions. For we are in a desolate place here.”
Late in the afternoon Jesus’ twelve [apostles] came to him and said, “This is a place where nobody lives, so dismiss the people so that they can go to the surrounding villages and other places where they can get some food and find places to stay!”
13 But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
But he said to them, “[No], you [yourselves] give them something to eat!” They replied, “We [(exc)] have only five small loaves and two [cooked] fish. Are you [(sg)] going to [give] us [the money] to go somewhere and buy food for all these people?”
14 (There were about five thousand men.) He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
There were about 5,000 men [there]. He replied to the disciples, “[No], [just] tell the people to sit down. Tell them to sit in groups, with about 50 people in each group.”
15 They did so, and everyone was seated.
After they told the people that, they all sat down.
16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples to set before the people.
Then he took the five small loaves and the two fish. He looked up towards heaven and thanked [God for them]. Then he broke them [into pieces] and gave them to the disciples so that they would distribute them to the crowd.
17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
All [the people in the crowd] ate until they all had enough to eat. Then [the disciples] collected twelve baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over!
18 One day as Jesus was praying in private and the disciples were with Him, He questioned them: “Who do the crowds say I am?”
[One day] Jesus was praying in a place where only the disciples were with him. He asked them, “The crowds [of people], who do they say that I [really] am?”
19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that a prophet of old has arisen.”
They replied, “[Some people say that you are] John the Baptizer, [who has come back to life again]. Others say that you are [the prophet] Elijah, [who has returned from heaven as God promised]. Others say that you are one of the [other] prophets who lived long ago, who has come back to life again.”
20 “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
He asked them, “What about you [(pl)]? Who do you say that I am?” Peter replied, “You [(sg)] are the Messiah, who [has come from] God.”
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.
Then Jesus warned them strongly not to tell that to anyone [yet].
22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Then he said, “[Even though I am] the one who came from heaven, it is necessary that I suffer very much. It is also necessary that I be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the men who teach the [Jewish] laws {that the [Jewish] elders and the chief priests and the men who teach the [Jewish] laws will reject me}. It is necessary that I be killed {that [people] will kill me}. Then on the third day [after that], I will become alive again.”
23 Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Then he said to all of them, “If any one [of you] wants to be my disciple, you must not do [only] what you yourself desire [to do]. [Specifically], you must be willing each day [MET] [to let others hurt you and disgrace you. That is like what is done to criminals who are forced] to carry [MET] crosses [to the place where they will be executed]. [That is what anyone who wants to] be my disciple [must do].
24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
You must do that, because those who try to save their lives [by denying that they belong to me when people want to kill them for believing in me] will not live [eternally], but those who are killed because of being my [disciples] will live [forever with me].
25 What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?
People might get everything that [they want] in this world, but (they are really gaining nothing if they do not get eternal life by [becoming my disciples]!/are they really gaining anything if they do not get eternal life by [becoming my disciples]?) [RHQ]
26 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Those who reject my message [and] refuse to say that [they belong] to me, [I], the one who came from heaven, will also refuse to say that [they belong to me] when I come back with the holy angels, and have the glorious brightness that my Father has.
27 But I tell you truthfully, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
But listen carefully! Some of you [(pl)] who are here now will see God ruling [MET] [in many powerful ways]. You will see it before you die!”
28 About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray.
About a week after [Jesus] said those things, he took Peter, James, and [James’ brother] John and led them up a mountain so that he could pray [there].
29 And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.
As he was praying, his face appeared very different to them. His clothes became as bright as lightning.
30 Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus.
Suddenly, two men appeared who had the brightness [of heaven] surrounding them. They were [prophets who had lived long ago], Moses and Elijah. They started talking with Jesus about how he [would accomplish what God had planned when he died] [EUP] [very soon] in Jerusalem.
31 They appeared in glory and spoke about His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
32 Meanwhile Peter and his companions were overcome by sleep, but when they awoke, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with Him.
Peter and the other [disciples] who were with him were sound asleep. When they woke up, they saw [Jesus’] brightness. They also saw the two men standing with him.
33 As Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, 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.)
As [Moses and Elijah] were starting to leave Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here! Allow us to make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!” But he really did not realize what he was talking about.
34 While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
As he was saying that, a [bright] cloud appeared and covered them all. The disciples were afraid as the cloud surrounded them.
35 And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!”
[God] [MTY/EUP] spoke to them from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son. He is the one whom [I] have chosen [to do a great work for me]. [So] you must listen to him!”
36 After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was present with them. The disciples kept this to themselves, and in those days they did not tell anyone what they had seen.
After [God] [MTY/EUP] finished saying that, [the three disciples] saw that only Jesus was there. They did not tell anyone what they had seen until much later.
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, Jesus was met by a large crowd.
The next day, after they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd [of people] met Jesus.
38 Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.
Then a man from the crowd exclaimed, “Teacher, I plead with you, [do something to help] my son! He is my only child!
39 A spirit keeps seizing him, and he screams abruptly. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It keeps mauling him and rarely departs from him.
At various times an evil spirit suddenly seizes him and [causes] him to scream. The evil spirit shakes him violently and causes him to foam at the mouth. It does not leave until my child is completely exhausted.
40 I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.”
I pleaded with your disciples [who were here] for them to expel [the evil spirit], but they were not able to do it!”
41 “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
Jesus replied [by saying to everyone who had gathered there], “[You who have seen how I help people] do not believe [that you can do anything]. What you [think] is perverted! How long must I be with you [before you are able to do what I do] [RHQ]? [How long must I] endure your [lack of faith]?” [Then he said to the boy’s father], “Bring your [(sg)] son here [to me]!”
42 Even while the boy was approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
While they were bringing the boy to Jesus, the demon attacked the boy, threw him to the ground, and shook him severely. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he returned him to his father’s [care].
43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus was doing, He said to His disciples,
All the people [there] were amazed at the great [power] of God. Luke 9:43b-45 While they were all amazed at all the miracles [Jesus] was doing, he said to his disciples,
44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
“Think carefully [MTY] about what I am about to tell you: [Even though I am] the one who came from heaven, [I will soon] be handed over to the authorities (OR, my enemies) {[someone] is about to enable [MTY] my enemies to seize me}.”
45 But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
But [the disciples] did not understand what he was saying; [God] prevented them from understanding it, so that they would not know [yet] what he meant. And they were afraid to ask him about [what he had said].
46 Then an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.
The disciples began to argue among themselves about which one of them would be the greatest [when Jesus became king].
47 But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him.
But Jesus perceived what they were thinking. So he brought a young child to his side.
48 And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”
He said to [the disciples], “Those who, because they [love] me, (OR, because they want to behave like me) welcome a little child ([like] this one/[as] I [would]) [MTY], [God considers that] [MET] they are welcoming me. And those who welcome me, [God considers] that [MET] they are welcoming him, the one who sent me. Remember that those among you who think of themselves as being very unimportant will be the ones [whom God considers] to be great.”
49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”
John replied to [Jesus], “Master, we [(exc)] saw a man who was expelling demons, [claiming] that [he had] authority from you [MTY] to do that. So we told him to stop doing it, because he is not one of us [disciples].”
50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
But Jesus said to him [and the other disciples], “Do not tell him not to [do that]! Remember that those who are not opposing you are trying to [achieve the same goals that] you are!”
51 As the day of His ascension approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
When it was almost time for [God] to take Jesus up to heaven, he firmly resolved to go to Jerusalem.
52 He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
He sent some messengers to go ahead of him, and they entered a village in Samaria [district] to prepare for him [SYN] [to go there].
53 But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.
But [the Samaritans did not like the Jews because of their insisting that it was necessary to go to Jerusalem to worship God. So], because Jesus had firmly resolved to go to Jerusalem, they would not let him come [to their village].
54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”
When two of his disciples, James and John, heard about that, they said, “Lord, do you [(sg)] want us [(exc)] to pray that [God] will send fire down from heaven, [as the prophet Elijah did long ago], and destroy those people?”
55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
But Jesus turned and rebuked them [for saying that].
56 And He and His disciples went on to another village.
So they went to a different village.
57 As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
As Jesus and the disciples were walking along the road, one man said to him, “I will go with you [(sg)] wherever you go!”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
[In order that the man might know what he could expect if he went with Jesus], Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes [in the ground in which to live], and birds have nests, but [even though I am] the one who came from heaven, I do not have a home where I can sleep!”
59 Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus told another man, “Come with me!” But the man said, “Lord/Sir, let me go [home] first. [After] my father [dies] I will bury him, [and then I will come with you].”
60 But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
But Jesus said to him, “[God considers that those who do not have eternal life are] dead [MET]. Let those people [do the work of] burying people who die. As for you, go and tell people about how God wants (to rule/to have complete control [over]) [people’s lives]!”
61 Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”
Someone else said, “Lord, I will come with you and be your disciple, but first let me go home to say goodbye to my relatives.”
62 Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus said to him, “Anyone who is plowing his field should not look back [to see what he has done. He must look forward to what is ahead. Similarly], [anyone who continues to be concerned about his family and other things he has left behind] is not fit [to serve me and tell others about how] God wants to rule [MTY] [people’s lives].”
