1   He now called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority to overcome all the devils and to cure diseases, 2   and sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3   ‘Take nothing for the journey,’ he told them, ‘neither stick nor pack, neither bread nor money; nor are you each to have a second coat. 4   When you are admitted to a house, stay there, and go on from there. 5   As for those who will not receive you, when you leave their town shake the dust off your feet as a warning to them.’ 6   So they set out and travelled from village to village, and everywhere they told the good news and healed the sick.

7   Now Prince Herod heard of all that was happening, and did not know what to make of it; for some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8   others that Elijah had appeared, others again that one of the old prophets had come back to life. 9   Herod said, ‘As for John, I beheaded him myself; but who is this I hear such talk about?’ And he was anxious to see him.

10   On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done; and he took them with him and withdrew privately 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 cured those who were in need of healing. 12   When evening was drawing on, the Twelve came up to him and said, ‘Send these people away; then they can go into the villages and farms round about to find food and lodging; for we are in a lonely place here.’ 13   ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’, he replied. But they said, ‘All we have is five loaves and two fishes, nothing more—unless perhaps we ourselves are to go and buy provisions for all this company.’ 14   (There were about five thousand men.) He said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of fifty or so.’ 15   They did so and got them all seated. 16   Then, taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17   They all ate to their

In Galilee: success and opposition hearts' content; and when the scraps they left were picked up, they filled twelve great baskets.

18   One day when he was praying alone in the presence of his disciples, he asked them, ‘Who do the people say I am?’ 19   They answered, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others that one of the old prophets has come back to life.’ 20   ‘And you,’ he said, ‘who do you say I am?’ 21   Peter answered, ‘God's Messiah.’ Then he gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. 22   And he said, ‘The Son of Man has to undergo great sufferings, and to be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and doctors of the law, to be put to death and to be raised again on the third day.’

23   And to all he said, ‘If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self behind; day after day he must take up his cross, and come with me. 24   Whoever cares for his own safety is lost; but if a man will let himself be lost for my sake, that man is safe. 25   What will a man gain by winning the whole world, at the cost of his true self? 26   For whoever is ashamed of me and mine, ^note the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27   And I tell you this: there are some of those standing here who will not taste death before they have seen the kingdom of God.’

28   About eight days after this conversation he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up into the hills to pray. 29   And while he was praying the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white. 30   Suddenly there were two men talking with him; 31   these were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, the destiny he was to fulfil in Jerusalem. 32   Meanwhile Peter and his companions had been in a deep sleep; but when they awoke, they saw his glory and the two men who stood beside him. 33   And as these were moving away from Jesus, Peter said to him, ‘Master, how good it is that we are here! Shall we make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?’; but he spoke without knowing what he was saying. 34   The words were still on his lips, when there came a cloud which cast a shadow over them; they were afraid as they entered the cloud, and from it came a voice: 35    ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.’ 36   When the voice had spoken, Jesus was seen to be alone. The disciples kept silence and at that time told nobody anything of what they had seen.

In Galilee: success and opposition

37   Next day when they came down from the hills he was met by a large crowd. 38   All at once there was a shout from a man in the crowd: ‘Master, look at my son, I implore you, my only child. 39   From time to time a spirit seizes him, gives a sudden scream, and throws him into convulsions with foaming at the mouth, and it keeps on mauling him and will hardly let him go. 40   I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ 41   Jesus answered, ‘What an unbelieving and perverse generation! How long shall I be with you and endure you all? 42   Bring your son here.’ But before the boy could reach him the devil dashed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, cured the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43   And they were all struck with awe at the majesty of God.

Amid the general wonder and admiration at all he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘What I now say is for you: 44   ponder my words. The Son of Man is to be given up into the power of men.’ 45   But they did not understand this saying; it had been hidden from them, so that they should not ^note grasp its meaning, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

46   A dispute arose among them: which of them was the greatest? 47   Jesus knew what was passing in their minds, so he took a child by the hand and stood him at his side, 48   and said, ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me. For the least among you all—he is the greatest.’

49   ‘Master,’ said John, ‘we saw a man driving out devils in your name, but as he is not one of us we tried to stop him.’ 50   Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him, for he who is not against you is on your side.’

Journeys and encounters

51   As the time approached when he was to be taken up to heaven, he set his face resolutely towards Jerusalem, 52   and sent messengers ahead. They set out and went into a Samaritan village to make arrangements for him; 53   but the villagers would not have him because he was making for Jerusalem. 54   When the disciples James and John saw this they said, ‘Lord, may we call down fire from heaven to

Journeys and encounters burn them up ^note?’ 55    56   But he turned and rebuked them, ^note and they went on to another village.

57   As they were going along the road a man said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ 58   Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have their holes, the birds their roosts; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ 59   To another he said, ‘Follow me’, but the man replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ 60   Jesus said, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; you must go and announce the kingdom of God.’

61   Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, sir; but let me first say goodbye to my people at home.’ 62   To him Jesus said, ‘No one who sets his hand to the plough and then keeps looking back ^note is fit for the kingdom of God.’

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