Chapter 9

Then calling the Twelve together He conferred on them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases;

and sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to cure the sick.

And He commanded them, 'Take nothing for your journey; neither stick nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have an extra under garment.

Whatever house you enter, make that your home, and from it start afresh.

Wherever they refuse to receive you, as you leave that town shake off the very dust from your feet as a protest against them.'

So they departed and visited village after village, spreading the Good News and performing cures everywhere.

Now Herod the Tetrarch heard of all that was going on; and he was bewildered because of its being said by some that John had come back to life,

by others that Elijah had appeared, and by others that some one of the ancient Prophets had come back to life.

And Herod said, 'John I have beheaded; but who is this, of whom I hear such reports?' And he sought for an opportunity of seeing Jesus.

The Apostles, on their return, related to Jesus all they had done. Then He took them and withdrew to a quiet retreat, to a town called Bethsaida.

But the immense crowd, aware of this, followed Him; and receiving them kindly He proceeded to speak to them of the Kingdom of God, and those who needed to be restored to health, He cured.

Now when the day began to decline, the Twelve came to Him and said, 'Send the people away, that they may go to the villages and farms round about and find lodging and a supply of food; because here we are in an uninhabited district.'

'You yourselves,' He said, 'must give them food.' 'We have nothing,' they replied, 'but five loaves and a couple of fish, unless indeed we were to go and buy provisions for all this host of people.'

(For there were about 5,000 adult men.) But He said to His disciples, 'Make them sit down in parties of about fifty each.'

They did so, making them all, without exception, sit down.

Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to Heaven He blessed them and broke them into portions which He gave to the disciples to distribute to the people.

So they ate and were fully satisfied, all of them; and what they had remaining over was gathered up, twelve baskets of fragments.

One day when He was praying by Himself the disciples were present; and He asked them, 'Who do the people say that I am?'

'John the Baptist,' they replied; 'but others say Elijah; and others that some one of the ancient Prophets has come back to life.'

'But you,' He asked, 'who do you say that I am?' 'God's Anointed One,' replied Peter.

And Jesus strictly forbad them to tell this to any one;

and He said, 'The Son of Man must suffer much cruelty, be rejected by the Elders and High Priests and Scribes, and be put to death, and on the third day be raised to life again.'

And He said to all, 'If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross day by day, and so be my follower.

For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake shall save it.

Why, what benefit is it to a man to have gained the whole world, but to have lost or forfeited his own self.

For whoever shall have been ashamed of me and my teachings, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own and the Father's glory and in that of the holy angels.

I tell you truly that there are some of those who stand here who will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Kingdom of God.'

It was about eight days after this that Jesus, taking with Him Peter, John, and James, went up the mountain to pray.

And while He was praying the appearance of His face underwent a change, and His clothing became white and radiant.

And suddenly there were two men conversing with Him, who were Moses and Elijah.

They came in glory, and kept speaking about His death, which He was so soon to undergo in Jerusalem.

Now Peter and the others were weighed down with sleep; but, keeping themselves awake all through, they saw His glory, and the two men standing with Him.

And when they were preparing to depart from Him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, we are thankful to you that we are here. Let us put up three tents--one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' He did not know what he was saying.

But while he was thus speaking, there came a cloud which spread over them; and they were awe-struck when they had entered into the cloud.

Then there came a voice from within the cloud: 'This is My Son, My Chosen One: listen to Him.'

After this voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept it to themselves, and said not a word to any one at that time about what they had seen.

On the following day, when they were come down from the mountain, a great crowd came to meet Him;

and a man from the crowd called out, 'Rabbi, I beg you to pity my son, for he is my only child.

At times a spirit seizes him and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him, and makes him foam at the mouth, and does not leave him till it has well-nigh covered him with bruises.

I entreated your disciples to expel the spirit, but they could not.'

'O unbelieving and perverse generation!' replied Jesus; 'how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here to me.'

Now while the youth was coming, the spirit dashed him to the ground and cruelly convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the foul spirit, and cured the youth and gave him back to his father.

And all were awe-struck at the mighty power of God. And while every one was expressing wonder at all that He was doing, He said to his disciples,

'As for you, store these my sayings in your memory; for, before long, the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.'

But they did not understand His meaning: it was veiled from them that they might not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

Now there arose a dispute among them, which of them was to be the greatest.

And Jesus, knowing the reasoning that was in their hearts, took a young child and made him stand by His side

and said to them, 'Whoever for my sake receives this little child, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives Him who sent me. For the lowliest among you all--he is the greatest.'

'Rabbi,' replied John, 'we have seen a man making use of your name to expel demons; and we forbad him, because he does not come with us.'

'Do not forbid him,' said Jesus, 'for he who is not against you is on your side.'

Now when the time drew near for Him to be received up again into Heaven, He proceeded with fixed purpose towards Jerusalem, and sent messengers before Him.

They went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Him.

But the people there would not receive Him, because He was evidently going to Jerusalem.

When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Master, do you wish us to order fire to come down from Heaven and consume them?'

But He turned and rebuked them.

And they went to another village.

And, as they proceeded on their way, a man came to Him and said, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'

'The foxes have holes,' said Jesus, 'and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'

'Follow me,' He said to another. 'Master,' the man replied, 'allow me first to go and bury my father.'

'Leave the dead,' Jesus rejoined, 'to bury their own dead; but you must go and announce far and wide the coming of the Kingdom of God.'

'Master,' said yet another, 'I will follow you; but allow me first to go and say good-bye to my friends at home.'

Jesus answered him, 'No one who has put his hand to the plough, and then looks behind him, is fit for the Kingdom of God.