ESV 1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, MSG 1 Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. ESV 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. MSG 2 He commissioned them to preach the news of God's kingdom and heal the sick. ESV 3 And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. MSG 3 He said, "Don't load yourselves up with equipment. ESV 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. MSG 4 Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns - get a modest place and be content there until you leave. ESV 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." MSG 5 If you're not welcomed, leave town. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and move on." ESV 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. MSG 6 Commissioned, they left. They traveled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the Message, and curing people everywhere they went. ESV 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, MSG 7 Herod, the ruler, heard of these goings on and didn't know what to think. There were people saying John had come back from the dead, ESV 8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. MSG 8 others that Elijah had appeared, still others that some prophet of long ago had shown up. ESV 9 Herod said, "John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And he sought to see him. MSG 9 Herod said, "But I killed John - took off his head. So who is this that I keep hearing about?" Curious, he looked for a chance to see him in action. ESV 10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. MSG 10 The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida. ESV 11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. MSG 11 But the crowds got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, he healed. ESV 12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place." MSG 12 As the day declined, the Twelve said, "Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat. We're out in the middle of nowhere." ESV 13 But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people." MSG 13 "You feed them," Jesus said. ESV 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." MSG 14 (There were more than five thousand people in the crowd.) ESV 15 And they did so, and had them all sit down. MSG 15 They did what he said, and soon had everyone seated. ESV 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. MSG 16 He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the crowd. ESV 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. MSG 17 After the people had all eaten their fill, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered up. ESV 18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" MSG 18 One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, "What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?" ESV 19 And they answered, "John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen." MSG 19 They said, "John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back." ESV 20 Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, "The Christ of God." MSG 20 He then asked, "And you - what are you saying about me? Who am I?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." ESV 21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, MSG 21 Jesus then warned them to keep it quiet. They were to tell no one what Peter had said. ESV 22 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." MSG 22 He went on, "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive." ESV 23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. MSG 23 Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat - I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. ESV 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. MSG 24 Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. ESV 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? MSG 25 What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? ESV 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. MSG 26 If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I'm leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn't, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. ESV 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God." MSG 27 Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God." ESV 28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. MSG 28 About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. ESV 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. MSG 29 While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. ESV 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, MSG 30 At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah - ESV 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. MSG 31 and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem. ESV 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. MSG 32 Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. ESV 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said. MSG 33 When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, this is a great moment! Let's build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He blurted this out without thinking. ESV 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. MSG 34 While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. ESV 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!" MSG 35 Then there was a voice out of the cloud: "This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him." ESV 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. MSG 36 When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen. ESV 37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. MSG 37 When they came down off the mountain the next day, a big crowd was there to meet them. ESV 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. MSG 38 A man called from out of the crowd, "Please, please, Teacher, take a look at my son. He's my only child. ESV 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. MSG 39 Often a spirit seizes him. Suddenly he's screaming, thrown into convulsions, his mouth foaming. And then it beats him black and blue before it leaves. ESV 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." MSG 40 I asked your disciples to deliver him but they couldn't." ESV 41 Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." MSG 41 Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring your son here." ESV 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. MSG 42 While he was coming, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. Jesus stepped in, ordered the vile spirit gone, healed the boy, and handed him back to his father. ESV 43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, MSG 43 They all shook their heads in wonder, astonished at God's greatness, God's majestic greatness. ESV 44 "Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men." MSG 44 "Treasure and ponder each of these next words: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into human hands." ESV 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying. MSG 45 They didn't get what he was saying. It was like he was speaking a foreign language and they couldn't make heads or tails of it. But they were embarrassed to ask him what he meant. ESV 46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. MSG 46 They started arguing over which of them would be most famous. ESV 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side MSG 47 When Jesus realized how much this mattered to them, he brought a child to his side. ESV 48 and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great." MSG 48 "Whoever accepts this child as if the child were me, accepts me," he said. "And whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me. You become great by accepting, not asserting. Your spirit, not your size, makes the difference." ESV 49 John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us." MSG 49 John spoke up, "Master, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't of our group." ESV 50 But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you." MSG 50 Jesus said, "Don't stop him. If he's not an enemy, he's an ally." ESV 51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. MSG 51 When it came close to the time for his Ascension, he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem. ESV 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. MSG 52 He sent messengers on ahead. They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for his hospitality. ESV 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. MSG 53 But when the Samaritans learned that his destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality. ESV 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" MSG 54 When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, "Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?" ESV 55 But he turned and rebuked them. MSG 55 Jesus turned on them: "Of course not!" ESV 56 And they went on to another village. MSG 56 And they traveled on to another village. ESV 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." MSG 57 On the road someone asked if he could go along. "I'll go with you, wherever," he said. ESV 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." MSG 58 Jesus was curt: "Are you ready to rough it? We're not staying in the best inns, you know." ESV 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." MSG 59 Jesus said to another, "Follow me." He said, "Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father's funeral." ESV 60 And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." MSG 60 Jesus refused. "First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!" ESV 61 Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." MSG 61 Then another said, "I'm ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home." ESV 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." MSG 62 Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."
MSG 1 Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. MSG 2 He commissioned them to preach the news of God's kingdom and heal the sick. MSG 3 He said, "Don't load yourselves up with equipment. MSG 4 Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns - get a modest place and be content there until you leave. MSG 5 If you're not welcomed, leave town. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and move on." MSG 6 Commissioned, they left. They traveled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the Message, and curing people everywhere they went. MSG 7 Herod, the ruler, heard of these goings on and didn't know what to think. There were people saying John had come back from the dead, MSG 8 others that Elijah had appeared, still others that some prophet of long ago had shown up. MSG 9 Herod said, "But I killed John - took off his head. So who is this that I keep hearing about?" Curious, he looked for a chance to see him in action. MSG 10 The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida. MSG 11 But the crowds got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, he healed. MSG 12 As the day declined, the Twelve said, "Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat. We're out in the middle of nowhere." MSG 13 "You feed them," Jesus said. MSG 14 (There were more than five thousand people in the crowd.) MSG 15 They did what he said, and soon had everyone seated. MSG 16 He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the crowd. MSG 17 After the people had all eaten their fill, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered up. MSG 18 One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, "What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?" MSG 19 They said, "John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back." MSG 20 He then asked, "And you - what are you saying about me? Who am I?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." MSG 21 Jesus then warned them to keep it quiet. They were to tell no one what Peter had said. MSG 22 He went on, "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive." MSG 23 Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat - I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. MSG 24 Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. MSG 25 What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? MSG 26 If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I'm leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn't, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. MSG 27 Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God." MSG 28 About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. MSG 29 While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. MSG 30 At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah - MSG 31 and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem. MSG 32 Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. MSG 33 When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, this is a great moment! Let's build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He blurted this out without thinking. MSG 34 While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. MSG 35 Then there was a voice out of the cloud: "This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him." MSG 36 When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen. MSG 37 When they came down off the mountain the next day, a big crowd was there to meet them. MSG 38 A man called from out of the crowd, "Please, please, Teacher, take a look at my son. He's my only child. MSG 39 Often a spirit seizes him. Suddenly he's screaming, thrown into convulsions, his mouth foaming. And then it beats him black and blue before it leaves. MSG 40 I asked your disciples to deliver him but they couldn't." MSG 41 Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring your son here." MSG 42 While he was coming, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. Jesus stepped in, ordered the vile spirit gone, healed the boy, and handed him back to his father. MSG 43 They all shook their heads in wonder, astonished at God's greatness, God's majestic greatness. MSG 44 "Treasure and ponder each of these next words: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into human hands." MSG 45 They didn't get what he was saying. It was like he was speaking a foreign language and they couldn't make heads or tails of it. But they were embarrassed to ask him what he meant. MSG 46 They started arguing over which of them would be most famous. MSG 47 When Jesus realized how much this mattered to them, he brought a child to his side. MSG 48 "Whoever accepts this child as if the child were me, accepts me," he said. "And whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me. You become great by accepting, not asserting. Your spirit, not your size, makes the difference." MSG 49 John spoke up, "Master, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't of our group." MSG 50 Jesus said, "Don't stop him. If he's not an enemy, he's an ally." MSG 51 When it came close to the time for his Ascension, he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem. MSG 52 He sent messengers on ahead. They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for his hospitality. MSG 53 But when the Samaritans learned that his destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality. MSG 54 When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, "Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?" MSG 55 Jesus turned on them: "Of course not!" MSG 56 And they traveled on to another village. MSG 57 On the road someone asked if he could go along. "I'll go with you, wherever," he said. MSG 58 Jesus was curt: "Are you ready to rough it? We're not staying in the best inns, you know." MSG 59 Jesus said to another, "Follow me." He said, "Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father's funeral." MSG 60 Jesus refused. "First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!" MSG 61 Then another said, "I'm ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home." MSG 62 Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."