Jesus' Appearance Is Changed
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he went up on a mountain to pray. He took Peter, John and James with him.
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As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed. His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
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Two men, Moses and Elijah,
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appeared in shining glory. Jesus and the two of them talked together. They spoke about his coming death. He was going to die soon in Jerusalem.
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Peter and his companions had been very sleepy. But then they became completely awake. They saw Jesus' glory and the two men standing with him.
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As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter spoke up. "Master," he said to him, "it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters. One will be for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He didn't really know what he was saying.
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While Jesus was speaking, a cloud appeared. It surrounded them. The disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud.
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A voice came from the cloud. It said, "This is my Son, and I have chosen him. Listen to him."
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When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept quiet about this. They didn't tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Boy Who Had an Evil Spirit
37 The next day Jesus and those who were with him came down from the mountain. A large crowd met Jesus.
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A man in the crowd called out. "Teacher," he said, "I beg you to look at my son. He is my only child.
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A spirit takes hold of him, and he suddenly screams. It throws him into fits so that he foams at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him. It is destroying him.
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I begged your disciples to drive it out. But they couldn't do it."
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"You unbelieving and evil people!" Jesus replied. "How long do I have to stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you?" Then he said to the man, "Bring your son here."
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Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him into a fit. The boy fell to the ground. But Jesus ordered the evil spirit to leave the boy. Then Jesus healed him and gave him back to his father.
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They were all amazed at God's greatness. Everyone was wondering about all that Jesus did. Then Jesus said to his disciples,
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"Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men."
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But they didn't understand what this meant. That was because it was hidden from them. And they were afraid to ask Jesus about it.
Who Is the Most Important Person?
46 The disciples began to argue about which one of them would be the most important person.
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Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he took a little child and had the child stand beside him.
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Then he spoke to them. "Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me," he said. "And anyone who welcomes me welcomes the One who sent me. The least important person among all of you is the most important."
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"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
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"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "Anyone who is not against you is for you."
The Samaritans Do Not Welcome Jesus
51 The time grew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven. So he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem.
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He sent messengers on ahead. They went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him.
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But the people there did not welcome Jesus. That was because he was heading for Jerusalem.
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The disciples James and John saw this. They asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them?"
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But Jesus turned and commanded them not to do it.
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They went on to another village.
It Costs to Follow Jesus
57 Once Jesus and those who were with him were walking along the road. A man said to Jesus, "I will follow you no matter where you go."
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Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes. Birds of the air have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
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He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
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Jesus said to him, "Let dead people bury their own dead. You go and tell others about God's kingdom."
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Still another man said, "I will follow you, Lord. But first let me go back and say good-by to my family."
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Jesus replied, "Suppose you start to plow and then look back. If you do, you are not fit for service in God's kingdom."