Luke 9:18-50

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Peter’s Declaration about Jesus

¹⁸ Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with him; and he asked them, “Who do the people say that I am?” ¹⁹ And they answered, “John the Baptist; but others say, Eli′jah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen.” ²⁰ And he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” ²¹ But he charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 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.”

²³ And he said to all, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 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. ²⁷ But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration

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. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. ³⁰ And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli′jah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep but kept awake, and they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli′jah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen;^[a] listen to him!” ³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

³⁷ On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. ³⁸ And behold, a man from the crowd cried, “Teacher, I beg you to look upon my son, for he is my only child; ³⁹ and behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him till he foams, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. ⁴⁰ And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” ⁴¹ Jesus answered, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” ⁴² While he was coming, the demon tore him and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

Jesus Again Foretells His Death

But while they were all marveling at everything he did, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵ But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

True Greatness

⁴⁶ And an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷ But when Jesus perceived the thought of their hearts, he took a child and put him by his side, 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.”

Another Exorcist

⁴⁹ John answered, “Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us.” ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him; for he that is not against you is for you.”