New Testament in a Year

¹⁸ Peter’s Confession That Jesus Is the Christ.^[a]Once while Jesus was praying by himself, he asked his disciples who were standing close by, “Who do the people say that I am?” ¹⁹ They answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” ²⁰ “But you,” he said to them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him: “The Christ of God.” ²¹ Thereupon he gave them strict orders and commanded them not to tell this to anyone.

²² Jesus Predicts His Passion. He then went on to say, “The Son of Man must endure great suffering, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be put to death, and on the third day be raised.”

²³ The Conditions of Discipleship.^[b] Then he said to all who were with him, “Anyone who wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵ What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

²⁶ “If anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

²⁸ Jesus Is Transfigured.^[c] About eight days after he had said this, Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up on a mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while he was praying, the appearance of his face underwent a change, and his clothing became dazzling white. ³⁰ Suddenly, there were two men talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which would come to pass in Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake they beheld his glory and the two men standing beside him.

³³ When they were ready to leave, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not truly know what he was saying. ³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud came and cast its shadow over them, and the three disciples became frightened as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One.^[d] Listen to him.” ³⁶ After the voice had spoken, they beheld only Jesus. They kept silent and at that time they did not tell anyone about what they had witnessed.