He said to them, “I tell y’all, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Empire of God come with power.”
The Transfiguration
After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
His clothing became radiant and exceedingly white, more than any launderer on earth could whiten them. Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.
Peter answered Jesus, “Rabbi, it is excellent for us to be here. Let’s make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He didn’t know what to say, they were so afraid.)
A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son. Y’all listen to him.”
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Humanity had risen from the dead. They kept this matter to themselves, questioning what the “rising from the dead” meant.
Then they asked him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
He said to them, “Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. Why is it written that the Son of Humanity should suffer many things and be despised? But I tell y’all that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit
When they returned to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes questioning them. Immediately when all the crowd saw him, they were greatly amazed and ran to greet him. He asked the scribes, “What are y’all questioning them about?”
One from the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought to you my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they couldn’t.”
He answered him, “Unbelieving generation, how long must I stay with y’all? How long should I endure y’all? Y’all bring him to me.”
They brought the boy to him, and when the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw him into a convulsion, and he fell on the ground, rolling around and foaming at the mouth.
He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
He said, “Since childhood. It has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, feel gut-wrenching sympathy toward us and help us.”
Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’? All things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the child’s father cried out and said, “I believe. Help my unbelief!”
When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!”
After crying out and causing him to convulse, it came out of him. The boy became like a corpse, so much that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up. And he arose.
When he came into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?”
He said to them, “This kind can only come out by prayer.”
Death, Resurrection, and Greatness
They went out from there and passed through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Humanity is going to be handed over to the hands of men, and they will kill him. After he has been killed, on the third day he will rise again.”
But they didn’t understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask him.
He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were y’all discussing on the way?”
But they kept silent, because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Sitting down, he called the twelve, and he said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, that person will be last of all and deacon of all.” He took a little child whom he placed in the middle of them. Then embracing the child, he said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little child in my name receives me. And whoever receives me, does not receive me, but the one who sent me.”
Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name, so we stopped him, because he doesn’t follow us.”
But Jesus said, “Y’all must not stop him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name and be able quickly to speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell y’all, anyone who gives y’all a cup of water to drink in my name because y’all are of Christ will not lose their reward.
Causing Little Ones to Stumble
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be more excellent for them if they were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around their neck. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is more beautiful for you to enter life maimed than to go hell with two hands, into the unquenchable fire.+9:43 Some manuscripts include verse 44 which repeats the words from verse 48 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is more beautiful for you to enter life lame than to be thrown into hell with two feet. If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out. It is more beautiful for you to enter into the Empire of God with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two eyes ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is never quenched.’+Isa 66:24 For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is excellent, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how can y’all make it salty again? Y’all should have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.”