008:027 From that place Jesus and His disciples went to the villages
belonging to Caesarea Philippi. On the way He began to ask
His disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"
008:028 "John the Baptist," they replied, "but others say Elijah,
and others, that it is one of the Prophets."
008:029 Then He asked them pointedly, "But you yourselves, who do you
say that I am?" "You are the Christ," answered Peter.
008:030 And He strictly forbad them to tell this about Him to any one.
008:031 And now for the first time He told them, "The Son of Man
must endure much suffering, and be rejected by the Elders
and the High Priests and the Scribes, and be put to death,
and after two days rise to life."
008:032 This He told them plainly; whereupon Peter took Him and began
to remonstrate with Him.
008:033 But turning round and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter.
"Get behind me, Adversary," He said, "for your thoughts are
not God's thoughts, but men's."
008:034 Then calling to Him the crowd and also His disciples, He said
to them, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him
ignore self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.
008:035 For whoever is bent on securing his life will lose it,
but he who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake
of the Good News, will secure it.
008:036 Why, what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
008:037 For what could a man give to buy back his life?
008:038 Every one, however, who has been ashamed of me and of my
teachings in this faithless and sinful age, of him the Son
of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in His Father's
glory with the holy angels."
009:001 He went on to say, "In solemn truth I tell you that some of
those who are standing here will certainly not taste death till
they have seen the Kingdom of God already come in power."
009:002 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John,
and brought them alone, apart from the rest, up a high mountain;
and in their presence His appearance underwent a change.
009:003 His garments also became dazzling with brilliant whiteness--
such whiteness as no bleaching on earth could give.
009:004 Moreover there appeared to them Elijah accompanied by Moses;
and the two were conversing with Jesus,
009:005 when Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, we are thankful to you
that we are here. Let us put up three tents--one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
009:006 For he knew not what to say: they were filled with such awe.
009:007 Then there came a cloud spreading over them, and a voice
issued from the cloud, "This is my Son, dearly loved:
listen to Him."
009:008 Instantly they looked round, and now they could no longer see
any one, but themselves and Jesus.
009:009 As they were coming down from the mountain, He very strictly
forbad them to tell any one what they had seen "until after
the Son of Man has risen from among the dead."
009:010 So they kept the matter to themselves, although frequently
asking one another what was meant by the rising from the dead.
009:011 They also asked Him, "How is it that the Scribes say that Elijah
must first come?"
009:012 "Elijah," He replied, "does indeed come first and reforms everything;
but how is it that it is written of the Son of Man that He
will endure much suffering and be held in contempt?
009:013 Yet I tell you that not only has Elijah come, but they have
also done to him whatever they chose, as the Scriptures
say about him."
009:014 As they came to rejoin the disciples, they saw an immense crowd
surrounding them and a party of Scribes disputing with them.
009:015 Immediately the whole multitude on beholding Him were astonished
and awe-struck, and yet they ran forward and greeted Him.
009:016 "What is the subject you are discussing?" He asked them.
009:017 "Rabbi," answered one of the crowd, "I have brought you my son.
He has a dumb spirit in him;
009:018 and wherever it comes upon him, it dashes him to the ground,
and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth, and he is
pining away. I begged your disciples to expel it, but they
had not the power."
009:019 "O unbelieving generation!" replied Jesus; "how long must
I be with you? how long must I have patience with you?
Bring the boy to me."
009:020 So they brought him to Jesus. And the spirit, when he saw Jesus,
immediately threw the youth into convulsions, so that he fell
on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
009:021 Then Jesus asked the father, "How long has he been like this?"
"From early childhood," he said;
009:022 "and often it has thrown him into the fire or into pools
of water to destroy him. But, if you possibly can, have pity
on us and help us."
009:023 "'If I possibly can!'" replied Jesus; "why, everything is
possible to him who believes."
009:024 Immediately the father cried out, "I do believe:
strengthen my weak faith."
009:025 Then Jesus, seeing that an increasing crowd was running
towards Him, rebuked the foul spirit, and said to it,
"Dumb and deaf spirit, *I* command you, come out of him
and never enter into him again."
009:026 So with a loud cry he threw the boy into fit after fit, and came out.
The boy looked as if he were dead, so that most of them said
he was dead;
009:027 but Jesus took his hand and raised him up, and he stood
on his feet.
009:028 After the return of Jesus to the house His disciples asked
Him privately, "How is it that we could not expel the spirit?"
009:029 "An evil spirit of this kind," He answered, "can only be driven
out by prayer."
009:030 Departing thence they passed through Galilee, and He was
unwilling that any one should know it;
009:031 for He was teaching His disciples, and telling them,
"The Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of men,
and they will put Him to death; and after being put to death,
in three days He will rise to life again."
009:032 They, however, did not understand what He meant, and were afraid
to question Him.
009:033 So they came to Capernaum; and when in the house He asked them,
"What were you arguing about on the way?"
009:034 But they remained silent; for on the way they had debated
with one another who was the chief of them.
009:035 Then sitting down He called the Twelve, and said to them,
"If any one wishes to be first, he must be last of all and
servant of all."
009:036 And taking a young child He made him stand in their midst,
then threw His arms round him and said,
009:037 "Whoever for my sake receives one such young child as this,
receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not so much
me as Him who sent me."
009:038 "Rabbi," said John to Him, "we saw a man making use of your name
to expel demons, and we tried to hinder him, on the ground
that he did not follow us."
009:039 "You should not have tried to hinder him," replied Jesus,
"for there is no one who will use my name to perform a miracle
and be able the next minute to speak evil of me.
009:040 He who is not against us is for us;
009:041 and whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you
belong to Christ, I solemnly tell you that he will certainly
not lose his reward.
009:042 "And whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little
ones who believe, he would be better off if, with a millstone
round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea.
009:043 If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off:
it would be better for you to enter into Life maimed, than remain
in possession of both your hands and go away into Gehenna,
into the fire which cannot be put out.
009:044 []
009:045 Or if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off:
it would be better for you to enter into Life crippled, than remain
in possession of both your feet and be thrown into Gehenna.
009:046 []
009:047 Or if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out.
It would be better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God
half-blind than remain in possession of two eyes and be
thrown into Gehenna,
009:048 where their worm does not die and the fire does not go out.
009:049 Every one, however, will be salted with fire.
009:050 Salt is a good thing, but if the salt should become tasteless,
what will you use to give it saltness? Have salt within you
and live at peace with one another."
010:001 Soon on His feet once more, He enters the district of Judaea
and crosses the Jordan: again the people flock to Him,
and ere long, as was usual with Him, He was teaching
them once more.
010:002 Presently a party of Pharisees come to Him with the question--
seeking to entrap Him, "May a man divorce his wife?"
010:003 "What rule did Moses lay down for you?" He answered.
010:004 "Moses," they said, "permitted a man to draw up a written
notice of divorce, and to send his wife away."
010:005 "It was in consideration of your stubborn hearts," said Jesus,
"that Moses enacted this law for you;
010:006 but from the beginning of the creation the rule was,
'Male and female did God make them.
010:007 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother,
and shall cling to his wife,