Luke 8:26–10:16

DEMONS DRIVEN OUT BY JESUS

²⁶Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,^Bq which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷When he got out on land, a demon-possessed man from the town met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes and did not stay in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out,^r fell down before him, and said in a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me,^s Jesus, Son of the Most High God?^t I beg you, don’t torment me!” ²⁹For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was guarded, bound by chains and shackles, he would snap the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.

³⁰“What is your name?” Jesus asked him.

“Legion,”^u he said, because many demons had entered him. ³¹And they begged him not to banish them to the abyss.^v

³²A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged him to permit them to enter the pigs, and he gave them permission. ³³The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

³⁴When the men who tended them saw what had happened, they ran off and reported it in the town and in the countryside. ³⁵Then people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man the demons had departed from, sitting at Jesus’s feet,^w dressed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶Meanwhile, the eyewitnesses reported to them how the demon-possessed man was delivered.^{x 37}Then all the people of the Gerasene region^A asked him to leave them,^y because they were gripped by great fear. So getting into the boat, he returned.

³⁸The man from whom the demons had departed begged him earnestly to be with him. But he sent him away and said, ³⁹“Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you.” And off he went, proclaiming throughout the town how much Jesus had done for him.

A GIRL RESTORED AND A WOMAN HEALED

⁴⁰When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him,^a for they were all expecting him.^{b 41}Just then, a man named Jairus came. He was a leader of the synagogue.^c He fell down at Jesus’s feet and pleaded with him to come to his house, ⁴²because he had an only daughter^d about twelve years old, and she was dying.

While he was going, the crowds were nearly crushing him.^{e 43}A woman suffering from bleeding^f for twelve years,^g who had spent all she had on doctors^B and yet could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴approached from behind and touched the end of his robe.^h Instantly her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter^C said, “Master,ⁱ the crowds are hemming you in and pressing against you.”^D

⁴⁶“Someone did touch me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from me.”^{j 47}When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched him and how she was instantly healed. ⁴⁸“Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you.^E Go in peace.”^k

⁴⁹While he was still speaking,^l someone came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother^m the teacherⁿ anymore.”

⁵⁰When Jesus heard it, he answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.”^{A 51}After he came to the house, he let no one enter with him except Peter, John, James,^o and the child’s father and mother. ⁵²Everyone was crying^p and mourning for her.^q But he said, “Stop crying, because she is not dead but asleep.”^r

⁵³They laughed at him, because they knew she was dead. ⁵⁴So he^B took her by the hand^s and called out, “Child, get up!”^{t 55}Her spirit returned,^u and she got up at once. Then he gave orders that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶Her parents were astounded, but he instructed them to tell no one what had happened.^v

COMMISSIONING THE TWELVE

9Summoning the Twelve,^w he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.^{x 2}Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.^y

³“Take nothing for the road,”^z he told them, “no staff,^aa no traveling bag, no bread, no money; and don’t take an extra shirt. ⁴Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. ⁵If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”^{ab 6}So they went out and traveled from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.

HEROD’S DESIRE TO SEE JESUS

⁷Herod the tetrarch^ac heard about everything that was going on.^ad He was perplexed, because some said that John had been raised from the dead, ⁸some that Elijah had appeared,^ae and others that one of the ancient prophets had risen.^{af 9}“I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this I hear such things about?” And he wanted to see him.^ag

FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

¹⁰When the apostles returned,^ah they reported to Jesus all that they had done.^ai He took them along and withdrew privately to a^C town called Bethsaida.^{aj 11}When the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them,^ak spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

¹²Late in the day,^al the Twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowd away,^am so that they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”

¹³“You give them something to eat,” he told them.

“We have no more than five loaves^an and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴(For about five thousand men were there.)

Then he told his disciples, “Have them sit down^D in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵They did what he said, and had them all sit down. ¹⁶Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,^ao he blessed and broke them.^ap He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

PETER’S CONFESSION OF THE MESSIAH

¹⁸While he was praying in private^aq and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

¹⁹They answered, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back.”^Aa

²⁰“But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”^b

HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION PREDICTED

²¹But he strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one,^{c 22}saying,^d “It is necessary that the Son of Man^e suffer many things^f and be rejected^g by the elders, chief priests, and scribes,^h be killed, and be raised the third day.”ⁱ

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

²³Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after^B me, let him deny himself,^j take up his cross daily,^C and follow me.^{k 24}For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it.^{l 25}For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself?^{m 26}For whoever is ashamed of me and my words,ⁿ the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory^o and that of the Father and the holy angels.^{p 27}Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death^q until they see the kingdom of God.”^r

THE TRANSFIGURATION

²⁸About eight days after this conversation,^s he took along Peter, John, and James^t and went up on the mountain to pray.^{u 29}As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed,^v and his clothes became dazzling white.^{w 30}Suddenly, two men were talking with him—Moses and Elijah. ³¹They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.

³²Peter and those with him were in a deep sleep,^Dx and when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him. ³³As the two men were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master,^y it’s good for us to be here. Let’s set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he was saying.^z

³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud appeared and overshadowed^aa them. They became afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵Then a voice came from the cloud,^ab saying, “This is my Son,^ac the Chosen One;^Ead listen to him!”^ae

³⁶After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent, and at that time told no one what they had seen.

THE POWER OF JESUS OVER A DEMON

³⁷The next day,^af when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸Just then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he’s my only child.^{ag 39}A spirit seizes him; suddenly he shrieks, and it throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; severely bruising him, it scarcely ever leaves him. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”^ah

⁴¹Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse generation,^ai how long will I be with you and put up with you?^aj Bring your son here.”

⁴²As the boy was still approaching, the demon knocked him down and threw him into severe convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy,^ak and gave him back to his father.^{al 43}And they were all astonished at the greatness of God.^am

THE SECOND PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH

While everyone was amazed at all the things he was doing,^an he told his disciples, ⁴⁴“Let these words sink in:^B The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”^ao

⁴⁵But they did not understand this statement;^ap it was concealed from them so that they could not grasp it,^aq and they were afraid to ask him about it.

WHO IS THE GREATEST?

⁴⁶An argument started among them about who was the greatest of them.^{ar 47}But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts,^Cas took a little child and had him stand next to him. ⁴⁸He told them, “Whoever welcomes^D this little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.^at For whoever is least among you—this one is great.”^au

IN HIS NAME

⁴⁹John responded,^a “Master, we saw someone…