Luke (Luk) 9:1-27

Calling together the Twelve, Yeshua gave them power and authority to expel all the demons and to cure diseases; and he sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, “Take nothing for your trip — neither a walking stick nor a pack, neither bread nor money; and don’t have two shirts. Whatever house you enter, stay there and go out from there. Wherever they don’t welcome you, shake the dust from your feet when you leave that town as a warning to them.” They set out and went through village after village, healing and announcing the Good News everywhere. Herod the governor heard about all that was going on and was perplexed, because it was said by some that Yochanan had been raised from the dead, by others that Eliyahu had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. Herod said, “I had Yochanan beheaded, so who is this about whom I keep hearing such things?” And he began trying to see him. On their return, the emissaries detailed to Yeshua what they had done. Then, taking them with him, he withdrew by himself to a town called Beit-Tzaidah. But the crowds found out and followed him. Welcoming them, he went on to speak to them about the Kingdom of God and to heal those who needed to be healed. The day began to draw to a close. The Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away, so that they can go and get lodging and food in the towns and farms around here, because where we are is a remote place.” But he said to them, “Give them something to eat, yourselves!” They said, “We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish — unless we ourselves are supposed to go and buy food for all these people!” (For there were about five thousand men.) He said to his talmidim, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did what he told them and had them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up toward heaven, made a b’rakhah, broke the loaves and began giving them to the talmidim to distribute to the crowd. Everyone ate as much as he wanted; and they took up what was left over, twelve baskets full of broken pieces. Once when Yeshua was praying in private, his talmidim were with him; and he asked them, “Who are the crowds saying I am?” They answered, “Yochanan the Immerser; but others say Eliyahu, and others that some prophet of long ago has risen.” “But you,” he said to them, “who do you say I am?” Kefa answered, “The Mashiach of God!” However, he, warning them, ordered them to tell this to no one, adding, “The Son of Man has to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and he has to be put to death; but on the third day, he has to be raised to life.” Then to everyone he said, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake daily and keep following me. For whoever tries to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life on my account will save it. What will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but destroys or forfeits his own life? For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, there are some people standing here who will not experience death until they see the Kingdom of God.”