Luke 9:6-26

⁶So they set out and went around, village by village, evangelizing and healing everywhere.

⁷Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all the things being done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,

⁸and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen.

⁹But Herod said, “John I beheaded; so who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he started trying to see Him.

¹⁰When the Apostles returned they reported to Him all that they had done. Then He took them and withdrew privately to a deserted place belonging to a town called Bethsaida.

¹¹But the crowds, being aware, followed Him. So He received them and started speaking to them about the Kingdom of God, and He cured those who needed healing.

¹²Now when the day began to decline, the Twelve approached and said to Him, “Dismiss the crowd, so that they may go to the surrounding villages and their farms, lodge and find food; because we are in a deserted place here.”

¹³But He said to them, “You feed them!” So they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd”

¹⁴(there were about five thousand men). But He said to His disciples, “Make them recline in groups of fifty!”

¹⁵They did so, making them all recline.

¹⁶Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.

¹⁷So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the pieces they left were taken up.

¹⁸Now it happened, as He was alone praying, that the disciples joined Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

¹⁹In answer they said, “John the Baptizer, but others say ‘Elijah,’ while others that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.”

²⁰Then He said to them, “But you, who do you say that I am?” In answer Peter said, “The Christ of God!”

²¹But He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,

²²saying, “The Son of the Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.”

²³Then He said to everyone: “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁴Because whoever desires to ‘save’ his life will waste it, but whoever ‘wastes’ his life for my sake, he will save it.

²⁵Further, what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, yet wastes or forfeits his very self?

²⁶Yes, whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of the Man will be ashamed of Him, whenever He comes in the glory—His, and the Father's, and of the holy angels.