Wednesday, July 29

²¹From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed and on the third day be raised. ²²So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!” ²³But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” ²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. ²⁶For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? ²⁷For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. ²⁸I tell you the truth, there are some standing here who will not experience death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

¹Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain. ²And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. ³Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him. ⁴So Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!” ⁶When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.” ⁸When they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone.

⁹As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” ¹⁰The disciples asked him, “Why then do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?” ¹¹He answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things. ¹²And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” ¹³Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

¹⁴When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, ¹⁵and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son because he has seizures and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. ¹⁶I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to heal him.” ¹⁷Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him here to me.” ¹⁸Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment. ¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” ²⁰He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.”