Mark 8

FEEDING FOUR THOUSAND

8In^v those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He called^w the disciples^x and said to them, ²“I have compassion^y on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. ³If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way,^z and some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to feed^aa these people?”

⁵“How many loaves do you have?” he asked them.

“Seven,” they said. ⁶He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, he gave thanks, broke^ab them, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. So they served them to the crowd. ⁷They also had a few small fish, and after he had blessed them, he said these were to be served as well. ⁸They ate and were satisfied. Then they collected seven large baskets of leftover pieces. ⁹About four thousand were there. He dismissed them. ¹⁰And he immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES AND HEROD

¹¹The^ac Pharisees^ad came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign^ae from heaven^af to test^ag him. ¹²Sighing deeply in his spirit,^ah he said, “Why does this generation^ai demand a sign? Truly I tell you,^aj no sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.

¹⁴The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵Then^ak he gave them strict orders: “Watch out! Beware of the leaven^Aal of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”^{am 16}They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. ¹⁷Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts?^{an 18}Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear?^Bao And do you not remember?^{ap 19}When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?”

“Twelve,” they told him.

²⁰“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you collect?”

“Seven,” they said.

²¹And he said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?”^aq

HEALING A BLIND MAN

²²They came to Bethsaida.^ar They brought a blind^as man to him and begged him to touch him. ²³He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting^at on his eyes and laying his hands on^au him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴He looked up and said, “I see people—they look like trees walking.”^av

²⁵Again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes. The man looked intently and his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶Then he sent^a him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”^Cb

PETER’S CONFESSION OF THE MESSIAH

²⁷Jesus^c went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

²⁸They answered him, “John the Baptist;^d others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.”^e

²⁹“But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

Peter^f answered him, “You are the Messiah.”^{g 30}And he strictly warned^h them to tell no one about him.

HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION PREDICTED

³¹Thenⁱ he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man^j to suffer many things and be rejected^k by the elders,^l chief priests, and scribes,^m be killed, and riseⁿ after three days.^{o 32}He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!^p You are not thinking about God’s concerns^A but human concerns.”

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

³⁴Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself,^q take up his cross,^r and follow me.^{s 35}For whoever wants to save^t his life will lose it,^u but whoever loses^v his life^w because of me^x and the gospel^y will save it.^{z 36}For what does it benefit^aa someone to gain^ab the whole world^ac and yet lose^ad his life?^{ae 37}What can anyone give in exchange for his life?^{af 38}For whoever is ashamed^ag of me and my words^ah in this adulterous and sinful^ai generation,^aj the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory^ak of his Father^al with the holy^am angels.”^an