Mark 8

Feeding 4,000

8In ^lthose days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He summoned ^mthe disciples ⁿand said to them, ²“I have compassion ^oon the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. ³If I send them home hungry, ^pthey will collapse on the way, ^qand some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴His disciples answered Him, “Where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to fill ^rthese people?”

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

“Seven,” they said. ⁶Then He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks, broke ^sthe loaves, and kept on giving them to His disciples to set before the people. So they served the loaves to the crowd. ⁷They also had a few small fish, and when He had blessed them, He said these were to be served as well. ⁸They ate and were filled. Then they collected seven large baskets of leftover pieces. ⁹About 4,000 men were there. He dismissed them ¹⁰and immediately got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. ^t

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

¹¹The ^uPharisees ^vcame out and began to argue with Him, demanding of Him a sign ^wfrom heaven ^xto test ^yHim. ¹²But sighing deeply in His spirit, ^zHe said, “Why does this generation ^ademand a sign? ^•I assure you: ^bNo sign will be given to this generation!” ¹³Then He left them, got on board the boat again, and went to the other side.

¹⁴They had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵Then ^cHe commanded them: “Watch out! Beware of the yeast ^dof the Pharisees and the yeast of ^•Herod.” ^e

¹⁶They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. ¹⁷Aware of this, He said to them, “Why are you discussing that you do not have any bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Is your heart hardened? ^f18Do you have eyes, and not see, and do you have ears, and not hear? ^ghAnd do you not remember? ⁱ¹⁹When I broke the five loaves for the 5,000, how many baskets full of pieces of bread did you collect?”

“Twelve,” they told Him.

²⁰“When I broke the seven loaves for the 4,000, how many large baskets full of pieces of bread did you collect?”

“Seven,” they said.

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

Healing a Blind Man

²²Then they came to Bethsaida. ^kThey brought a blind ^lman to Him and begged Him to touch him. ²³He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting ^mon his eyes and laying His hands on ⁿhim, He asked him, “Do you see anything?”

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

²⁵Again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and he saw distinctly. He was cured and could see everything clearly. ²⁶Then He sent ^phim home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” ^qr

Peter’s Confession of the Messiah

²⁷Jesus ^swent 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; ^tothers, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.” ^u

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

Peter ^vanswered Him, “You are the Messiah!” ^w

³⁰And He strictly warned ^xthem to tell no one about Him.

His Death and Resurrection Predicted

³¹Then ^yHe began to teach them that the Son of Man ^zmust suffer many things and be rejected ^aby the elders, ^bthe chief priests, and the scribes, ^cbe killed, and rise ^dafter three days. ^e32He was openly talking about this. So 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, ^fbecause you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, ^gbut man’s!”

Take Up Your Cross

³⁴Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, ^htake up his cross, ⁱand follow Me. ^j35For whoever wants to save ^khis ^•life will lose it, ^lbut whoever loses ^mhis life ⁿbecause of Me ^oand the gospel ^pwill save it. ^q36For what does it benefit ^ra man to gain ^sthe whole world ^tyet lose ^uhis life? ^v37What can a man give in exchange for his life? ^w38For whoever is ashamed ^xof Me and of My words ^yin this adulterous and sinful ^zgeneration, ^athe Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory ^bof His Father ^cwith the holy ^dangels.” ^e