Mark 8:17–38

¹⁷Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?^{q 18}Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,”^r they replied.

²⁰“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”^s

²¹He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”^t

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

²²They came to Bethsaida,^u and some people brought a blind man^v and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit^w on the man’s eyes and put his hands on^x him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into^a the village.”

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

8:27–29pp—Mt 16:13–16; Lk 9:18–20

²⁷Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;^y others say Elijah;^z and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”^a

³⁰Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.^b

Jesus Predicts His Death

8:31–9:1pp—Mt 16:21–28; Lk 9:22–27

³¹He then began to teach them that the Son of Man^c must suffer many things^d and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^e and that he must be killed^f and after three days^g rise again.^{h 32}He spoke plainlyⁱ about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!”^j he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

The Way of the Cross

³⁴Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.^{k 35}For whoever wants to save their life^b will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.^{l 36}What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man^m will be ashamed of themⁿ when he comes^o in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”