Mark 8

In those days, when a large crowd had gathered again and had nothing to eat, Jesus called the disciples to him and said to them, “I feel compassion for the crowd, because they have already stayed with me for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come from far away.” His disciples answered him, “Where could anyone find enough bread here in this deserted place to feed these people?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” He directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them, and kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. They served the crowd. They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said to serve these as well. They ate and were satisfied, and they collected seven large baskets of leftover pieces. There were about four thousand people. Then he sent them away. At once he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees came out and began to argue with him. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” He left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. He warned them, “Be careful! Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” They began discussing with one another that they had no bread. Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and fail to see, and ears and fail to hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” They came to Bethsaida. People brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. After spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people, for they look like trees walking around.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again. The man saw clearly, his sight was restored, and he could see everything distinctly. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” Jesus and his disciples went out to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They answered him, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” He sternly warned them not to tell anyone about him. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke about this openly. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But Jesus turned, looked at his disciples, and rebuked Peter. He said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are setting your mind on human concerns instead of the things of God.” Calling the crowd to him along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. For what does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could a person give in exchange for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

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