Mark 8

Four Thousand Men Fed

1In those days, 1when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus summoned His disciples and said to them, 2“2I feel compassion for the 3people because they have remained with Me for three days already and have nothing to eat. 3And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.” 4And His disciples replied to Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough 4bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 5And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” 6And He directed the 5people to recline on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve, and they served them to the 6people. 7They also had a few small fish; and 7after He had blessed them, He told the disciples to serve these as well. 8And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large 8baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. 9About four thousand 9men were there; and He dismissed them. 10And immediately He got into the boat with His disciples and came to the region of 10Dalmanutha.

1111And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, 12demanding from Him a 13sign from heaven, 14to test Him. 1215Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation demand a 16sign? Truly I say to you, 1718no 19sign will be given to this generation!” 13And leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.

14And the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. 15And He was giving orders to them, saying, “20Watch out! Beware of the 21leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of 22Herod.” 16And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? 23Do you not yet comprehend or understand? Do you still have your heart 24hardened? 1825Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, 19when I broke 26the five loaves for the five thousand, how many 27baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20“When I broke 28the seven for the four thousand, how many large 29baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” 21And He was saying to them, “30Do you not yet understand?”

22And they came to 31Bethsaida. And some people brought a man who was blind to 32Jesus and begged Him to 33touch him. 23Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He 34brought him out of the village; and after 35spitting in his eyes and 36laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24And he 37looked up and said, “I see people, for I see them like trees, walking around.” 25Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. 26And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter 38the village.”

Peter’s Confession of Christ

2739Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of 40Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” 2841They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29And He continued questioning them: “But who do you say that I am?” 42Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the 43Christ.” 30And 44He 45warned them to tell no one about Him.

3146And He began to teach them that 47the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead. 32And He was stating the matter 48plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, 49Satan; for you are not setting your mind on 50God’s purposes, but on man’s.”

34And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, 51take up his cross, and follow Me. 35For 52whoever wants to save his 53life will lose it, but whoever loses his 54life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? 38For 55whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, 56the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He 57comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”