MarkChapter 8

Tap any verse to comment or suggest a better wording.

¹In those days another large crowd gathered. They had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ²"I have compassion for these people. That is because they have already been with me three days, and they have nothing to eat. ³If I send them home hungry, they will pass out on the way. Some of them have come from far away." ⁴His disciples answered, "This is a lonely place. Where could anyone get enough bread to feed all these people?" ⁵"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they answered. ⁶He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks. He broke them and gave them to his disciples to hand out. So they gave them to the crowd. ⁷They also had a few small fish. Jesus blessed them too. He told the disciples to hand them out as well. ⁸The people ate and had plenty. Then the disciples picked up seven baskets full of leftover pieces. ⁹About 4,000 men were there. Then Jesus sent the crowd away. ¹⁰Right away he got into the boat with his disciples. He went to the area of Dalmanutha. ¹¹Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus. They wanted to test him. So they asked him for a sign from heaven. ¹²Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit. He said, "Why do the people of today ask for a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to them." ¹³Then he left them. He got back into the boat and went across to the other side. ¹⁴The disciples had forgotten to bring bread. They had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵"Be careful!" Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." ¹⁶So they began talking with each other about having no bread. ¹⁷Jesus knew what they were saying. He asked them, "Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don't you see or understand yet? Are your hearts so hard? ¹⁸You have eyes. Can't you see? You have ears. Can't you hear? Don't you remember? ¹⁹I broke the five loaves for the 5,000. How many baskets of leftover pieces did you pick up?" "Twelve," they answered. ²⁰"And I broke the seven loaves for the 4,000. How many baskets of leftover pieces did you pick up?" "Seven," they said. ²¹Then he asked them, "Don't you understand yet?" ²²They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They begged Jesus to touch him. ²³So Jesus took the blind man by the hand. He led him outside the village. Then he spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him. "Can you see anything?" he asked. ²⁴The man looked up. "I see people," he said. "But they look like trees walking around." ²⁵Once again Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then the man's eyes were opened, and his sight came back. He could see everything clearly. ²⁶Jesus sent him home. He told him, "Don't go back into the village." ²⁷Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" ²⁸They answered, "Some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Still others say you are one of the prophets." ²⁹"But what about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah." ³⁰Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. ³¹Then he began to teach them about what would happen to the Son of Man. He must suffer many things. The elders, the chief priests, and the scribes would reject him. He must be killed, and after three days he would rise again. ³²He spoke about this very plainly. So Peter took him aside and began to scold him. ³³But Jesus turned and looked at his disciples. Then he scolded Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You are not thinking about the things of God. You are thinking about human things." ³⁴Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his disciples. He said, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must say no to himself. He must pick up his cross and follow me. ³⁵Whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for me and for the good news will save it. ³⁶What good is it if a person gains the whole world but loses his soul? ³⁷Or what can a person give in trade for his soul? ³⁸If anyone is ashamed of me and my words among these unfaithful and sinful people, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him too. That will happen when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."