Mark 8

1In those days, when again a large crowd had gathered and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them,

2“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat.

3If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way, and some of them have come from far away.”

4His disciples answered him, “How can anyone get enough bread here in this deserted place to feed these people?”

5He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”

6He told 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, and they set them before the crowd.

7They also had a few small fish. After blessing them, he told them to set these out as well.

8The people ate and were satisfied, and they picked up seven baskets of leftover pieces.

9There were about four thousand people. Then he sent them away.

10Immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

11The Pharisees came out and began to argue with him, demanding from him a sign from heaven to test him.

12He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

13Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went away to the other side.

14The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

15Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”

16They began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.

17Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?

18You have eyes—do you not see? You have ears—do you not hear? And do you not remember?

19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They said to him, “Twelve.”

20“And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They said to him, “Seven.”

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

22They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch him.

23He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then he spat on his eyes, laid his hands on him, and asked him, “Do you see anything?”

24The man looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking around.”

25Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again. The man looked intently, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

26Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

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

28They told him, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

29He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”

30And he strictly warned them not to tell anyone about him.

31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32He spoke about this openly. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33But Jesus turned around, looked at his disciples, and rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on human things.”

34He called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.

35For anyone who wants to save their life will lose it, but anyone who loses their life because of me and the gospel will save it.

36For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?

37For what can a person give in exchange for their life?

38For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of that person when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”