Mark 8
1In those days there was again a large crowd with nothing to eat. He called his disciples and said to them, 2“I have compassion for the crowd, because they have stayed with me three days now and have nothing to eat. 3If I send them home fasting, they will collapse on the way; some of them have come from far away.” 4His disciples answered him, “Where could anyone get enough bread to fill these people here in a deserted place?” 5He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6He instructed the crowd to recline on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, he 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. He blessed them and said to set these before the people too. 8They ate and were filled, and they picked up seven large baskets of leftover broken pieces. 9There were about four thousand people. He sent them away, 10and immediately got into the boat with his disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha.
11The Pharisees came out and began arguing with him, seeking a sign from heaven to test him. 12Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13Leaving them, he got into the boat again and went away to the other side.
14They had forgotten to bring bread, and had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15He warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16They reasoned with one another that they had no bread. 17Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you reasoning about having no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Having eyes, do you not see? Having 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 broken pieces did you pick up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20“And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” They said to him, “Seven.” 21He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
22They came to Bethsaida. People brought him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23Taking the blind man's hand, he led him out of the village. After spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24He looked up and said, “I see people, because I see them like trees walking around.” 25Then he laid his hands on his eyes again. The man saw clearly, his sight was restored, and he could see everything distinctly. 26Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”
27Jesus and his disciples went out to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” 28They answered him, “John the Baptizer; others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29He asked them, “But you—who do you say I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30He warned them to tell no one about him.
31He began teaching them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and after three days rise. 32He spoke this word openly. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But he turned, saw his disciples, and rebuked Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are not setting your mind on God's things, but on human things.”
34Calling 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. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the sake of the good news will save it. 36What does it benefit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 37For what could a person give in exchange for his life? 38Whoever 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.”