Mark 8

₁One day another large crowd gathered around Jesus. They had not brought along anything to eat. So Jesus called his disciples together and said, ₂“I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don't have anything to eat. ₃Some of them live a long way from here. If I send them away hungry, they might faint on their way home.”

₄The disciples said, “This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?”

₅Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, “Seven small loaves of bread.”

₆After Jesus told the crowd to sit down, he took the seven loaves and blessed them. He then broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples, who passed them out to the crowd. ₇They also had a few little fish, and after Jesus had blessed these, he told the disciples to pass them around.

_8-9The crowd of about four thousand people ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets.

As soon as Jesus had sent the people away, ₁₀he got into the boat with the disciples and crossed to the territory near Dalmanutha.

₁₁The Pharisees came out and started an argument with Jesus. They wanted to test him by asking for a sign from heaven. ₁₂Jesus groaned and said, “Why are you always looking for a sign? I can promise you that you will not be given one!” ₁₃Then he left them. He again got into a boat and crossed over to the other side of the lake.

₁₄The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. ₁₅Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

₁₆The disciples talked this over and said to each other, “He must be saying this because we don't have any bread.”

₁₇Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you talking about not having any bread? Don't you understand? Are your minds still closed? ₁₈Are your eyes blind and your ears deaf? Don't you remember ₁₉how many baskets of leftovers you picked up when I fed those five thousand people with only five small loaves of bread?”

“Yes,” the disciples answered. “There were twelve baskets.”

₂₀Jesus then asked, “And how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up when I broke seven small loaves of bread for those four thousand people?”

“Seven,” they answered.

₂₁“Don't you know what I am talking about by now?” Jesus asked.

₂₂As Jesus and his disciples were going into Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man. ₂₃Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of the village, where he spat into the man's eyes. He placed his hands on the blind man and asked him if he could see anything. ₂₄The man looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking around.”

₂₅Once again Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes, and this time the man stared. His eyes were healed, and he saw everything clearly. ₂₆Jesus said to him, “You may return home now, but don't go into the village.”

₂₇Jesus and his disciples went to the villages near the town of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “What do people say about me?”

₂₈The disciples answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist or perhaps Elijah. Others say you are one of the prophets.”

₂₉Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

“You are the Messiah!” Peter replied.

₃₀Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone about him.

₃₁Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, “The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life.” ₃₂Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.

Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. ₃₃But when Jesus turned and saw the disciples, he corrected Peter. He said to him, “Satan, get away from me! You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.”

₃₄Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said: