Mark - Chapter 8

Passage

In those days again, when there was a great crowd and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples together and says to them: I have compassion on the crowd, for behold, they have now been with me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from far away. And his disciples answered him: Where could anyone get enough bread here in the wilderness to feed them? And he asked them: How many loaves do you have? And they said: Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground. And taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and they set them before the people. And they had a few small fish; and he blessed them and commanded that they also be set before them. And they ate and were filled; and they picked up what was left of the fragments: seven baskets. And those who had eaten were about four thousand. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and came into the region of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And sighing deeply in his spirit, he says: Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation. And leaving them, he got into the boat again and went across to the other side. And they had forgotten to take bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he warned them, saying: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. And they discussed it among themselves, saying: It is because we have no bread. And Jesus, knowing this, says to them: Why are you discussing that you have no bread? Do you not yet know or understand? Are your hearts still blinded? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you pick up? They say to him: Twelve. And when I broke the seven loaves among four thousand, how many baskets of fragments did you pick up? And they say to him: Seven. And he said to them: How is it that you still do not understand? And they came to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him out of the town; and spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything. And looking up, he said: I see men like trees, walking. Then again he laid his hands on his eyes, and he began to see and was restored, so that he saw everything clearly. And he sent him home, saying: Go into your house, and if you go into the town, tell no one. And Jesus went out with his disciples to the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples: Who do people say that I am? They answered him: John the Baptist; but some say Elias, and others one of the prophets. Then he says to them: But who do you say that I am? Peter answered him: You are the Christ. And he strictly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the ancients and the high priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But he turned around, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, saying: Get behind me, Satan, because you do not savor the things of God, but the things of men. And calling the crowd together with his disciples, he said to them: If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life shall lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And he said to them: Amen I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God coming in power.