Mark

Feeding the Four Thousand

Soon afterward, Jesus was in the middle of another large crowd that clearly had nothing to eat. He called his disciples and said to them:

“I feel sorry for these people because they’ve been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. 

If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come a long distance.” 

His disciples replied:

“Where, in a deserted place like this, could we get enough bread to feed these people?”

He asked them:

“How many loaves have you?”

And they answered:

“Seven.”

Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, he gave thanks, broke them, and handed them to his disciples to distribute. They distributed them among the people. 

They also had some small fish. So Jesus said a blessing and asked that these be shared as well. 

The people ate until they were satisfied, then gathered the leftover broken pieces, filling seven baskets.

Those who had eaten numbered about four thousand. Jesus sent them away, 

 and immediately got into the boat with his disciples to go to the region of Dalmanutha.

They Ask Him for a Sign from Heaven

The Pharisees approached and began to argue with Jesus. Wanting to embarrass him, they asked for a heavenly sign.

He sighted from the depth of his spirit and said:

“Why do the people of this generation ask for a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this people.”

 Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side of the lake.

The Blindness of the Disciples

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

Then Jesus warned them:

“Keep your eyes open and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”

And they said to one another:

“He saw that we have no bread.”

Aware of this, Jesus asked them:

“Why are you talking about the loaves you are short of? Do you not see or understand? Are your minds closed?

Have you eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear? And do you not remember 

when I broke the five loaves among five thousand? How many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?”

They answered:

“Twelve.”

“And having distributed seven loaves to the four thousand, how many wicker baskets of leftovers did you collect?”

They answered:

“Seven.”

Then Jesus said to them:

“Do you still not understand?”

The Blind Man of Bethsaida

When they arrived at Bethsaida, Jesus was asked to touch a blind man brought to him.

He took the man by the hand and led him outside the village. After putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked:

“Can you see anything?”

The man, who was just starting to see, replied:

“I see people! They look like trees, but they move around.”

Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and the man was able to see clearly. His sight was fully restored, and he could see everything clearly. 

Then Jesus sent him home, saying:

“Do not return to the village.”

Peter’s Confession

Jesus set out with his disciples for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked them:

“Who do people say I am?”

And they told him:

“Some say you are John the Baptist; others say you are Elijah or one of the prophets.”

Then Jesus asked them:

“But who do you say I am?”

Peter answered:

“You are the Messiah.”

And he told them not to tell anyone about him.

First Announcement of the Passion and Resurrection

Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. He would be killed, and after three days, rise again.

Jesus said all this quite openly, so Peter pulled him aside and started to protest strongly. 

But Jesus, turning around and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter, saying:

“Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.”

Conditions for Being a Disciple

Then Jesus called the people and his disciples and said:

“If you want to follow me, deny yourself; take up your cross and follow me.

For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it; and if you lose your life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, you will save it. 

 What good is it to gain the whole world while destroying your soul? 

There is nothing more valuable than your soul. 

I tell you, if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, among this adulterous and sinful people, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”