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The Gospels · New Testament

Mark 8

Mark 8: four thousand fed, Peter’s answer, and the cross named

General context

A great multitude has been with Jesus three days without food. From seven loaves and a few small fishes about four thousand eat and are filled, and seven baskets of fragments are taken up. At Dalmanutha the Pharisees seek a sign from heaven; he sighs deeply and says no sign will be given to this generation. In the ship, with one loaf aboard, he warns of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod; the disciples reason that it is because they have no bread, and he asks whether their hearts are hardened, having eyes and not seeing, and makes them recall the twelve baskets and the seven. At Bethsaida a blind man is led out of the town; after spittle and hands the man says he sees men as trees walking, and after a second touch he sees every man clearly and is sent home without entering the town. On the way to the towns of Cesarea Philippi Jesus asks who men say he is, hears the answers, and asks the disciples directly; Peter says he is the Christ, and they are charged to tell no one. He then teaches openly that the Son of man must suffer many things, be rejected by elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. Peter rebukes him and is rebuked in turn before the disciples. Calling the people with the disciples, he speaks of denying oneself, taking up the cross, losing and saving life, and of being ashamed of him in this generation.

Cited passages: Mark 8:1, Mark 8:2, Mark 8:3, Mark 8:4, Mark 8:5, Mark 8:6, Mark 8:7, Mark 8:8, Mark 8:9, Mark 8:10, Mark 8:11, Mark 8:12, Mark 8:13, Mark 8:14, Mark 8:15, Mark 8:16, Mark 8:17, Mark 8:18, Mark 8:19, Mark 8:20, Mark 8:21, Mark 8:22, Mark 8:23, Mark 8:24, Mark 8:25, Mark 8:26, Mark 8:27, Mark 8:28, Mark 8:29, Mark 8:30, Mark 8:31, Mark 8:32, Mark 8:33, Mark 8:34, Mark 8:35, Mark 8:36, Mark 8:37, Mark 8:38

Mark 8 (KJV)

1In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,

2I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:

3And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

4And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

5And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

6And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.

7And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.

8So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

9And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

10And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.

11And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

12And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

13And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.

14Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.

15And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

16And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.

17And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?

18Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

19When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.

20And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

21And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

22And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

23And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

24And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

25After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

26And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

27And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Cæsarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

28And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

29And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

30And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

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

32And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

33But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

This is the second feeding recorded in the book, and the text itself keeps the two apart: Jesus asks about five loaves among five thousand with twelve baskets and about seven among four thousand with seven baskets, and the disciples give both numbers. The healing at Bethsaida is stated as happening in two stages, with an intermediate report of unclear sight before the second touch. Peter's answer is recorded together with a charge that they tell no man, and no reason for the charge is given. The prediction of suffering, rejection, killing and rising after three days is spoken by Jesus, and the narrator adds only that he spoke it openly. Dalmanutha, Bethsaida and the towns of Cesarea Philippi are named without further description, and there are no dates.

Cited passages: Mark 8:19, Mark 8:20, Mark 8:10, Mark 8:22, Mark 8:23, Mark 8:24, Mark 8:25, Mark 8:27, Mark 8:29, Mark 8:30, Mark 8:31, Mark 8:32, Mark 6:44, Mark 6:43

Literary context

Sight and understanding run together through the chapter. The disciples are asked whether, having eyes, they see, and a blind man then sees partly before he sees clearly, and immediately afterwards Peter gets the title right and the path wrong. Questions carry the movement: how many loaves, how many baskets, how is it that ye do not understand, whom do men say that I am, what shall it profit a man. The chapter turns at the words that he began to teach them about suffering, and the rebuke that follows is delivered while Jesus looks at the other disciples, so the correction is public. Bread, which the disciples worry about, is set beside a loss of life they are told to accept.

Cited passages: Mark 8:5, Mark 8:14, Mark 8:17, Mark 8:18, Mark 8:19, Mark 8:21, Mark 8:24, Mark 8:25, Mark 8:27, Mark 8:29, Mark 8:31, Mark 8:32, Mark 8:33, Mark 8:34, Mark 8:35, Mark 8:36

Key moments

  1. Seven loaves, seven baskets (Mark 8:8). They eat and are filled, and seven baskets of broken meat are taken up.
  2. No sign for this generation (Mark 8:12). He sighs deeply and refuses the sign the Pharisees seek.
  3. Having eyes, see ye not (Mark 8:18). He asks whether the disciples see, hear and remember.
  4. Men as trees walking (Mark 8:24). After the first touch the blind man reports unclear sight.
  5. Thou art the Christ (Mark 8:29). Asked directly, Peter answers, and they are charged to tell no man.
  6. The Son of man must suffer (Mark 8:31). He begins to teach that he will be rejected, killed, and rise after three days.
  7. Peter rebuked openly (Mark 8:33). Turning to look on the disciples, Jesus rebukes Peter in front of them.

For reflection

The blind man at Bethsaida first reports seeing men as trees walking and needs a second touch. Reading that next to Peter's answer and his rebuke, what does the chapter say about partial sight?

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