Mark 8NASB
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Mark8

New American Standard

1In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus summoned His disciples and said to them,

2“I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me for three days already and have nothing to eat.

3And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.”

4And His disciples replied to Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?”

5And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

6And He directed the people to recline on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve, and they served them to the people.

7They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He told the disciples to serve these as well.

8And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces.

9About four thousand men were there; and He dismissed them.

10And immediately He got into the boat with His disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

11And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.

12Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation!”

13And leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.

14And the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them.

15And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod.”

16And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.

17And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet comprehend or understand? Do you still have your heart hardened?

18Having eyes, do you not see? And 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 you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”

20“When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.”

21And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

22And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought a man who was blind to Jesus and begged Him to touch him.

23Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting in his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?”

24And he looked up and said, “I see people, for I see them like trees, walking around.”

25Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.

26And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

27Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?”

28They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

29And He continued questioning them: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

30And He warned them to tell no one about Him.

31And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead.

32And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

33But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but on man’s.”

34And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must 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 the gospel’s will save it.

36For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

37For what could a person give in exchange for his soul?

38For whoever 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.”

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Mark 8.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Four thousand fed by a miracle. (1–10). Christ cautions against the Pharisees and Herodians. (11–21). A blind man healed. (22–26). Peter's testimony to Christ. (27–33). Christ must be followed. (34–38).

vv1-10

Our Lord Jesus encouraged the meanest to come to him for life and grace. Christ knows and considers our frames. The bounty of Christ is always ready; to show that, he repeated this miracle. His favours are renewed, as our wants and necessities are. And those need not fear want, who have Christ to live upon by faith, and do so with thanksgiving.

vv11-21

Obstinate unbelief will have something to say, though ever so unreasonable. Christ refused to answer their demand. If they will not be convinced, they shall not. Alas! what cause we have to lament for those around us, who destroy themselves and others by their perverse and obstinate unbelief, and enmity to the gospel! When we forget the works of God, and distrust him, we should chide ourselves severely, as Christ here reproves his disciples. How is it that we so often mistake his meaning, disregard his warnings, and distrust his providence?

vv22-26

Here is a blind man brought to Christ by his friends. Therein appeared the faith of those that brought him. If those who are spiritually blind, do not pray for themselves, yet their friends and relations should pray for them, that Christ would be pleased to touch them. The cure was wrought gradually, which was not usual in our Lord's miracles. Christ showed in what method those commonly are healed by his grace, who by nature are spiritually blind. At first, their knowledge is confused; but, like the light of the morning, it shines more and more to the perfect day, and then they see all things clearly. Slighting Christ's favours is forfeiting them; and he will make those who do so know the worth of privileges by the want of them.

Cross References

Mark 8

The parallel account of the feeding of the four thousand in Matthew's Gospel.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB

v11Matthew 16:1-4thematic

The parallel account of the Pharisees demanding a sign from heaven.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v27Matthew 16:13-20thematic

The parallel account of Peter's confession of Christ and the subsequent rebuke.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v14Matthew 16:5thematic

The parallel account of the disciples forgetting to take bread in the boat.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v33Matthew 16:23thematic

Parallel account of Jesus rebuking Peter with 'Get thee behind me, Satan'.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v34Luke 9:23thematic

Parallel instruction on self-denial, taking up the cross, and following Jesus.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v2Mark 6:34thematic

Highlights Christ's deep compassion, previously shown in feeding the five thousand.

Supported by JFB

v4Psalms 78:19thematic

Echoes the disciples' unbelieving question, 'Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?'

Supported by Matthew Poole

v8Mark 8:19thematic

Jesus later contrasts the twelve baskets of the five thousand with the seven here.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v15Luke 12:1thematic

Jesus explicitly defines the leaven of the Pharisees as hypocrisy.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v18Isaiah 6:9allusion

Alludes to the prophetic judgment of having eyes but not seeing, and ears but not hearing.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v36Matthew 16:26thematic

Parallel question regarding the worthlessness of gaining the world at the cost of one's soul.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v38Luke 9:26thematic

Parallel warning about being ashamed of Christ and His words before His coming glory.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v42 Kings 4:42-44typology

Old Testament type where Elisha miraculously multiplies twenty loaves to feed one hundred men.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v25Proverbs 4:18thematic

Thematic parallel to the gradual healing of the blind man, shining brighter and brighter.

Supported by Matthew Henry