Mark 8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 8
The Feeding of the Four Thousand.[a] 1 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,(A) he summoned the disciples and said, 2 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” 5 Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. 6 [b]He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8 They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people.
He dismissed them 10 and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
The Demand for a Sign. 11 [c]The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him,(B) seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.(C) 12 He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.
The Leaven of the Pharisees. 14 (D)They had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 [d]He enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. 17 When he became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened?(E) 18 Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember,(F) 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered [him], “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
The Blind Man of Bethsaida.[e] 22 When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, “Do you see anything?”(G) 24 Looking up he replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” 25 Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. 26 Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”
III. The Mystery Begins to Be Revealed
Peter’s Confession About Jesus.[f] 27 Now Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.(H) Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
The First Prediction of the Passion. 31 (I)He began to teach them that the Son of Man[g] must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
The Conditions of Discipleship. 34 He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said[h] to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.(J) 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel[i] will save it.(K) 36 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 37 What could one give in exchange for his life? 38 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”(L)
Footnotes
- 8:1–10 The two accounts of the multiplication of loaves and fishes (Mk 8:1–10; 6:31–44) have eucharistic significance. Their similarity of structure and themes but dissimilarity of detail are considered by many to refer to a single event that, however, developed in two distinct traditions, one Jewish Christian and the other Gentile Christian, since Jesus in Mark’s presentation (Mk 7:24–37) has extended his saving mission to the Gentiles.
- 8:6 See note on Mk 6:41.
- 8:11–12 The objection of the Pharisees that Jesus’ miracles are unsatisfactory for proving the arrival of God’s kingdom is comparable to the request of the crowd for a sign in Jn 6:30–31. Jesus’ response shows that a sign originating in human demand will not be provided; cf. Nm 14:11, 22.
- 8:15 The leaven of the Pharisees…of Herod: the corruptive action of leaven (1 Cor 5:6–8; Gal 5:9) was an apt symbol of the evil dispositions both of the Pharisees (Mk 8:11–13; 7:5–13) and of Herod (Mk 6:14–29) toward Jesus. The disciples of Jesus are warned against sharing such rebellious attitudes toward Jesus; cf. Mk 8:17, 21.
- 8:22–26 Jesus’ actions and the gradual cure of the blind man probably have the same purpose as in the case of the deaf man (Mk 7:31–37). Some commentators regard the cure as an intended symbol of the gradual enlightenment of the disciples concerning Jesus’ messiahship.
- 8:27–30 This episode is the turning point in Mark’s account of Jesus in his public ministry. Popular opinions concur in regarding him as a prophet. The disciples by contrast believe him to be the Messiah. Jesus acknowledges this identification but prohibits them from making his messianic office known to avoid confusing it with ambiguous contemporary ideas on the nature of that office. See further the notes on Mt 16:13–20.
- 8:31 Son of Man: an enigmatic title. It is used in Dn 7:13–14 as a symbol of “the saints of the Most High,” the faithful Israelites who receive the everlasting kingdom from the Ancient One (God). They are represented by a human figure that contrasts with the various beasts who represent the previous kingdoms of the earth. In the Jewish apocryphal books of 1 Enoch and 4 Ezra the “Son of Man” is not, as in Daniel, a group, but a unique figure of extraordinary spiritual endowments, who will be revealed as the one through whom the everlasting kingdom decreed by God will be established. It is possible though doubtful that this individualization of the Son of Man figure had been made in Jesus’ time, and therefore his use of the title in that sense is questionable. Of itself, this expression means simply a human being, or, indefinitely, someone, and there are evidences of this use in pre-Christian times. Its use in the New Testament is probably due to Jesus’ speaking of himself in that way, “a human being,” and the later church’s taking this in the sense of the Jewish apocrypha and applying it to him with that meaning. Rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes: the supreme council called the Sanhedrin was made up of seventy-one members of these three groups and presided over by the high priest. It exercised authority over the Jews in religious matters. See note on Mt 8:20.
- 8:34–35 This utterance of Jesus challenges all believers to authentic discipleship and total commitment to himself through self-renunciation and acceptance of the cross of suffering, even to the sacrifice of life itself. Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it…will save it: an expression of the ambivalence of life and its contrasting destiny. Life seen as mere self-centered earthly existence and lived in denial of Christ ends in destruction, but when lived in loyalty to Christ, despite earthly death, it arrives at fullness of life.
- 8:35 For my sake and that of the gospel: Mark here, as at Mk 10:29 equates Jesus with the gospel.
Mark 8
Contemporary English Version
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
(Matthew 15.32-39)
8 One 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. 3 Some of them live a long way from here. If I send them away hungry, they might faint on their way home.”
4 The disciples said, “This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?”
5 Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, “Seven small loaves of bread.”[a]
6 After Jesus told the crowd to sit down, he took the seven loaves and gave thanks. He then broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples, who passed them out to the crowd. 7 They also had a few little fish, and after Jesus had blessed these, he told the disciples to pass them around.
8-9 The crowd of about 4,000 people ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets.
As soon as Jesus had sent the people away, 10 he got into the boat with the disciples and crossed to the territory near Dalmanutha.[b]
A Sign from Heaven
(Matthew 16.1-4)
11 (A) The Pharisees came out and started an argument with Jesus. They wanted to test him by asking for a sign from heaven. 12 (B) Jesus groaned and said, “Why are you always looking for a sign? I can promise you that you will not be given one!” 13 Then he left them. He again got into a boat and crossed over to the other side of the lake.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod
(Matthew 16.5-12)
14 The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 (C) Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.”[c]
16 The disciples talked this over and said to each other, “He must be saying this because we don't have any bread.”
17 Jesus 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? 18 (D) Are your eyes blind and your ears deaf? Don't you remember 19 how many baskets of leftovers you picked up when I fed those 5,000 people with only five small loaves of bread?”
“Yes,” the disciples answered. “There were twelve baskets.”
20 Jesus then asked, “And how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up when I broke seven small loaves of bread for those 4,000 people?”
“Seven,” they answered.
21 “Don't you know what I am talking about by now?” Jesus asked.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 As Jesus and his disciples were going into Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man. 23 Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of the village, where he spit into the man's eyes. He placed his hands on the blind man and asked him if he could see anything. 24 The man looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once 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. 26 Jesus said to him, “You may return home now, but don't go into the village.”
Who Is Jesus?
(Matthew 16.13-20; Luke 9.18-21)
27 Jesus 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?”
28 (E) The disciples answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah.[d] Others say you are one of the prophets.”
29 (F) Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”
“You are the Messiah!” Peter replied.
30 Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Matthew 16.21-28; Luke 9.22-27)
31 Jesus 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.” 32 Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.
Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. 33 But 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.”
34 (G) Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said:
If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. 35 (H) If you want to save your life,[e] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. 36 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? 37 What could you give to get back your soul?
38 Don't be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
馬 可 福 音 8
Chinese Union Version (Simplified)
8 那 时 ， 又 有 许 多 人 聚 集 ， 并 没 有 甚 麽 吃 的 。 耶 稣 叫 门 徒 来 ， 说 ：
2 我 怜 悯 这 众 人 ； 因 为 他 们 同 我 在 这 里 已 经 三 天 ， 也 没 有 吃 的 了 。
3 我 若 打 发 他 们 饿 着 回 家 ， 就 必 在 路 上 困 乏 ， 因 为 其 中 有 从 远 处 来 的 。
4 门 徒 回 答 说 ： 在 这 野 地 ， 从 那 里 能 得 饼 ， 叫 这 些 人 吃 饱 呢 ？
5 耶 稣 问 他 们 说 ： 你 们 有 多 少 饼 ？ 他 们 说 ： 七 个 。
6 他 吩 咐 众 人 坐 在 地 上 ， 就 拿 着 这 七 个 饼 祝 谢 了 ， 擘 开 ， 递 给 门 徒 ， 叫 他 们 摆 开 ， 门 徒 就 摆 在 众 人 面 前 。
7 又 有 几 条 小 鱼 ； 耶 稣 祝 了 福 ， 就 吩 咐 也 摆 在 众 人 面 前 。
8 众 人 都 吃 ， 并 且 吃 饱 了 ， 收 拾 剩 下 的 零 碎 ， 有 七 筐 子 。
9 人 数 约 有 四 千 。 耶 稣 打 发 他 们 走 了 ，
10 随 即 同 门 徒 上 船 ， 来 到 大 玛 努 他 境 内 。
11 法 利 赛 人 出 来 盘 问 耶 稣 ， 求 他 从 天 上 显 个 神 迹 给 他 们 看 ， 想 要 试 探 他 。
12 耶 稣 心 里 深 深 的 叹 息 ， 说 ： 这 世 代 为 甚 麽 求 神 迹 呢 ？ 我 实 在 告 诉 你 们 ， 没 有 神 迹 给 这 世 代 看 。
13 他 就 离 开 他 们 ， 又 上 船 往 海 那 边 去 了 。
14 门 徒 忘 了 带 饼 ； 在 船 上 除 了 一 个 饼 ， 没 有 别 的 食 物 。
15 耶 稣 嘱 咐 他 们 说 ： 你 们 要 谨 慎 ， 防 备 法 利 赛 人 的 酵 和 希 律 的 酵 。
16 他 们 彼 此 议 论 说 ： 这 是 因 为 我 们 没 有 饼 罢 。
17 耶 稣 看 出 来 ， 就 说 ： 你 们 为 甚 麽 因 为 没 有 饼 就 议 论 呢 ？ 你 们 还 不 省 悟 ， 还 不 明 白 麽 ？ 你 们 的 心 还 是 愚 顽 麽 ？
18 你 们 有 眼 睛 ， 看 不 见 麽 ？ 有 耳 朵 ， 听 不 见 麽 ？ 也 不 记 得 麽 ？
19 我 擘 开 那 五 个 饼 分 给 五 千 人 ， 你 们 收 拾 的 零 碎 装 满 了 多 少 篮 子 呢 ？ 他 们 说 ： 十 二 个 。
20 又 擘 开 那 七 个 饼 分 给 四 千 人 ， 你 们 收 拾 的 零 碎 装 满 了 多 少 筐 子 呢 ？ 他 们 说 ： 七 个 。
21 耶 稣 说 ： 你 们 还 是 不 明 白 麽 ？
22 他 们 来 到 伯 赛 大 ， 有 人 带 一 个 瞎 子 来 ， 求 耶 稣 摸 他 。
23 耶 稣 拉 着 瞎 子 的 手 ， 领 他 到 村 外 ， 就 吐 唾 沫 在 他 眼 睛 上 ， 按 手 在 他 身 上 ， 问 他 说 ： 你 看 见 甚 麽 了 ？
24 他 就 抬 头 一 看 ， 说 ： 我 看 见 人 了 ； 他 们 好 像 树 木 ， 并 且 行 走 。
25 随 後 又 按 手 在 他 眼 睛 上 ， 他 定 睛 一 看 ， 就 复 了 原 ， 样 样 都 看 得 清 楚 了 。
26 耶 稣 打 发 他 回 家 ， 说 ： 连 这 村 子 你 也 不 要 进 去 。
27 耶 稣 和 门 徒 出 去 ， 往 该 撒 利 亚 腓 立 比 的 村 庄 去 ； 在 路 上 问 门 徒 说 ： 人 说 我 是 谁 ？
28 他 们 说 ： 有 人 说 是 施 洗 的 约 翰 ； 有 人 说 是 以 利 亚 ； 又 有 人 说 是 先 知 里 的 一 位 。
29 又 问 他 们 说 ： 你 们 说 我 是 谁 ？ 彼 得 回 答 说 ： 你 是 基 督 。
30 耶 稣 就 禁 戒 他 们 ， 不 要 告 诉 人 。
31 从 此 ， 他 教 训 他 们 说 ： 人 子 必 须 受 许 多 的 苦 ， 被 长 老 、 祭 司 长 ， 和 文 士 弃 绝 ， 并 且 被 杀 ， 过 三 天 复 活 。
32 耶 稣 明 明 的 说 这 话 ， 彼 得 就 拉 着 他 ， 劝 他 。
33 耶 稣 转 过 来 ， 看 着 门 徒 ， 就 责 备 彼 得 说 ： 撒 但 ， 退 我 後 边 去 罢 ！ 因 为 你 不 体 贴 神 的 意 思 ， 只 体 贴 人 的 意 思 。
34 於 是 叫 众 人 和 门 徒 来 ， 对 他 们 说 ： 若 有 人 要 跟 从 我 ， 就 当 舍 己 ， 背 起 他 的 十 字 架 来 跟 从 我 。
35 因 为 ， 凡 要 救 自 己 生 命 （ 或 作 ： 灵 魂 ； 下 同 ） 的 ， 必 丧 掉 生 命 ； 凡 为 我 和 福 音 丧 掉 生 命 的 ， 必 救 了 生 命 。
36 人 就 是 赚 得 全 世 界 ， 赔 上 自 己 的 生 命 ， 有 甚 麽 益 处 呢 ？
37 人 还 能 拿 甚 麽 换 生 命 呢 ？
38 凡 在 这 淫 乱 罪 恶 的 世 代 ， 把 我 和 我 的 道 当 作 可 耻 的 ， 人 子 在 他 父 的 荣 耀 里 ， 同 圣 天 使 降 临 的 时 候 ， 也 要 把 那 人 当 作 可 耻 的 。
Mark 8
English Standard Version Anglicised
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
8 (A)In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 (B)“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, (C)“Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and (D)having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And (E)having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And (F)they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, (G)seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into (H)the boat with his disciples and went to the district of (I)Dalmanutha.[a]
The Pharisees Demand a Sign
11 (J)The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, (K)seeking from him (L)a sign from heaven (M)to test him. 12 And (N)he sighed deeply (O)in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And (P)he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; (Q)beware of (R)the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of (S)Herod.”[b] 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And (T)Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? (U)Do you not yet perceive (V)or understand? (W)Are your hearts hardened? 18 (X)Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke (Y)the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And (Z)the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 And they came (AA)to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And (AB)he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when (AC)he had (AD)spat on his eyes and (AE)laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus[c] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, (AF)“Do not even enter the village.”
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
27 (AG)And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, (AH)“John the Baptist; and others say, (AI)Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, (AJ)“You are (AK)the Christ.” 30 (AL)And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
31 (AM)And he began to teach them that (AN)the Son of Man must (AO)suffer many things and (AP)be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and (AQ)after three days rise again. 32 And he said this (AR)plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, (AS)“Get behind me, Satan! For you (AT)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him (AU)deny himself and (AV)take up his cross and follow me. 35 For (AW)whoever would save his life[d] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake (AX)and the gospel's will save it. 36 (AY)For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For (AZ)what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For (BA)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this (BB)adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed (BC)when he comes in the glory of his Father with (BD)the holy angels.”
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