Beginning
Jesus Feeds More Than Four Thousand
8 In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and said to them, 2 “I feel compassion for the crowd because they have already stayed with me three days and do not have anything to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way. Some of them have come from a long distance.”
4 His disciples replied, “Where can anyone get enough bread to feed these people here in this deserted place?”
5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they said.
6 He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks, and broke them. He gave the pieces to his disciples to distribute to the crowd, and they did so. 7 They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said that these should be distributed as well. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. They picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were there. Then he sent them away. 10 Right after that, Jesus got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
A Sign From Heaven
11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen I tell you: No such sign will be given to this generation.” 13 After he left them and got back into the boat, he crossed to the other side.
Watch Out for the Teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees
14 They had forgotten to take bread along except for one loaf that they had with them in the boat. 15 “Watch out,” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”
16 They began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.
17 Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing your lack of bread? Do you still not understand or comprehend? Do you have a hardened heart? 18 You have eyes—do you not see? You have ears—do you not hear? Do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they told him.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you pick up?”
“Seven,” they said.
21 He said to them, “Do you still not comprehend?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 He took hold of the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. When he had spit on his eyes, he placed his hands on him and asked him, “Do you see anything?”
24 The man looked up and said, “I see people. To me they look like trees walking.”
25 Then Jesus placed his hands on his eyes again. The man opened his eyes and his sight was restored. He could see everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not go into the village.”
Jesus Is the Christ
27 Jesus went away with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
28 They told him, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others say one of the prophets.”
29 “But who do you say I am?” he asked them.
Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”[a]
30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
31 Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the experts in the law; be killed; and after three days rise again. 32 He was speaking plainly to them. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But after turning around and looking at his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have your mind set on the things of God, but the things of men.”
Take Up the Cross
34 He called the crowd and his disciples together and said to them, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 After all, what good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 In fact, 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.”
9 He said to them, “Amen I tell you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
The Transfiguration
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were alone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. 3 His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say because they were terrified.
7 A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing with one another what this “rising from the dead” meant.
11 They asked him, “Why do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?”
12 He said to them, “Elijah does come first and restores all things. Why was it also written about the Son of Man that he must suffer many things and be rejected? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it was written about him.”
Jesus Heals a Boy With a Demon
14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some experts in the law were arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people in the crowd saw Jesus, they were very excited and ran to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
17 One man from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. 18 Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
19 “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied. “How long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him to me.”
20 They brought the boy to Jesus. As soon as the spirit saw him, it threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
“From childhood,” he said. 22 “It has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 “If you can?”[b] Jesus said to him. “All things are possible for the one who believes.”
24 The child’s father immediately cried out and said with tears,[c] “I do believe. Help me with my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit. “You mute and deaf spirit,” he said, “I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”
26 The spirit screamed, shook the boy violently, and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many of them said, “He’s dead!” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him up, and he stood up.
28 When Jesus went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why were we not able to drive it out?”
29 He said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out, except by prayer and fasting.”[d]
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection Again
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know this, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him. But three days after he is killed, he will rise.”
32 But they did not understand the statement and were afraid to ask him about it.
Who Is the Greatest?
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they remained silent, because on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 Jesus sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he will be the last of all and the servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and placed him in their midst. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, welcomes not just me but also him who sent me.”
Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not try to stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil about me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Amen I tell you: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will certainly not lose his reward.
Do Not Cause Little Believers to Fall Into Sin
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin,[e] it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around his neck. 43 If your hand causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, than to have two hands and go into hell,[f] into the unquenchable fire, 44 ‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’[g] 45 If your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell,[h] 46 ‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 47 If your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,[i] 48 ‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good. But if the salt loses its flavor, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.