1In those days there was again a very large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them,
2"I feel compassion for the crowd. They have been with me three days now, and they have nothing to eat."
3"If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come a long way."
4His disciples answered him, "Where can anyone find enough bread to feed these people here in the wilderness?"
5He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven."
6He told the people to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to hand out, and they gave them to the people.
7They also had a few small fish. He blessed them, and told the disciples to hand those out as well.
8About four thousand people ate, and he sent them away.
9At once he got into a ship with his disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha.
10The Pharisees came out and began to argue with him. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.
11He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation look for a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to this generation."
12He left them, got into the ship again, and went away to the other side.
13Now the disciples had forgotten to bring bread. They had only one loaf with them in the ship.
14He warned them, saying, "Take care. Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
15They talked about this among themselves and said, "It is because we have no bread."
16When Jesus knew it, he said to them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts still hard?"
17"You have eyes. Do you not see? You have ears. Do you not hear? Do you not remember?"
18"When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?" They said to him, "Twelve."
19"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?" They said, "Seven."
20He said to them, "How is it that you do not understand?"
21He came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.
22He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. He spat on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, and asked him if he saw anything.
23The man looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."
24Then Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes again and made him look up. He was healed, and saw everyone clearly.
25Jesus sent him home, saying, "Do not go into the town, and do not tell anyone in the town."
26Jesus went out with his disciples to the towns of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"
27They answered, "John the Baptist. But some say Elias, and others say one of the prophets."
28He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."
29He ordered them to tell no one about him.
30He began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
31He said this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
32But Jesus turned round and looked at his disciples, and he rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking the things of God, but the things of men."
33He called the people to him, along with his disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
34"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel's sake will save it."
35"For what good is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?"
36"Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
37"So whoever is ashamed of me and of 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."