He feeds the four thousand
8
📚In those days the crowd being very large, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and said to them, 2 📚“I have compassion for the crowd, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat. 3 📚If I send them away fasting to their own homes, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from a distance”. 4 📚And his disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread here in the wilderness to satisfy these people?”
5 📚And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven”.
6 📚And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks and 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 he blessed them, and gave a command to distribute these to them. 8 📚So they ate and were satisfied. And they picked up seven basketfuls of the pieces of food that were left. 9 And about four thousand men had eaten. And he sent them away.
10 And immediately he got into a boat with his disciples, and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
8:10 Magadan (Matt 15:39) was located in this region.⚜
He warns His disciples about false teaching
11 📚And the Pharisees came out and began to question him, seeking a sign from heaven from him, testing him. 12 📚And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation”.
13 📚And he left them, got in the boat again and went away to the other side. 14 📚Now the disciples had forgotten to take along bread, and they did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. 15 📚And he warned them, saying, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod”.
16 📚And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread”.
17 📚And Jesus, knowing this, said to them, “Why are you reasoning because you have no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 📚You have eyes. Do you not see? And you have ears. Do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 📚When I broke the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They said to him, “Twelve”. 20 📚And when I broke the seven loaves among four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” And they said, “Seven”.
21 📚And he said to them, “How is it that you do not understand?”
He heals a blind man
22 📚And he arrived at Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
8:22 Bethsaida was a town on the northern shore of the lake of Galilee.⚜
23 📚And 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 on him, he asked him if he saw anything. 24 📚And he looked up and said, “I see men looking like trees, walking”.
25 📚Then he put his hands on his eyes again, and made him look up. And he was restored, and saw everyone clearly.
8:24-25 At first he could not see clearly. This is the only recorded time that Jesus healed anyone in stages. The reason for it is not given. Perhaps the man’s faith was deficient at first and grew by this method Jesus used. Perhaps He wanted others in need of healing who would read about this, or hear of it, not to be discouraged if they are not healed in a moment. Jesus may choose to heal them by degrees. In the spiritual realm also men often are given slowly developing spiritual sight.⚜
26 📚And he sent him away to his house, saying, “Do not go into the town, or tell this to anyone in the town”.
He reveals who He is and speaks of His death and resurrection
27 📚And Jesus and his disciples went away to the towns of Cesarea Philippi, and on the road he questioned his disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”
28 📚And they answered, “John the Baptist. But some say, ‘Elijah’, and others, ‘One of the prophets.’ ”
29 📚And he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said to him, “You are the Christ”.
30 📚And he ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
31 📚And 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 scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 📚And he spoke this word openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 📚But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not thinking of the things of God, but of the things of men”.
He speaks of qualifications for discipleship
34 📚And when he had called the people, along with his disciples, he said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 📚For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel, will save it. 36 📚For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? 37 📚Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 📚Therefore, 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”.
8:38 Compare Matt 10:32-33; Rom 1:16. Pride or the fear of man or a desire to win the approval of others may make men ashamed of Christ and His Gospel.⚜