The Feeding of the Four Thousand
During those days, a very large crowd had gathered again, and they had run out of food. Jesus called his disciples over to him and said, "My heart goes out to this crowd. They have been with me for three days now and have nothing left to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the road from weakness. Some of them have traveled a very long way to get here." His disciples answered him, "But where could anyone possibly find enough bread in this remote place to feed so many people?" Jesus asked them, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" "Seven," they told him. Jesus then told the crowd to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves of bread, gave thanks to God, and broke them into pieces. He gave the broken bread to his disciples, who then distributed it to all the people. They also had a few small fish with them. Jesus blessed these fish as well and told his disciples to give them out to the crowd too. Everyone ate until they were completely full and satisfied. Afterward, the disciples gathered up the leftover pieces and filled seven large baskets with what remained. About four thousand men had been there to eat. As soon as Jesus had sent the crowd away to return to their homes, he got into a boat with his disciples and sailed across to the region of Dalmanutha.
The Pharisees Demand a Sign
The Pharisees arrived and immediately started arguing with Jesus. They were testing him, demanding that he perform a miraculous sign from heaven to prove who he was. Jesus let out a deep, weary sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. "Why does this generation keep asking for a sign?" he said to them. "I'm telling you the truth—no sign will be given to this generation." Without another word, Jesus turned away from them. He got back into the boat with his disciples and sailed across the lake to the other shore.
The Leaven of the Pharisees
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread with them when they got in the boat. All they had was one single loaf. Jesus warned them, "Be careful! Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." The disciples started talking among themselves about the fact that they had no bread. Jesus knew what they were discussing and said to them, "Why are you arguing about not having bread? Don't you see yet? Don't you understand? Are your hearts really that stubborn and closed? You have eyes—why don't you see? You have ears—why don't you hear? Don't you remember what happened? "When I broke the five loaves of bread to feed the five thousand people, how many baskets full of leftover pieces did you gather up?" "Twelve," they answered. "And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand people, how many baskets of leftover pieces did you collect?" "Seven," they replied. Then Jesus said to them, "Do you still not understand?"
The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida
When Jesus and his followers reached Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to him. They pleaded with Jesus to touch the man and heal him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and gently led him away from the village, out to a quiet place where they could be alone. There, Jesus spat on the man's eyes and placed his hands on them. "Can you see anything now?" Jesus asked him. The man looked around and said, "Yes, I can see people, but they look strange—like trees that are walking around." Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes a second time. When the man opened his eyes again, his sight was completely restored. Now he could see everything perfectly clear. Jesus then sent him toward his home, but with a warning: "Don't go back into the village."
Peter's Confession of Christ
Jesus and his followers traveled on toward the villages surrounding Caesarea Philippi. As they walked along the road, Jesus asked his disciples a question: "Who do people say that I am?" His disciples answered him, "Some people say you are John the Baptist. Others think you are Elijah. And still others believe you are one of the prophets." Then Jesus pressed them further: "But what about you? Who do you say that I am?" Peter spoke up and declared, "You are the Christ." Jesus then strictly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
Then Jesus began to teach his followers that the Son of Man would have to endure great suffering. He told them that the religious leaders—the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law—would reject him completely. He explained that he would be put to death, but that after three days he would come back to life. Jesus spoke about this openly and directly, holding nothing back. When Peter heard this, he pulled Jesus aside privately and started scolding him for saying such things. But Jesus turned around and looked at all his disciples. Then he sharply corrected Peter, saying, "Get away from me, Satan! You're not thinking about what God wants, but about what people want."
The Cost of Discipleship
Then Jesus called both the crowd and his disciples to come close to him. He looked at them all and said, "If you want to follow me, you must give up your own wants and desires. You must be willing to suffer, even die, just as I will die on a cross. Then you can truly follow me. Here's the truth: if you try to keep your life safe and comfortable, you will actually lose what matters most. But if you are willing to give up your life because of me and because of this good news I bring, then you will truly save your life. Think about it this way: what good would it do you if you got everything you wanted in this whole world—all the money, power, and fame possible—but in the process you lost your very soul? What could you possibly trade that would be worth as much as your soul? There is nothing valuable enough. And here is a warning: if you are embarrassed by me and ashamed of what I teach, especially when you're around people who live unfaithfully and sinfully, then I will be ashamed of you too. When I return in my Father's glory, surrounded by holy angels, I will be ashamed to claim you as mine."