Mark 8

Passage: Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand, The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod, The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida, Peter's Confession of Christ, Jesus Predicts His Death

Memory Verse: "Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, 'Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean''" -Mark 7:14-15

Notes:-(v.1-13) A crowd gathered around Jesus, but they had nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and told them to feed these people because some of them have come a long distance. The disciples questioned Jesus where they would get the food in the remote place that they were in.

Jesus asked them how many loaves they had: seven loaves total. Jesus then sat the crowd down, took the loaves and gave thanks. He broke him and gave them to his disciples to give to the people.

Jesus then took a few small fish, gave thanks, and gave it to the disciples to distribute. The people ate and were satisfied, and there was seven-basketfuls leftover.There were four-thousand man total.

The Pharisees then came to test Jesus, and asked him for a miraculous sign. Jesus sighed and refused them their request.

-(v.14-21) Jesus warned his disciples to be careful and to "watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod." Initially, the disciples thought that Jesus was talking about the bread that they forgot, but Jesus rebuked them and reminded them of when he fed the five thousand.

-(v.22-26) In Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to heal him. Jesus spit on the man's eyes and asked if he saw anything. The blind man replied, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."

Once more, Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. The man's eyes were opened, and he could see everything clearly. Jesus ordered him to not go into the village.

-(v.27-30) Jesus asked his disciples what people say he was.

The disciples replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."
Jesus then asked who the disciples thought he was. Peter answered, "You are the Christ"

-(v.31-38) Jesus began to preach about the many sufferings that the Son of Man will encounter, and predicted that he will be killed, having been rejected by the elders and chief priests. But he will rise again after three days. Peter began to rebuke Jesus, but Jesus rebuked Peter's rebuttal by saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

-(v.34-36) [past-verse review] Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, "if anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?"