Mark 8; Mark 9

Mark 8

1 Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus that had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers and said,

2 "I feel sorry for these people, because they have already been with me for three days, and they have nothing to eat.

3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way. Some of them live a long way from here."

4 Jesus' followers answered, "How can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town."

5 Jesus asked, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" They answered, "Seven."

6 Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, and divided the bread. He gave the pieces to his followers to give to the people, and they did so.

7 The followers also had a few small fish. After Jesus gave thanks for the fish, he told his followers to give them to the people also.

8 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then his followers filled seven baskets with the leftover pieces of food.

9 There were about four thousand people who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus sent them home.

10 Then right away he got into a boat with his followers and went to the area of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came to Jesus and began to ask him questions. Hoping to trap him, they asked Jesus for a miracle from God.

12 Jesus sighed deeply and said, "Why do you people ask for a miracle as a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to you."

13 Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake.

14 His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more.

15 Jesus warned them, "Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

16 His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, "He said this because we have no bread."

17 Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, "Why are you talking about not having bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed?

18 You have eyes, but you don't really see. You have ears, but you don't really listen. Remember when

19 I divided five loaves of bread for the five thousand? How many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?" They answered, "Twelve."

20 "And when I divided seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?" They answered, "Seven."

21 Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand yet?"

22 Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. There some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man.

23 So Jesus took the blind man's hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on the man and asked, "Can you see now?"

24 The man looked up and said, "Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around."

25 Again Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide and they were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly.

26 Jesus told him to go home, saying, "Don't go into the town."

27 Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

28 They answered, "Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets."

29 Then Jesus asked, "But who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."

30 Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone who he was.

31 Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and that he would be rejected by the older Jewish leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He told them that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from the dead after three days.

32 Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to tell him not to talk like that.

33 But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he told Peter not to talk that way. He said, "Go away from me, Satan! You don't care about the things of God, but only about things people think are important."

34 Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, "If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me.

35 Those who want to save their lives will give up true life. But those who give up their lives for me and for the Good News will have true life.

36 It is worth nothing for them to have the whole world if they lose their souls.

37 They could never pay enough to buy back their souls.

38 The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If people are ashamed of me and my teaching, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes with his Father's glory and with the holy angels."

Mark 9

1 Then Jesus said to the people, "I tell you the truth, some people stand- ing here will see the kingdom of God come with power before they die."

2 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain by themselves. While they watched, Jesus' appearance was changed.

3 His clothes became shining white, whiter than any person could make them.

4 Then Elijah and Mosesn appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents -- one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

6 Peter did not know what to say, because he and the others were so frightened.

7 Then a cloud came and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

8 Suddenly Peter, James, and John looked around, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

10 So the followers obeyed Jesus, but they discussed what he meant about rising from the dead.

11 Then they asked Jesus, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

12 Jesus answered, "They are right to say that Elijah must come first and make everything the way it should be. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will treat him as if he were nothing?

13 I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him whatever they wanted to do, just as the Scriptures said it would happen."

14 When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back to the other followers, they saw a great crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.

15 But as soon as the crowd saw Jesus, the people were surprised and ran to welcome him.

16 Jesus asked, "What are you arguing about?"

17 A man answered, "Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit in him that stops him from talking.

18 When the spirit attacks him, it throws him on the ground. Then my son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they couldn't."

19 Jesus answered, "You people have no faith. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

20 So the followers brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it made the boy lose control of himself, and he fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has this been happening?" The father answered, "Since he was very young.

22 The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us."

23 Jesus said to the father, "You said, 'If you can!' All things are possible for the one who believes."

24 Immediately the father cried out, "I do believe! Help me to believe more!"

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he ordered the evil spirit, saying, "You spirit that makes people unable to hear or speak, I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!"

26 The evil spirit screamed and caused the boy to fall on the ground again. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and many people said, "He is dead!"

27 But Jesus took hold of the boy's hand and helped him to stand up.

28 When Jesus went into the house, his followers began asking him privately, "Why couldn't we force that evil spirit out?"

29 Jesus answered, "That kind of spirit can only be forced out by prayer."

30 Then Jesus and his followers left that place and went through Galilee. He didn't want anyone to know where he was,

31 because he was teaching his followers. He said to them, "The Son of Man will be handed over to people, and they will kill him. After three days, he will rise from the dead."

32 But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

33 Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. When they went into a house there, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?"

34 But the followers did not answer, because their argument on the road was about which one of them was the greatest.

35 Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, "Whoever wants to be the most important must be last of all and servant of all."

36 Then Jesus took a small child and had him stand among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said,

37 "Whoever accepts a child like this in my name accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent me."

38 Then John said, "Teacher, we saw someone using your name to force demons out of a person. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group."

39 But Jesus said, "Don't stop him, because anyone who uses my name to do powerful things will not easily say evil things about me.

40 Whoever is not against us is with us.

41 I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a drink of water because you belong to the Christ will truly get his reward.

42 "If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, it would be better for that person to have a large stone tied around his neck and be drowned in the sea.

43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose part of your body and live forever than to have two hands and go to hell, where the fire never goes out.

44

45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose part of your body and to live forever than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 46

46

47 If your eye causes you to sin, take it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

48 In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out.

49 Every person will be salted with fire.

50 "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its salty taste, you cannot make it salty again. So, be full of salt, and have peace with each other."