Which qualifications distinguish Mark’s feeding, sight restoration and passion prediction?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

About four thousand eat; the blind man’s return instruction is conditional; Peter’s rebuke follows the open passion prediction and receives a direct correction.

Chapter breakdown

# Mark 8

A great multitude has nothing to eat. Jesus tells disciples of compassion after their three days with him and predicts fainting if sent home fasting, since some came far. This does not establish that they fasted for three whole days. The disciples ask where bread can be found in the wilderness; they have seven loaves. He seats people, gives thanks, breaks and distributes through disciples, and blesses a few small fish. All eat their fill, seven baskets of fragments remain, and about four thousand have eaten. They are not specified as men here, nor baskets as large or overflowing. He dismisses them and travels by ship to Dalmanutha.

Pharisees test him with a demand for a sign from heaven. Sighing deeply he asks why the generation seeks one and says none will be given, then crosses away. With only one loaf aboard after forgetting bread, disciples reason about their lack when he warns against Pharisaic and Herod’s leaven. He questions their understanding, blinded hearts, seeing, hearing and memory, recalling twelve baskets from five loaves and five thousand and seven from seven loaves and four thousand. No explicit symbolic definition of the leaven is supplied in this chapter.

At Bethsaida a blind man is brought with a request for touch. Jesus takes him outside town by the hand, spits on his eyes, lays hands and asks what he sees. He reports men like trees walking. A second laying on the eyes brings clear sight. Jesus sends him home, saying that if he enters the town he should tell nobody. This conditional instruction is not a prohibition on entering town, and no causal link to Peter’s understanding is narrated.

On the way into Caesarea Philippi’s towns, Jesus asks popular opinions about his identity; replies name John, Elias and a prophet. Asked their own answer, Peter calls him Christ. He commands secrecy and openly teaches the Son of man’s coming suffering, rejection by ancients, high priests and scribes, death and rising after three days. Peter takes him and rebukes him. Turning and seeing disciples, Jesus says “Go behind me, Satan,” explaining that Peter savours human rather than divine things. Peter’s shock, specific motive and supposed representative office in this reply are not supplied.

Calling the crowd with disciples, Jesus requires self-denial, cross bearing and following. Saving life leads to losing it; losing it for him and the gospel saves it. He asks what world gain profits if the soul is lost, or what can be exchanged for the soul. The Son of man will be ashamed of one ashamed of him and his words in this adulterous, sinful generation when he comes in the Father’s glory with holy angels. Some standing there will see the kingdom coming in power before death. No date, identification of that event, infinite mathematical value or additional doctrine about repeated touches of grace is supplied.

The story inside

Feeding and sign refusal precede the boat warning, Bethsaida, Caesarea Philippi and crowd teaching.

Lessons worth keeping

1
About four thousand are not expressly called men in this verse.
2
If entering town, tell nobody is not a ban on entering it.
3
Two-stage sight restoration is not narrated as causing Peter’s confession.

Test your recall

Seven loaves; few small fish; seven baskets; Dalmanutha; one loaf; Bethsaida; Christ; cross; soul.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 115271–115348
8:1. In those days again, when there was a great multitude and they had nothing to eat; calling his disciples together, he saith to them: 8:2. I have compassion on the multitude, for behold they have now been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 8:3. And if I shall send them away fasting to their home, they will faint in the way: for some of them came from afar off. 8:4. And his disciples answered him: From whence can any one fill them here with bread in the wilderness? 8:5. And he asked them: How many loaves have ye? Who said: Seven. 8:6. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke and gave to his disciples for to set before them. And they set them before the people. 8:7. And they had a few little fishes: and he blessed them and commanded them to be set before them. 8:8. And they did eat and were filled: and they took up that which was left of the fragments, seven baskets. 8:9. And they that had eaten were about four thousand. And he sent them away. 8:10. And immediately going up into a ship with his disciples, he came into the parts of Dalmanutha. 8:11. And the Pharisees came forth and began to question with him, asking him a sign from heaven, tempting him. 8:12. And sighing deeply in spirit, he saith: Why doth this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, a sign shall not be given to this generation. 8:13. And leaving them, he went up again into the ship and passed to the other side of the water. 8:14. And they forgot to take bread: and they had but one loaf with them in the ship. 8:15. And he charged them saying: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod. 8:16. And they reasoned among themselves, saying: Because we have no bread. 8:17. Which Jesus knowing, saith to them: Why do you reason, because you have no bread? Do you not yet know nor understand? Have you still your heart blinded? 8:18. Having eyes, see you not? And having ears, hear you not? Neither do you remember? 8:19. When I broke the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took you up? They say to him: Twelve. 8:20. When also the seven loaves among four thousand, how many baskets of fragments took you up? And they say to him: Seven. 8:21. And he said to them: How do you not yet understand? 8:22. And they came to Bethsaida: and they bring to him a blind man. And they besought him that he would touch him. 8:23. And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him out of the town. And spitting upon his eyes, laying his hands on him, he asked him if he saw any thing. 8:24. And looking up, he said: I see men, as it were trees, walking. 8:25. After that again he laid his hands upon his eyes: and he began to see and was restored, so that he saw all things clearly. 8:26. And he sent him into his house, saying: Go into thy house, and if thou enter into the town, tell nobody.
Lines 115350–115393
8:27. And Jesus went out, and his disciples into the towns of Cæsarea Philippi. And in the way, he asked his disciples, saying to them: Whom do men say that I am? 8:28. Who answered him, saying: John the Baptist; but some Elias, and others as one of the prophets. 8:29. Then he saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Peter answering said to him: Thou art the Christ. 8:30. And he strictly charged them that they should not tell any man of him. 8:31. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the ancients and by the high priests and the scribes: and be killed and after three days rise again. 8:32. And he spoke the word openly. And Peter taking him began to rebuke him. 8:33. Who turning about and seeing his disciples, threatened Peter, saying: Go behind me, Satan, because thou savourest not the things that are of God but that are of men. 8:34. And calling the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them: If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 8:35. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it. 8:36. For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? 8:37. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 8:38. For he that shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation: the Son of man also will be ashamed of him, when he shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. 8:39. And he said to them: Amen I say to you that there are some of them that stand here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God coming in power.