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 ¹ In those days, the multitude [following him] was very great and had nothing to eat; so Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them,

 ² "I have compassion on the multitude because they have now been with me three days and have nothing to eat;

 ³ And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for many of them came from far away."

 ⁴ And his disciples asked him, "How can anyone satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?"

 ⁵ He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven."

 ⁶ So he commanded the people to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before them.

 ⁷ They also had a few small fish, and he blessed them and commanded that these should also be set before them.

 ⁸ So they ate and were filled, and they picked up seven baskets full of the broken food that was left.

 ⁹ And those who had eaten were about four thousand; then he sent them away.

 ¹⁰ Immediately he entered into a boat with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.

 ¹¹ Then the Pharisees came out and began to question him, testing him by asking for a sign from heaven from him.

 ¹² And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign shall be given to this generation."

 ¹³ Then he left them, and entering into the boat again, he departed to the other side.

 ¹⁴ Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they had no more than one loaf in the boat with them.

 ¹⁵ And he charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod."¹

 ¹⁶ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."

 ¹⁷ But being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you reason about having no bread? Do you not yet perceive, nor understand? Are your hearts hardened?

 ¹⁸ Having eyes, do you not see; and having 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 fragments did you pick up?" And they said to him, "Twelve."

 ²⁰ "Also, when I broke the seven loaves among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you pick up?" And they said, "Seven."

 ²¹ So he said to them, "How is it that you do not understand?"

 ²² Then they came to Bethsaida, and they brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.

 ²³ So 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 upon him, he asked him if he saw something.

 ²⁴ And he looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like trees walking."

 ²⁵ After that he again put his hands on his eyes and made him look up; and he was restored and saw everything clearly.

 ²⁶ Then he sent him away to his house, saying, "Do not go into the town or tell anyone."

 ²⁷ Now Jesus went out with his disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he asked his disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"

 ²⁸ And they answered, "Some say John the Baptist; but others say Elijah; and others say one of the prophets."

 ²⁹ And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."

 ³⁰ Then he commanded them that they should tell no man about him.

 ³¹ And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, by the chief priests and scribes, and be killed; and after three days rise again.

 ³² He spoke this plainly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

 ³³ But when he had turned around and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind me Satan, for You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”

 ³⁴ And when he had called the people and his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Whoever would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [To follow Jesus we must first seek to hear the Lord speak to us by patiently and persistently listening in humble silence. To obey what we hear Him command us to do is to follow Jesus. From the Word of the Lord within: "Stop following men. Everyone listen to what the Spirit says; this you follow. Master following. Follow precisely; do not deviate."]

 ³⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.² [Those who live in the flesh (sinful nature) cannot please God. Rom 8:8. You must mortify all sin in your body to save your soul and obtain the superior life of God, making Christ the Lord of all your words and deeds, while on earth, and then forever. You lose your life at the conclusion of your crucifixion of self, with many many acts of commanded repentance, several trials with suffering, and then the baptism of fire, which is the baptism of death. For detail on this baptism of fire and death, see the footnote to Matthew 3:11-12 on this site]

 ³⁶ For what does it profit a man, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?³

 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 be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."