Mark 8

1 – 3

Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus. They had nothing to eat. So Jesus called His followers to Him. He said, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with Me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. I cannot send them home hungry. If they leave without eating, they will faint on the way home. Some of them live a long way from here.”

The Lord does not want us to be hungry. It hurts Him to see us this way. We need to make sure we are not so busy that we forget to see what people need. We can become so spiritual that we forget that not everybody is like us and maybe they need some food or something else. They need to see how God cares about what they need and then they will listen more closely.

4. Jesus’ followers answered, “But we are far away in the desert. Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people?”

This reminds us of Israel in the desert thinking that God could not help them find food. It also reminds us that later the people of Israel said that they were tired of God’s manna.

5. Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?” They answered, “We have seven loaves.”

The followers of Jesus knew that they could not feed the people but they knew that Jesus could. They gave the food they had with them. Use what you have and leave the rest up to God. This time they do not try to tell Jesus what to do.

6 – 10

Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. Jesus divided the bread and gave the pieces to His followers. He told them to pass out the bread to the people, and they did so. The followers also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for the fish and told His followers to give the fish to the people.

All the people ate and were satisfied. Then the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. There were about 4,000 men who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus told them to go home. Then He went in a boat with His followers to the area of Dalmanutha.


This reminds us of how the devil tried to get Jesus to make bread out of stones to feed Himself. Jesus cared more about feeding others than His own needs. The Lord does not like anything to be wasted. Proverbs 18:9

11. The Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him questions. They wanted to trap Him. So they asked Jesus to do a miracle to show that He was from God.

They already had seen the things Jesus did so they did not need to see more. They were taking the same idea the devil had when he told Jesus to prove that He was God. The Bible says not to test God this way. The devil was using these Jews to say, “Try doing something that God did not tell you to do!” We need to be watching when the devil says this to us. Deuteronomy 6:16

12 – 13

Jesus sighed deeply. He said, “Why do you people ask for a miracle as proof? I tell you the truth. No miracle will be given to you.” Then Jesus left the Pharisees. He went in the boat to the other side of the lake.


This shows us that one of the things that hurts the Lord the most is when we test Him and say some things that show we are not trusting Him.

14 – 16

The followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. They had forgotten to bring more bread. Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Keep on guarding against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” Among themselves, His disciples discussed the meaning of this. They said, “He said this because we have no bread.”


Jesus was warning them about how the Jewish leaders will try to plant an evil seed in their minds. The Jews had just made a suggestion that Jesus could do some miracles but maybe these things were not from God.

The devil will attack you in the same way. When you do not know what to think then go back to what you do know and remind yourself of Bible verses that God has proven to be true in your life.

17 – 19

Jesus knew what His followers were talking about. So He asked them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? You still do not see or understand? Are your minds closed? You have eyes, but you do not really see.

You have ears, but you do not really listen. Remember what I did before, when we did not have enough bread? I divided five loaves of bread for 5,000 people. Remember how many baskets you filled with pieces of food that were not eaten?” They answered, “We filled 12 baskets.”


When you are not reading the Word and spending time with God you are spiritually weak. When you weak in this way you thinking can be confused and you can forget what God has already done. You will not be ready when you are attacked by people or demons. This leads to fear and more problems!

20 – 21

“And remember that I divided seven loaves of bread for 4,000 people. Remember how many baskets you filled with pieces of food that were not eaten?” They answered, “We filled 7 baskets.”


Then Jesus said to them, “You remember these things I did, but you still do not understand?”

Make it a point to remember all that God has done for you! Psalm 103:1-2

22 – 23

Jesus and His followers came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged Him to touch the man. So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led Him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes. He put His hands on the blind man and asked, “Can you see now?”


Jesus brough this man by the hand to get him away from people so that he could understand about being healed spiritually and not just in his eyes.

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

Jesus wanted this man to know Him and be saved. He did not only want him to see the world but to see the spiritual world. Remember that this man had no faith to be healed.

Some teachers today talk down to people who do not have enough faith. Why do they not help people build up their faith by using the bible so that they have the faith they need instead of talking down to them?

Jesus was building this man’s faith by slowly healing him. The Lord may do the same to us because He wants to teach us something while we wait for complete healing.

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Word of God. Romans 10:17

25 – 26

Again Jesus put His hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide. His eyes were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly. Jesus told him to go home, saying, “Do not go into the town.”


Jesus did not leave the man until he was completely healed. When we are helping people we should not be happy to just see them get a little better. Do not give up on them until everything in their lives is completely healed!

Jesus was not looking for people to think of Him as a great healer. It is good if nobody knows about you and your service to God.

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?”

After all the years that Jesus was with them He never said that He was the Messiah. He wanted His life to show it without saying it. His followers should now be able to see it for themselves.

28 – 30

They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist. Others say You are Elijah. And others say that You are one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Jesus ordered His followers, “Do not tell anyone who I am.”


Peter does not tell Mark to write the things that were said in Matthew 16:18. Peter did not want to be thought of as better than the other followers.

31. Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. He taught that the Son of Man would not be accepted by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He taught that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from death after three days.
The devil says that you can have a ministry without needing to suffer. Real ministry costs you something. If you just go to church or stay away from doing hard things for the Lord then you are not doing what He told you to do in Matthew 28:19.

32 – 33

Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to criticize Him. But Jesus turned and looked at His followers. Then He criticized Peter and said, “Go away from me, Satan! You do not care about the things of God. You care only about things men think are important.”


The devil can suggest ideas in our minds and if we are not spiritually awake we will say these things with our mouths. This is what happened to Peter.

34. Then Jesus called the crowd to Him, along with His followers. He said, “If anyone wants to follow Me, he must say ‘no’ to the things he wants. He must be willing to die on a cross, and he must follow Me.

Why should we give up the things we want? How else can we show that we are living for Him and not for ourselves? The world says that we should push ourselves to get what we want. The secret of life with God is that if we put His things first He will give us what we need without having to fight for it. Matthew 6:33

35 – 36

Whoever wants to save his life will give up true life. But whoever gives up his life for Me and for the Gospel will have true life forever. It is worth nothing for a person to have the whole world, if he loses his soul.


What kind of a deal is Satan offering you for your soul? What if you could have anything you wanted but you lost your soul? There is a man who has been going around saying he will give $100,000 if you will give him your wife. Even if the victim only stops to think about it, and tries to find some way to do this, he has lost his marriage.

37 – 38

A person could never pay enough to buy back his soul. The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If anyone is ashamed of Me and My teaching, then I will be ashamed of him. I will be ashamed of him when I come with the glory of My Father and the holy angels.”


If we are not willing to pay some kind of price for following Jesus then we are not really following Him. Would it be fine with you if you could say that you are following Jesus but you never give up anything?