The Feeding of the Four Thousand (2 Kings 4:42–44; Matthew 15:29–39)
1 UST Sometime later, there was again a large group of people{ near Jesus}, and they did not have any food to eat. So, Jesus told his apprentices to come to him. He told them, BSB BSB: In those days the crowd once again became very large, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called the disciples to Him and said,
2 UST “I pity the large group of people. They have already spent three days with me, and they do not have any food to eat. BSB BSB: “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.
3 UST Further, suppose that I tell them to go home while they are hungry. Some of them live far away from here. They would pass out while they are walking home.” BSB BSB: If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”
4 UST His apprentices replied,“In this place where no one lives, no one has enough food for these people to have enough to eat!” BSB BSB: His disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could anyone find enough bread to feed all these people?”
5 UST Then Jesus asked them,“How many loaves of bread do you have with you?” They replied,“We have with us seven loaves of bread.” BSB BSB: “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.
6 UST Then Jesus told the large group of people to sit down on the ground. He picked up the seven loaves of bread. Then he thanked God for the food. After that, he tore the bread into pieces and gave the pieces to his apprentices. That way, they could serve them to the large group of people, which they did. BSB BSB: And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd.
7 UST The apprentices also had some little fish. So, Jesus thanked God for these fish and told the apprentices to serve them too{ to the large group of people}. BSB BSB: They also had a few small fish, and Jesus blessed them and ordered that these be set before them as well.
8 UST The people ate{ the food}, and they had enough to eat. Then the apprentices gathered the food that was left.{ They filled} seven large containers! BSB BSB: The people ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
9 UST About 4, 000 people were there. Then Jesus told them to go home. BSB BSB: And about four thousand men were present. And when Jesus had dismissed the crowd,
10 UST As soon as{ he told them that}, Jesus and his apprentices climbed into a boat. They sailed to the region of Dalmanutha. BSB BSB: He immediately got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
The Demand for a Sign (Matthew 16:1–4; Luke 12:54–56)
11 UST Some Pharisees came to Jesus and started to debate with him. They wanted to investigate him, so they asked him to perform a miracle that showed that God had sent him. BSB BSB: Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.
12 UST Jesus groaned to himself. Then he said,“You people who are alive right now should not ask me to perform a miracle{ that proves that God sent me}. I will never do that kind of miracle for you people! What I have said is true.” BSB BSB: Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
13 UST Then Jesus went away from the Pharisees. He{ and his apprentices} again entered a boat and sailed to the other side{ of the Sea of Galilee}. BSB BSB: And He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod (Matthew 16:5–12; Luke 12:1–3)
14 UST Now the apprentices had not remembered to pack any food. In fact, the only food that they had in the boat was one loaf of bread. BSB BSB: Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.
15 UST { While they were sailing,} Jesus ordered the apprentices,“Make sure that you guard against the yeast that the Pharisees use and the yeast that Herod uses.” BSB BSB: “Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
16 UST Then the apprentices told each other that they had very little food. BSB BSB: So they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.
17 UST Jesus realized{ what they were saying to each other}. He told them,“You should not be telling each other that you have very little food. You should already realize{ what I can do}! However, you stubbornly refuse to understand it. BSB BSB: Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts?
18 UST You look at things, but you do not really see them. You hear things, but you do not really listen. You should remember{ what I have done}! BSB BSB: ‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember?
19 UST When I tore five loaves of bread into pieces and used them to feed 5, 000 people, you gathered what was left of the food. How many large containers did you fill{ with the leftovers}?” The apprentices replied,“{ We filled} 12{ large containers}.” BSB BSB: When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?” “Twelve,” they answered.
20 UST { Then Jesus asked,}“Again, when{ I tore} seven{ loaves of bread into pieces} and used them to feed 4, 000 people, you gathered the food that was left. How many large containers did you fill?” The apprentices replied,“{ We filled} seven{ large containers}.” BSB BSB: “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they said.
21 UST Then Jesus told his apprentices,“You should already realize{ what I can do}!” BSB BSB: Then He asked them, “Do you still not understand?”
The Blind Man at Bethsaida 22 UST After that, Jesus and his apprentices arrived at the town of Bethsaida. The people there took a blind man to Jesus. They urged Jesus to{ heal the man} by touching him. BSB BSB: When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
23 UST So, Jesus took one of the blind man’ s hands. He brought the blind man outside the town. Then Jesus spat saliva onto the man’ s eyes, and Jesus touched him. After that, he asked the man,“Can you see anything?” BSB BSB: So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.
24 UST So, the man looked around. He said,“{ Yes,} I can see people! They look like trees, but I can tell that they are walking around.” BSB BSB: The man looked up and said, “I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around.”
25 UST After that, Jesus again touched the blind man’ s eyes. When the man looked around carefully, he could see everything properly. Jesus had cured him! BSB BSB: Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly.
26 UST Jesus commanded the man,“Do not go into the town{ of Bethsaida}!” Then he told the man to go home. BSB BSB: Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not go back into the village.”
Peter’s Confession of Christ (Matthew 16:13–20; Luke 9:18–20; John 6:67–71)
28 UST The apprentices replied,“People say that you are one of the prophets{ who has come back to life}.{ More specifically,} some people say that you are John the Baptizer. Other people say that you are the prophet Elijah.” BSB BSB: They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 UST Then Jesus asked them,“As for you, who do you say that I really am?” Peter replied,“You are the Messiah!” BSB BSB: “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
30 UST Then Jesus ordered the apprentices not to tell anyone who he really was. BSB BSB: And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.
Christ’s Passion Foretold (Matthew 16:21–23; Luke 9:21–22)
32 UST Jesus told that to them clearly. Then Peter spoke to Jesus privately. He started to scold him. BSB BSB: He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
33 UST Jesus turned around and looked at his{ other} apprentices. Then he scolded Peter,“Do not try to stop me. You are behaving as Satan does! You are thinking about what humans care about instead of thinking about what God cares about.” BSB BSB: But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Take Up Your Cross (Matthew 16:24–28; Luke 9:23–27)
34 UST Then Jesus told his apprentices and the large group of people to come to him. He told them,“People who want to come with me and be my apprentices must refuse to do what they want to do. They must be willing to suffer or die as if they were carrying their own crosses when they come with me as my apprentices. BSB BSB: Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
35 UST { That is} because people who are willing to do anything to stay alive will not truly live. However, people who are willing to die because they are my apprentices and because they believe the good news will truly live. BSB BSB: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it.
36 UST Suppose that some people acquire everything they could possibly want. However, they can no longer truly live. That is not worth it! BSB BSB: What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
37 UST In fact, people cannot acquire anything that is as valuable as truly living. BSB BSB: Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 UST The men and women who are alive right now sin often and do not remain faithful. As they live among those men and women, some people consider it shameful to say that they believe in me and what I say. Then I, the Son of Man, will consider it shameful to say that those people belong to me. That will happen when I return with the angels whom God has set apart. At that time, I will be as glorious as God my Father.” BSB BSB: If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”