Chapter Eight
Mk. 8:1. In those days, when a very great multitude had gathered and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them:
Mk. 8:2. I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.
Mk. 8:3. If I send them away to their homes hungry, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from far away.
Mk. 8:4. His disciples answered Him: from where could anyone obtain bread here in the wilderness to feed them?
Mk. 8:5. And He asked them: How many loaves do you have? They said: Seven.
Mk. 8:6. Then He commanded the multitude to recline on the ground; and taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, He broke them and gave them to His disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the multitude.
Mk. 8:7. They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He commanded that these also be set before them.
Mk. 8:8. And they ate and were satisfied; and they gathered up seven baskets of leftover fragments.
Mk. 8:9. And those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away. The Lord had already performed a similar miracle before. He works wonders now as well, having a fitting occasion for it. And the occasion was this: the people had been with Him for three days, and the food supply they had taken for the journey had run out entirely. For the Lord did not always perform miracles over food, lest people think the crowd followed Him for the sake of food. He would not have worked miracles now either, had the people not apparently faced danger from lack of food. But look also at the disciples, how they are still without understanding and do not yet have faith in His power, even though they had already seen miracles! However, the Lord does not reproach them, teaching us as well not to attack the inexperienced too harshly, but to forgive them as those who do not yet understand. Consider also that Christ does not wish to send anyone away hungry, but desires to satisfy all with His gifts, and especially those who have stayed with Him three days, that is, those who have been baptized. Since baptism is called illumination and is performed with three immersions, those illuminated by baptism prove to be of three days. The Lord takes "seven loaves," by which I mean seven most spiritual words, for the number seven is an image of the Spirit. The Spirit brings all things to completion, and our life and this present age are completed in the number seven. The illuminated eat and are satisfied and leave a surplus, since they cannot contain all the thoughts of God. Earlier, in the miracle of the five loaves, twelve baskets of surplus remained, for there were five thousand, who signify those enslaved to the five senses; therefore they could not eat much but were satisfied with little, which is why much remained in surplus. But here, from seven loaves, seven baskets remained with only a small surplus, since the crowd was four thousand, who signify those established in the four virtues; and therefore they, being stronger, ate much and left little, for they could not consume only what is more spiritual and profound, and this is what the seven baskets signify. From the account under consideration, learn also this: that we must be content with only what is necessary and ask for nothing more. For behold, these people, having eaten and been satisfied, did not take the leftover bread with them, but the disciples took it, just as it was with the aforementioned baskets. So too must we be content with what is given, according to our need.
Mk. 8:10. And immediately entering into the boat with His disciples, He came into the region of Dalmanutha.
Mk. 8:11. The Pharisees came out, began to argue with Him, and demanded from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.
Mk. 8:12. And He, sighing deeply, said: Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation. After the miracle of the loaves, the Lord immediately departs to another place, fearing that the people, as a result of such a miracle, might revolt and decide to make Him king. And the Pharisees demand a sign from heaven, for example, to stop the sun or the moon, to bring down lightning, to produce a change in the air. They thought that He was unable to perform a heavenly sign, having the power to produce by the power of Beelzebub only earthly signs. But Jesus does not heed them, for another time has been appointed for signs from heaven — I mean the time of the second coming, when the powers of heaven shall be shaken and the moon shall not give its light; but the time of the first coming has nothing of the sort, but everything is filled with meekness. And therefore "no sign shall be given to this generation" from heaven.
Mk. 8:13. And, leaving them, He again entered the boat and departed to the other side.
Mk. 8:14. And the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have with them in the boat more than one loaf.
Mk. 8:15. And He charged them, saying: Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
Mk. 8:16. And they reasoned among themselves, saying: this is because we have no bread.
Mk. 8:17. Jesus, perceiving this, says to them: Why do you reason about having no bread? Do you still not understand nor comprehend? Is your heart still hardened?
Mk. 8:18. Having eyes, do you not see? Having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?
Mk. 8:19. When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you take up? They say to Him: twelve.
Mk. 8:20. And when the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets of leftover pieces did you collect? They said: seven.
Mk. 8:21. And He said to them: How is it that you do not understand? The Lord leaves the Pharisees as incorrigible people. For one should linger where there is hope of correction, but where the evil is incorrigible, one must flee from there. The disciples forgot to take bread by a special dispensation of God, so that after Christ's stern rebuke they would become wiser and come to know the power of Christ. For when the Lord said that they should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, that is, the teaching of the Pharisees, they thought that the Lord was reminding them about the leaven of bread. And so He rightly reproaches them as not understanding the power of Christ, by which the Lord can create bread even out of nothing. He calls the teaching of the Pharisees and the Herodians leaven for the reason that it was bitter and filled with ancient malice. And everyone who has grown old in evil and cannot speak anything spiritual to sweeten the throat of the listener has within himself the leaven of ancient malice, that is, a teaching that is poisonous and leads those who accept it only to regret. But who were the Herodians? They were certain newly appeared teachers who said that Herod was the Christ and that one must believe in him.
Mk. 8:22. And He comes to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man to Him and beseech Him to touch him.
Mk. 8:23. He, taking the blind man by the hand, led him out of the village, and having spit on his eyes, laid His hands on him and asked him: do you see anything?
Mk. 8:24. Looking up, he said: I see people walking about like trees.