7. Herod the ruler heard about everything that was happening. He was confused because some people were saying that John had been raised from the dead,
8. others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life.
9. Herod said, "I beheaded John, so now who am I hearing about?" Herod wanted to see him.
10. When the apostles returned, they described for Jesus what they had done. Taking them with him, Jesus withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida.
11. When the crowds figured it out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about God’s kingdom, and healed those who were sick.
12. When the day was almost over, the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so that they can go to the nearby villages and countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in a deserted place."
13. He replied, "You give them something to eat." But they said, "We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people."
14. (They said this because about five thousand men were present.) Jesus said to his disciples, "Seat them in groups of about fifty."
15. They did so, and everyone was seated.
16. He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
17. Everyone ate until they were full, and the disciples filled twelve baskets with the leftovers.
18. Once when Jesus was praying by himself, the disciples joined him, and he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
19. They answered, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others that one of the ancient prophets has come back to life."
20. He asked them, "And what about you? Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ sent from God."
21. Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone.
22. He said, "The Human One must suffer many things and be rejected—by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts—and be killed and be raised on the third day."
23. Jesus said to everyone, "All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.
24. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will save them.