The Life of Jesus

Some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him.

So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.

And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).

Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

In those days the crowd once again became very large, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called the disciples to Him and said,

“I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.

If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”

His disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could anyone find enough bread to feed all these people?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.

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.

They also had a few small fish, and Jesus blessed them and ordered that these be set before them as well.

The people ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

And about four thousand men were present. As soon as Jesus had dismissed the crowd,

He got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.

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.”

And He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.

“Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

So they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.

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?

‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember?

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?” “Twelve,” they answered.