John 6
1 After these things, Jesus traveled across the sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.2 And a great multitude was following him, for they saw the signs that he was accomplishing toward those who were infirm.3 Therefore, Jesus went onto a mountain, and he sat down there with his disciples.4 Now the Passover, the feast day of the Jews, was near.5 And so, when Jesus had lifted up his eyes and had seen that a very great multitude came to him, he said to Philip, From where should we buy bread, so that these may eat?6 But he said this to test him. For he himself knew what he would do.7 Philip answered him, Two hundred denarii of bread would not be sufficient for each of them to receive even a little.8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him:9 There is a certain boy here, who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are these among so many?10 Then Jesus said, Have the men sit down to eat. Now, there was much grass in that place. And so the men, in number about five thousand, sat down to eat.11 Therefore, Jesus took the bread, and when he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting down to eat; similarly also, from the fish, as much as they wanted.12 Then, when they were filled, he said to his disciples, Gather the fragments that are left over, lest they be lost.13 And so they gathered, and they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which were left over from those who had eaten.14 Therefore, those men, when they had seen that Jesus had accomplished a sign, they said, Truly, this one is the Prophet who is to come into the world.15 And so, when he realized that they were going to come and take him away and make him king, Jesus fled back to the mountain, by himself alone.16 Then, when evening arrived, his disciples descended to the sea.17 And when they had climbed into a boat, they went across the sea to Capernaum. And darkness had now arrived, and Jesus had not returned to them.18 Then the sea was stirred up by a great wind that was blowing.19 And so, when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat, and they were afraid.20 But he said to them: It is I. Do not be afraid.21 Therefore, they were willing to receive him into the boat. But immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.22 On the next day, the crowd which was standing across the sea saw that there were no other small boats in that place, except one, and that Jesus had not entered into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had departed alone.23 Yet truly, other boats came over from Tiberias, next to the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks.24 Therefore, when the crowd had seen that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they climbed into the small boats, and they went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.25 And when they had found him across the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here?26 Jesus answered them and said: Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek me, not because you have seen signs, but because you have eaten from the bread and were satisfied.27 Do not work for food that perishes, but for that which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.28 Therefore, they said to him, What should we do, so that we may labor in the works of God?29 Jesus responded and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he sent.30 And so they said to him: Then what sign will you do, so that we may see it and believe in you? What will you work?31 Our fathers ate manna in the desert, just as it has been written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Therefore, Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.33 For the bread of God is he who descends from heaven and gives life to the world.34 And so they said to him, Lord, give us this bread always.35 Then Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.36 But I say to you, that even though you have seen me, you do not believe.37 All that the Father gives to me shall come to me. And whoever comes to me, I will not cast out.38 For I descended from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.39 Yet this is the will of the Father who sent me: that I should lose nothing out of all that he has given to me, but that I should raise them up on the last day.40 So then, this is the will of my Father who sent me: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.41 Therefore, the Jews murmured about him, because he had said: I am the living bread, who descended from heaven.42 And they said: Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? Then how can he say: For I descended from heaven? 43 And so Jesus responded and said to them: Do not choose to murmur among yourselves.44 No one is able to come to me, unless the Father, who has sent me, has drawn him. And I will raise him up on the last day.45 It has been written in the Prophets: And they shall all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened and learned from the Father comes to me.46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God; this one has seen the Father.47 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me has eternal life.48 I am the bread of life.49 Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and they died.50 This is the bread which descends from heaven, so that if anyone will eat from it, he may not die.51 I am the living bread, who descended from heaven.52 If anyone eats from this bread, he shall live in eternity. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.53 Therefore, the Jews debated among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?54 And so, Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.55 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.56 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.57 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.58 Just as the living Father has sent me and I live because of the Father, so also whoever eats me, the same shall live because of me.59 This is the bread that descends from heaven. It is not like the manna that your fathers ate, for they died. Whoever eats this bread shall live forever.60 He said these things when he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.61 Therefore, many of his disciples, upon hearing this, said: This saying is difficult, and, Who is able to listen to it?62 But Jesus, knowing within himself that his disciples were murmuring about this, said to them: Does this offend you?63 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending to where he was before?64 It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh does not offer anything of benefit. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.65 But there are some among you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who were unbelieving and which one would betray him.66 And so he said, For this reason, I said to you that no one is able to come to me, unless it has been given to him by my Father.67 After this, many of his disciples went back, and they no longer walked with him.68 Therefore, Jesus said to the twelve, Do you also want to go away?69 Then Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.70 And we have believed, and we recognize that you are the Christ, the Son of God.71 Jesus answered them: Have I not chosen you twelve? And yet one among you is a devil.72 Now he was speaking about Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. For this one, even though he was one of the twelve, was about to betray him.
John 6
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
1 After thist Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias).s2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick.3 So Jesus went on up the mountainsides and sat down there with his disciples.4 (Now the Jewish feast of the Passovers was near.)s5 Then Jesus, when he looked upt and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?”6 (Now Jesust said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.)s7 Philip replied,t “Two hundred silver coins wortht of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little.”8 One of Jesus’ disciples,t Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what goodt are these for so many people?”
10 Jesus said, “Havet the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.)s So the ment sat down, about five thousand in number.11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish,t as much as they wanted.12 When they were all satisfied, Jesust said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.”
13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loavess left over by the people who had eaten.
14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesust performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophetswho is to come into the world.”s
15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone.s
Walking on Water
16 Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,t17 got into a boat, and started to cross the laket to Capernaum.s (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.)s18 By now a strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough.19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles,ts they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake,t approaching the boat, and they were frightened.20 But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”
21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.
22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the laket realized that only one small boatst had been there, and that Jesus had not boardedt it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.23 But some boats from Tiberiass came to shoret near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.ss
24 So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boatst and came to Capernaums looking for Jesus.
Jesus’ Discourse About the Bread of Life
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake,t they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”s26 Jesus replied,t “I tell you the solemn truth,t you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted.t
27 Do not work for the food that disappears,ts but for the food that remains to eternal life – the foodt which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.”t
28 So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deedst God requires?”t29 Jesus replied,t “This is the deedt God requirest – to believe in the one whom het sent.”30 So they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?
31 Our ancestorst ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”s
32 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth,t it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven.33 For the bread of God is the one whot comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 So they said to him, “Sir,t give us this bread all the time!”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.ts36 But I told yout that you have seen mes and still do not believe.37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away.t38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me – that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all upt at the last day.
40 For this is the will of my Father – for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him upt at the last day.”s
41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesust began complaining about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,”42 and they said, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”43 Jesus replied,t “Do not complain about me to one another.t44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,ts and I will raise him up at the last day.45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’s Everyone who hears and learns from the Fathert comes to me.46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God – het has seen the Father.)s47 I tell you the solemn truth,t the one who believess has eternal life.t48 I am the bread of life.t49 Your ancestorst ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.50 Thist is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a persont may eat from it and not die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The breadt that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesust began to argue with one another,t “How can this mant give us his flesh to eat?”53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth,t unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,s you have no lifet in yourselves.54 The one who eatst my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.s55 For my flesh is truet food, and my blood is truet drink.56 The one who eatst my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him.s57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumest me will live because of me.
58 Thist is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestorst ate, but then later died.t The one who eatst this bread will live forever.”
Many Followers Depart
59 Jesust said these things while he was teaching in the synagogues in Capernaum.s60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things,t said, “This is a difficultt saying!t Who can understand it?”t61 When Jesus was awaret that his disciples were complainingt about this, he said to them, “Does this cause you to be offended?ts62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?t63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help!t The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.t64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)s
65 So Jesus added,t “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.”t
Peter’s Confession
66 After this many of his disciples quit following himt and did not accompany himt any longer.67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”t68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.69 Wet have come to believe and to knows that you are the Holy One of God!”ss70 Jesus replied,t “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?”t
71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot,s for Judas,t one of the twelve, was going to betray him.)s