Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
1Some time after this, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It is also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2A large crowd of people followed him. They had seen the signs he had done by healing sick people. 3Then Jesus went up on a mountainside. There he sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
5Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him. So he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6He asked this only to test Philip. He already knew what he was going to do.
7Philip answered him, “Suppose we were able to buy enough bread for each person to have just a bite. That would take more than half a year’s pay!”
8Another of his disciples spoke up. It was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He said, 9“Here is a boy with five small loaves of barley bread. He also has two small fish. But how far will that go in such a large crowd?”
10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. About 5,000 men were there. 11Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. He handed out the bread to those who were seated. He gave them as much as they wanted. And he did the same with the fish.
12When all of them had enough to eat, Jesus spoke to his disciples. “Gather the leftover pieces,” he said. “Don’t waste anything.” 13So they gathered what was left over from the five barley loaves. They filled 12 baskets with the pieces left by those who had eaten.
14The people saw the sign that Jesus did. Then they began to say, “This must be the Prophet who is supposed to come into the world.” 15But Jesus knew that they planned to come and force him to be their king. So he went away again to a mountain by himself.
Jesus Walks on the Water
16When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the Sea of Galilee. 17There they got into a boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. By now it was dark. Jesus had not yet joined them. 18A strong wind was blowing, and the water became rough. 19They rowed about three or four miles. Then they saw Jesus coming toward the boat. He was walking on the water. They were frightened. 20But he said to them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 21Then they agreed to take him into the boat. Right away the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
22The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake realized something. They saw that only one boat had been there. They knew that Jesus had not gotten into it with his disciples. And they knew that the disciples had gone away alone. 23Then some boats arrived from Tiberias. It was near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks. 24The crowd realized that Jesus and his disciples were not there. So they got into boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus.
Jesus Is the Bread of Life
25They found him on the other side of the lake. They asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26Jesus answered, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You are not looking for me because you saw the signs I did. You are looking for me because you ate the loaves until you were full. 27Do not work for food that spoils. Work for food that lasts forever. That is the food the Son of Man will give you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.”
28Then they asked him, “What does God want from us? What works does he want us to do?”
29Jesus answered, “God’s work is to believe in the one he has sent.”
30So they asked him, “What sign will you give us? What will you do so we can see it and believe you? 31Long ago our people ate the manna in the desert. It is written in Scripture, ‘The Lord gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” (Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalm 78:24,25)
32Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. It is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven. It is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33The bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven. He gives life to the world.”
34“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35Then Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry. And whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But it is just as I told you. You have seen me, and you still do not believe. 37Everyone the Father gives me will come to me. I will never send away anyone who comes to me. 38I have not come down from heaven to do what I want to do. I have come to do what the one who sent me wants me to do. 39The one who sent me doesn’t want me to lose anyone he has given me. He wants me to raise them up on the last day. 40My Father wants all who look to the Son and believe in him to have eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day.”
41Then the Jews there began to complain about Jesus. That was because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don’t we know his father and mother? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43“Stop complaining among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me brings them. Then I will raise them up on the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets, ‘God will teach all of them.’ (Isaiah 54:13) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who has come from God. Only he has seen the Father. 47What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who believes has life forever. 48I am the bread of life. 49Long ago your people ate the manna in the desert, and they still died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven. A person can eat it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Everyone who eats some of this bread will live forever. This bread is my body. I will give it for the life of the world.”
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. They said, “How can this man give us his body to eat?”
53Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You must eat the Son of Man’s body and drink his blood. If you don’t, you have no life in you. 54Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day. 55My body is real food. My blood is real drink. 56Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood remains in me. And I remain in them. 57The living Father sent me, and I live because of him. In the same way, those who feed on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Long ago your people ate manna and died. But whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 59He said this while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Leave Jesus
60Jesus’ disciples heard this. Many of them said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about his teaching. So he said to them, “Does this upset you? 62Then what if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before? 63The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit. They give life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe. And he had known who was going to hand him over to his enemies. 65So he continued speaking. He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father helps them.”
66From this time on, many of his disciples turned back. They no longer followed him.
67“You don’t want to leave also, do you?” Jesus asked the 12 disciples.
68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, who can we go to? You have the words of eternal life. 69We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70Then Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you, the 12 disciples? But one of you is a devil!” 71He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the 12 disciples. But later he was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.
Jesus feeds the five thousand
1Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing those who were ill. 3Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7Philip answered him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages6:7 Greek take two hundred denarii to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’
8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’
10Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ 15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
Jesus walks on the water
16When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles,6:19 Or about 5 or 6 kilometres they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ 21Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
22The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realised that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 23Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24Once the crowd realised that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
Jesus the bread of life
25When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’
26Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.’
28Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’
29Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’
30So they asked him, ‘What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”6:31 Exodus 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Psalm 78:24,25’
32Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’
34‘Sir,’ they said, ‘always give us this bread.’
35Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.’
41At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ 42They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I came down from heaven”?’
43‘Stop grumbling among yourselves,’ Jesus answered. 44‘No-one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God.”6:45 Isaiah 54:13 Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46No-one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’
53Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live for ever.’ 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many disciples desert Jesus
60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’
61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit6:63 Or are Spirit; or are spirit and life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no-one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’
66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.
68Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’
70Then Jesus replied, ‘Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!’ 71(He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
