John 6

Christ feeds the five thousand

After these things Jesus went over the lake of Galilee (which is the lake of Tiberias), 2 And a great crowd followed him, because they saw the miraculous signs which he performed on the sick.

3 And Jesus went up to a mountain, and sat there with his disciples. 4 And the Passover, a Jewish feast, was near.

5 When Jesus raised his eyes and saw a great crowd coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where will we buy bread for them to eat?” 6 And this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred silver coins’ worth of bread would not be sufficient for each of them to have a little”.

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fishes. But what are they among so many?”

10 And Jesus said, “Have the men sit down”. Now there was plenty of grass in the place, so the men, about five thousand in number, sat down.

11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them along with the fish to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were sitting down, as much as they wanted.

12 When they were full, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the pieces that are left, so that nothing is wasted”.

13 Therefore they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

14 Then the people, seeing the miraculous sign Jesus did, said, “Truly this is the prophet who should come into the world”.

15 So Jesus, knowing that they would come and take him by force to make him king, again went into a mountain by himself.

Christ walks on the water

16 And when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 and entered a boat and were crossing the lake toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 And the lake was stirred up because of a great wind that blew. 19 So when they had rowed about five or six kilometers, they saw Jesus walking on the lake, and drawing near the boat, and they were afraid.

20 But he said to them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid”.

21 Then they willingly received him into the boat. And immediately the ship was at the land where they were going.

22 The day following, when the people who stood on the other side of the lake saw that there had been no other boat there, except the one his disciples had entered, and that Jesus did not go with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples had gone away alone 23 (however other boats now came from Tiberias near to the place where they ate, after the Lord had given thanks), 24 so when the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they also got into the boats and came to Capernaum, looking for Jesus.

Christ is the Bread of life

25 And when they had found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw the miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves, and were filled. 27 Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for that food which lasts to everlasting life, which the Son of man will give to you, for on him God the Father has set his seal”.

28 Then they said to him, “What shall we do, that we might perform the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent”.

30 Therefore they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you show that we can see, and believe you? What deed will you perform? 31 Our fathers ate manna in the desert. As it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat”.

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you that bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world”.

34 Then they said to him, “Lord, always give us this bread”.

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. 36 But I told you that you have seen me and do not believe.

37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will not at all send away.

38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of the Father who has sent me, that of all whom he has given me I should lose none, but should raise them up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him, will have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day”. 41 Then the Jews grumbled about him because he said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven”.

42 And they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? Then how is it that he says, ‘I came down from heaven?’”

43 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me unless the Father who has sent me draws him. 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.’ Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to me. 46 Not that any man has seen the Father, except he who is from God, he has seen the Father.

47 “Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world”.

52 Therefore the Jews argued among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, lives in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father has sent me, and I live because of the Father, even so he who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven; not as your fathers ate manna, and are dead. He who eats of this bread will live forever”.

59 He said these things in the synagogue, while he was teaching in Capernaum.

Christ is deserted by many disciples

60 Then many of his disciples, hearing this, said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can understand it?”

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What, then, if you see the Son of man ascend where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh is of no use. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life. 64 But some of you do not believe”. For Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe, and who would betray him.

65 And he said, “Therefore I told you that no one can come to me unless it is given to him by my Father”.

66 From that time many of his disciples went away and did not walk any more with him.

67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?”

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.

70 Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a demon?”

71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. For it was he, who was one of the twelve, who would betray him.