John 6

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

(Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17)

1After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias ). 2A large crowd followed Him because they saw His signs1 He was performing on the sick. 3Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with His disciples.

4Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near. 5When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do.

7Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii2 would not buy enough bread for each of them3 to have a small piece.”

8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”

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

11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples4 to those who were seated— and the fish— as much as they wanted.

12And when everyone was full, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over, so that nothing will be wasted.”

13So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14When the people saw the sign5 that Jesus had performed,6 they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

15Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew7 to a mountain by Himself.

Jesus Walks on Water

(Matthew 14:22–33; Mark 6:45–52)

16When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not gone out8 to them. 18A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.

19When they had rowed about three or four miles,9 they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea — and they were terrified. 20But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

Jesus the Bread of Life

22The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea realized that no other boat had been there except the one that His disciples had entered,10 and that Jesus had not boarded it with His disciples, but they had gone away alone. 23Then other boats, which were from Tiberias,11 landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Him. 25When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”

26Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that perishes, 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 inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”

29Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

30So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? 31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’12”

32Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.”

35Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. 36But as I stated, you have seen Me and still you do not believe.

37Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

39And this is the will of the Father13 who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40And it is the will of Him who sent Me14 that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

41At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

43“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus therefore15 replied. 44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’16 Therefore17 everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me — 46not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.

47Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes in Me18 has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

52At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For My flesh is truly19 food, and My blood is truly drink.

56Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died,20 the one who eats this bread21 will live forever.”

Many Disciples Turn Back

(Matthew 8:18–22; Luke 9:57–62; Luke 14:25–33)

59Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”

61Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you? 62Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?

63The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I speak22 to you are spirit and they are life. 64However, 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.)

65Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless My Father23 has granted it to him.”

66From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.

Peter’s Confession of Faith

(Matthew 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–30; Luke 9:18–20)

67So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?”

68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.24”

70Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71He was speaking about Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.25 For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.