John 6

Chapter 6.

6 ¹After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. ²A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he performed on the sick. ³Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples. ⁴Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.

⁵Looking up, Jesus saw a large crowd approaching and asked Philip, "Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?"

⁶He said this to test Philip, for he himself already knew what he was going to do.

⁷Philip answered him, "200 days' wages of bread isn't enough for each of them to get a little." ^a a v7 A denarius was about a day's wage; two hundred denarii was some eight months' pay.

⁸One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, ⁹"A boy here has five barley loaves and two fish—but what's that for so many?"

¹⁰Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Much grass grew there, so about 5,000 men sat down.

¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those seated; likewise with the fish, as much as they wanted.

¹²When they were full, he told his disciples, "Gather the leftover pieces, so nothing is lost."

¹³So they gathered the fragments left over from the five barley loaves after the people ate, filling twelve baskets. ¹⁴So when the people saw the sign he did, they said, "This really is the Prophet coming into the world!" ¹⁵Knowing they meant to come and seize him to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Into the Storm

¹⁶When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷got in a boat and headed across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet reached them. ¹⁸A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew rough. ¹⁹After rowing three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water, approaching the boat, and were afraid.

²⁰But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."

²¹So they were glad to take him into the boat, and instantly it reached the shore they were heading toward.

²²The next day, the crowd remaining on the far shore saw that only one boat had been there, that Jesus had not boarded it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone off alone. ²³Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they ate bread after the Lord gave thanks. ²⁴So when the crowd saw Jesus and his disciples weren't there, they got in boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus. ²⁵Finding him across the sea, they asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

²⁶Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I tell you: you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. ²⁷Don't work for food that spoils, but for food that lasts to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him our Father has set his seal."

²⁸Then they said to him, "What must we do to be doing the works of our Father?"

²⁹Jesus answered them, "This is our Father's work: that you believe in the one he sent."

³⁰So they asked him, "What sign will you give, so we may see and believe you? What work will you do? ³¹Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

³²Jesus told them, "Truly, truly, I tell you: Moses didn't give you the bread from heaven—my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of our Father is he who comes down from heaven and gives the world life."

³⁴So they said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

³⁵Jesus told them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger; whoever believes in me will never thirst. ³⁶But as I told you, you have seen me and still do not believe. ³⁷All the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸For I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹This is the will of him who sent me: that I lose none of all he has given me, but raise them up on the last day. ⁴⁰For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day."

⁴¹So the Jews grumbled about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

⁴²They said, "Isn't this Jesus, Joseph's son, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

⁴³Jesus answered them, "Stop grumbling among yourselves.

⁴⁴"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him on the last day. ^b b v44 Coming to Jesus is our Father's initiative — he draws his children toward the Son with love that pursues, not power that compels. ⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets: 'And they will all be taught by our Father.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. ⁴⁶Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one from him; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so anyone may eat it and not die. ⁵¹I am the living bread come down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. The bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world."

⁵²Then the Jews argued sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

⁵³Jesus told them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. ⁵⁴Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. ⁵⁵For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷As the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven. It is not like the bread your ancestors ate and still died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."

⁵⁹He said these things while teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. ⁶⁰On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

When Many Turn Back

⁶¹Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?

⁶²"Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh helps nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴But some of you don't believe." For Jesus knew from the start who didn't believe, and who would betray him. ⁶⁵And he said, "This is why I told you: no one can come to me unless the Father enables him."

⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

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

⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have believed and known you are the Holy One of our Father."

⁷⁰Jesus answered them, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil."

⁷¹He meant Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who was about to betray him.