The Fourth Sign: Feeding 5,000

1Aftera this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galileeb (or Tiberiasc). 2And a huge crowd was following Him because they saw the signs that He was performing by healing the sick. 3So Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with His disciples.

4Now the •Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. 5Therefore, when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him,d He asked Philip,e “Where will we buy bread so these people can eat? ” 6He asked this to test him,f for He Himself knew what He was going to do.

7Philip answered, “Two hundred •denariig worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.”

8One of His disciples, Andrew,h Simoni Peter’sj brother, said to Him, 9“There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish — but what are they for so many? ”

10Then Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”

There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. The men numbered about 5,000.k 11Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated — so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.l

12When they were full, He told His disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.”m 13So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

14When the people saw the signn He had done, they said, “This really is the Propheto who was to comep into the world! ”q 15Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king,r He withdrew agains to the mountain by Himself.

The Fifth Sign: Walking on Water

16Whent evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.u Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them. 18Then a high wind arose, and the sea began to churn. 19After they had rowed about three or four miles,v they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid.

20But He said to them, “It is I.w,x Don’t be afraid! ” 21Then they were willing to take Him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

The Bread of Life

22The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea knew there had been only one boat.y, z They also knew that Jesus had not boarded the boat with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone off alone. 23Some boats from Tiberiasaa came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord gave thanks. 24When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “•Rabbi,ab when did You get here? ”

26Jesus answered, “•I assure you: You are looking for Me, not because you sawac the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27Don’t work for the food that perishesad but for the food that lasts for eternal life,ae which the •Son of Manaf will give you, because God the Fatherag has set His seal of approval on Him.”

28“What can we do to perform the works of God? ” they asked.

29Jesus replied, “This is the workah of God — that you believe in the One He has sent.”ai

30“What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You? ” they asked. “What are You going to perform? 31Our fathers ate the mannaaj in the wilderness,ak just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”al, am, an

32Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Mosesao didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always! ”

35“I amap the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Meaq will ever be hungry,ar and no one who believes in Meas will ever be thirstyat again. 36But as I told you, you’ve seen Me,au and yet you do not believe. 37Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.av 38For I have come down from heaven,aw not to do My will, but the will of Himax who sent Me. 39This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raiseay them up on the last day. 40For this is the will of My Father:az that everyone who sees the Sonba and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raisebb him up on the last day.”

41Therefore the •Jews started complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph,bc whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’? ”

43Jesus answered them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. 44No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me drawsbd him, and I will raise him up on the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets:be And they will all be taught by God.bf,bg Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Fatherbh comes to Me — 46not that anyone has seen the Fatherbi except the One who is from God.bj He has seen the Father.bk

47“I assure you: Anyone who believesbl has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the mannabm in the wilderness,bn and they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.bo 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will livebp forever.bq The bread that I will give for the lifebr of the world is My flesh.”bs

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

53So Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Manbv and drink His blood,bw you do not have life in yourselves. 54Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My bloodbx has eternal life, and I will raiseby him up on the last day, 55because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. 56The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.bz 57Just as the livingca Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will livecb because of Me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the mannacc your fathers ate — and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”cd

59He said these things while teaching in the •synagoguece in Capernaum.cf

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

60Therefore, when many of His disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard! Who can acceptcg it? ”

61Jesus, knowing in Himselfch that His disciples were complaining about this, asked them, “Does this •offend you? 62Then what if you were to observe the Son of Manci ascendingcj to where He was before? 63The Spiritck is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64But there are some among you who don’t believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginningcl those who would notcm believe and the one who would betraycn Him.) 65He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Meco unless it is granted to him by the Father.”

66From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him. 67Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve,cp “You don’t want to go away too, do you? ”

68Simon Petercq answered, “Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life. 69We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God! ”cr, cs

70Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve?ct Yet one of you is the Devil! ”cu 71He was referring to Judas,cv Simon Iscariot’s son,cw, cx one of the Twelve, because he was going to betraycy Him.