John 6
Legacy Standard Bible
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
6 After these things (A)Jesus went away to the other side of (B)the Sea of Galilee (or (C)Tiberias). 2 Now a large crowd was following Him, because they were seeing the [a](D)signs which He was doing on those who were sick. 3 Then (E)Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He was sitting down with His disciples. 4 Now (F)the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to (G)Philip, “Where should we buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 And this He was saying to (H)test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do. 7 (I)Philip answered Him, “(J)Two hundred [b]denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” 8 One of His (K)disciples, (L)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two (M)fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people [c]sit down.” Now there was (N)much grass in the place. So the men [d]sat down, in number about (O)five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and (P)having given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated; likewise also of the (Q)fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they were filled, He *said to His (R)disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve (S)baskets with pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the [e]sign which He had done, they were saying, “This is truly the (T)Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Jesus Walks on the Sea
15 So Jesus, knowing that they were going to come and take Him by force (U)to make Him king, (V)withdrew again to (W)the mountain by Himself alone.
16 Now when evening came, His (X)disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they began to cross the sea (Y)to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 And the sea *was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 Then, when they had rowed about [f]twenty-five or thirty stadia, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20 But He *said to them, [g]“It is I; [h](Z)do not be afraid.” 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
22 On the next day, (AA)the crowd which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus (AB)had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other small boats came from (AC)Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the (AD)Lord (AE)had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and (AF)came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “(AG)Rabbi, when did You come here?”
I Am the Bread of Life
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you (AH)seek Me, not because you saw (AI)signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not (AJ)work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to (AK)eternal life, which (AL)the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, (AM)set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What should we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is (AN)the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He (AO)has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “(AP)What then do You do for a (AQ)sign so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 (AR)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘(AS)He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses has not given you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is [i]that which (AT)comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always (AU)give us this bread.”
35 Jesus said to them, “(AV)I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me (AW)will never thirst. 36 But (AX)I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 (AY)All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out. 38 For (AZ)I have come down from heaven, (BA)not to do My own will, but (BB)the will of Him who (BC)sent Me. 39 Now this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of (BD)all that He has given Me I (BE)lose nothing, but (BF)raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who (BG)sees the Son and (BH)believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will (BI)raise him up on the last day.”
Words to the Jews
41 (BJ)Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that (BK)came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “(BL)Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother (BM)we know? How does He now say, ‘(BN)I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me (BO)draws him; and I will (BP)raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written (BQ)in the prophets, ‘(BR)And they shall all be (BS)taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 (BT)Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes (BU)has eternal life. 48 (BV)I am the bread of life. 49 (BW)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which (BX)comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and (BY)not die. 51 (BZ)I am the living bread that (CA)came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, (CB)he will live forever; and also the bread which I will give (CC)for the life of the world is (CD)My flesh.”
52 (CE)Then the Jews (CF)began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of (CG)the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will (CH)raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood (CI)abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the (CJ)living Father (CK)sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which (CL)came down out of heaven, not as (CM)the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread (CN)will live forever.”
Words to the Disciples
59 These things He said (CO)in the synagogue as He taught (CP)in Capernaum.
60 Therefore many of His (CQ)disciples, when they heard this said, “(CR)This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, (CS)knowing in Himself that His disciples were grumbling at this, said to them, “Does this (CT)cause you to stumble? 62 What then if you see (CU)the Son of Man (CV)ascending to where He was before? 63 (CW)The Spirit is the One who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; (CX)the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are (CY)some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus (CZ)knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and (DA)who it was that would [j]betray Him. 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have (DB)said to you, that no one can come to Me unless (DC)it has been granted him from the Father.”
Peter Confesses Jesus Is the Christ
66 As a result of this many of His (DD)disciples [k](DE)went away and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to (DF)the twelve, “Do you also want to go?” 68 (DG)Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have (DH)words of eternal life. 69 And we have believed and have come to know that You are (DI)the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “(DJ)Did I Myself not choose you, (DK)the twelve, and yet one of you is (DL)a devil?” 71 Now He was speaking of Judas (DM)the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, (DN)one of (DO)the twelve, [l]was going to betray Him.
Footnotes
- John 6:2 Or attesting miracles
- John 6:7 A Roman silver coin, approx. a laborer’s daily wage
- John 6:10 Lit recline(d)
- John 6:10 Lit recline(d)
- John 6:14 Or attesting miracle
- John 6:19 Approx. 2.8-3.5 mi. or 4.6-5.5 km; a stadion was about 607 ft. or 185 m
- John 6:20 Or I am He, cf. 4:26; 8:18, 24, 28; 13:19; 18:5, 6
- John 6:20 Or stop being afraid
- John 6:33 Or He who comes
- John 6:64 Or hand Him over
- John 6:66 Lit went away to what was previous
- John 6:71 Or was intending to
John 6
Expanded Bible
More than Five Thousand Fed(A)
6 After this, Jesus went ·across [to the other side of] ·Lake [T the Sea of] Galilee (or, Lake Tiberias). 2 Many people followed him because they saw the ·miracles [L signs; 2:11] he did ·to heal [L for; on behalf of] the sick. 3 Jesus went up on a ·hill [or mountain] and sat down there with his ·followers [disciples]. 4 It was almost the time for the Jewish Passover Feast [C the annual festival that celebrates God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; Ex. 12; John 2:13].
5 When Jesus ·looked up [L raised his eyes] and saw a large crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip [C one of the twelve disciples; 1:43], “Where can we buy enough bread for all these people to eat?” 6 (Jesus asked Philip this question to test him, because Jesus already knew what he ·planned [was going] to do.)
7 Philip answered [L him], “·Someone would have to work almost a year to buy enough bread [L Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not enough; C a denarius was a unit of money worth about a day’s wages] for each person to have only a little piece.”
8 Another one of his ·followers [disciples], Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “Here is a boy with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish, but ·that is not enough [L what are these…?] for so many people.”
10 Jesus said, “·Tell [L Make] the people to sit down.” There was plenty of grass there, and about five thousand men sat down there. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves of bread, ·thanked God [L gave thanks] for them, and ·gave [distributed] them to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, giving as much as the people wanted.
12 When they ·had all had enough to eat [L were filled/satisfied], Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “Gather the leftover ·pieces of fish and bread [L pieces] so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they gathered up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left from the five barley loaves [2 Kin. 4:42–44; C Jesus’ miracle surpasses that of Elisha].
14 When the people saw this ·miracle [L sign] that Jesus did, they said, “He must truly be the Prophet [1:21; C probably the “prophet like Moses” of Deut. 18:15–18] who is coming into the world.”
15 Jesus knew that the people ·planned [intended; were about] to come and take him by force and make him their king, so he ·left [withdrew] and went into the ·hills [or mountains] alone.
Jesus Walks on the Water(B)
16 That evening Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] went down to ·Lake Galilee [L the lake/sea]. 17 It was dark now, and Jesus had not yet ·come to [joined] them. The ·followers [disciples] got into a boat and started across the lake to Capernaum. 18 By now a strong wind was blowing, and ·the waves on the lake were getting bigger [L the sea/lake rose up]. 19 When they had rowed the boat about ·three or four miles [L twenty-five or thirty stadia; C a stadion was about 600 feet], they saw Jesus walking on the ·water [sea; lake], coming toward the boat. The ·followers [disciples] were afraid, 20 but Jesus said to them, “It is I [or “I am”; C there could be an echo here of Ex. 3:14]. Do not be afraid.” 21 Then they ·were glad [or were willing] to take him into the boat. ·At once [Immediately] the boat came to land at the place where they wanted to go. [C The sea often stands for chaos, and God controls it.]
The People Seek Jesus
22 The next day the ·people [L crowd] who had stayed on the ·other [opposite] side of the ·lake [sea] knew that Jesus had not gone in the boat with his ·followers [disciples] but that they had left ·without him [L alone]. And they ·knew [L saw] that only one boat had been there. 23 But then some boats came from Tiberias [C a major city on the western shore of Lake Galilee] and landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 When the ·people [L crowd] saw that Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] were not there now, they got into boats and went to Capernaum to find Jesus.
Jesus, the Bread of Life
25 When ·the people [L they] found Jesus on the ·other [opposite] side of the ·lake [sea], they asked him, “·Teacher [L Rabbi], when did you come here?”
26 Jesus answered, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], you aren’t looking for me because you saw ·me do miracles [L signs]. You are looking for me because you ate the bread and were ·satisfied [filled]. 27 Don’t work for the food that ·spoils [perishes]. Work for the food that ·stays good always and gives eternal life [L endures/remains/abides for eternal life]. The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] will give you this food, because on him God the Father has ·put his power [L set his seal; C a seal impression signifies ownership and authority; 3:33].”
28 The people asked Jesus, “What ·are the things God wants us to do [L should we do to work the works of God]?”
29 Jesus answered, “·The work God wants you to do is this [L This is the work of God]: Believe the One he sent.”
30 So ·the people [L they] asked, “What ·miracle will you do? If we see a miracle, we will believe you [L sign will you do that we might see and believe you?]. What ·will you do [work will you perform]? 31 Our ·ancestors [forefathers; L fathers] ate the manna [C a flaky breadlike food that God provided the Israelites in the wilderness; Ex. 16:13–36] in the ·desert [wilderness]. ·This is written in the Scriptures [L As it is written]: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat [compare Ex. 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Ps. 78:24].’
32 [L Therefore; So; Then] Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven; it is my Father who is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33 [L For] God’s bread is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 [L Therefore] ·the people [L they] said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Then Jesus said to them, “I am the ·bread that gives life [T bread of life]. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you before, you have seen me and still don’t believe. 37 ·The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me [L All/Everything the Father gives me will come to me], and I will ·always accept them [not reject them; L not cast them out]. 38 [L For] I came down from heaven to do ·what God wants me to do [L the will of him who sent me], not ·what I want to do [L my own will]. 39 Here is ·what the One who sent me wants me to do [L the will of him who sent me]: I must not lose even one whom God gave me, but I must raise them all on the last day. 40 Those who see the Son and believe in him have eternal life, and I will raise them on the last day. This is ·what my Father wants [L the will of my Father].”
41 ·Some people [The Jewish leaders; L The Jews] began to ·complain [grumble; murmur] about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that comes down from heaven.” 42 They said, “·This is [L Is this not…?] Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his father and mother. How can he [L now] say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 But Jesus ·answered [responded], “Stop ·complaining to each other [grumbling/murmuring among yourselves]. 44 The Father is the One who sent me. No one can come to me unless the Father draws him to me, and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God [Is. 54:13].’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 ·No one has [or Not that anyone has] seen the Father except the One who is from God; only he has seen the Father. [C Some interpreters put the previous sentence in parentheses as a side comment made by the author.] 47 ·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the ·bread that gives life [T bread of life]. 49 Your ·ancestors [forefathers; L fathers] ate the manna [see 6:31] in the ·desert [wilderness], but still they died. 50 Here is the bread that comes down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give up so that the world may have life.”
52 Then the ·Jewish leaders [L Jews] began to ·argue [dispute; quarrel] among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 [L So] Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], you must eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. Otherwise, you won’t have ·real life [L life] in you. 54 Those who ·eat [feed on; C Jesus uses a different Greek word for “eat” in vv. 54–57 than in the previous verses; but the difference is probably stylistic] my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. 55 [L For] My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who ·eat [feed on] my flesh and drink my blood ·live [remain; abide] in me, and I ·live [remain; abide] in them. 57 The living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father. So whoever ·eats [feeds on] me will live because of me. 58 I am not like the bread your ·ancestors [forefathers; L fathers] ate [C the manna; 6:31]. They ate that bread and still died. I am the bread that came down from heaven, and whoever ·eats [feeds on] this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said all these things while he was teaching in the synagogue [C a local congregation of Jews] in Capernaum [2:12].
The Words of Eternal Life
60 When the ·followers [disciples; C a broader circle of followers, not the twelve disciples] of Jesus heard this, many of them said, “This teaching [C that Jesus is the bread of life; 6:25–59] is ·hard [difficult; offensive]. Who can ·accept [obey; L hear] it?”
61 Knowing that his ·followers [disciples] were ·complaining [grumbling] about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this teaching ·bother [offend] you? 62 Then ·will it also bother you to [L what if you] see the Son of Man ·going back [L going up; ascending] to the place ·where he came from [L where he was before; C heaven]? 63 It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh ·doesn’t give life [L is useless; counts for nothing]. The words I told you ·are spirit, and they give life [or are from the Spirit who gives life]. 64 But some of you don’t believe.” ([L For] Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe and who would ·turn against [betray] him.) 65 Jesus said, “That is the reason I said, ·‘If the Father does not bring a person to me, that one cannot come.’ [L ‘No one can come to me unless the Father enables/grants him.’]”
66 After Jesus said this, many of his ·followers [disciples] ·left him [L turned back to previous things] and ·stopped following [L no longer walked with] him.
67 Jesus asked ·the twelve followers [the Twelve], “Do you want to leave, too?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord [or Master], who would we go to? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One from God.”
70 Then Jesus answered them, “·I chose [L Did I not choose…?] all twelve of you, but one of you is ·a devil [or the Devil; C Jesus equates the work of Judas with the work of Satan; compare Mark 8:33].”
71 Jesus was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the twelve, but later he was going to ·turn against [betray] Jesus.
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