耶稣使五千人吃饱

事后,耶稣渡过加利利湖,就是提比哩亚海。 许多人因为见过耶稣治病的神迹,就跟随了祂。 耶稣到了山上,与门徒一起坐下来。 那时,犹太人的逾越节快到了。 耶稣举目看见一大群人向祂走来,就对腓力说:“我们到哪里去买饼给他们吃呢?” 祂这样说是想试试腓力,其实祂知道应该怎么做。

腓力回答说:“就算买二百个银币[a]的饼,也不够他们每人一口啊!”

另外一个门徒——西门·彼得的弟弟安得烈对耶稣说: “这里有个小孩子带了五个大麦饼和两条鱼。不过,这么多人,这一点东西实在无济于事。”

10 耶稣说:“你们叫大家坐下。”那地方草很多,众人便坐下来,当时在场的男人大约有五千。 11 耶稣拿起饼来祝谢后,分给坐着的众人,然后又照样分鱼,众人可以随意吃。 12 他们吃饱后,耶稣对门徒说:“把剩下的零碎收拾起来,免得浪费。”

13 他们便把大家吃剩的那五个大麦饼的零碎收拾起来,装满了十二个篮子。 14 大家看见耶稣行的这个神迹,都说:“这人真是那位要来到世上的先知!” 15 耶稣知道他们想强行立祂做王,便独自退到山上。

耶稣在湖面上行走

16 傍晚的时候,门徒来到湖边, 17 上了船,去湖对岸的迦百农。天色已暗,耶稣还没到他们那里。 18 忽然,湖面上狂风大作,波涛汹涌。 19 门徒摇橹,大约行了五六公里,突然看见耶稣在水面上朝他们的船走来,他们很害怕。 20 耶稣对他们说:“是我,不要怕。” 21 于是门徒欢然接祂上船,船立刻到了目的地。

生命之粮

22 第二天,留在对岸的众人看见那里只有一条船,耶稣没有和门徒一起坐船离开。 23 后来有几条从提比哩亚来的小船停泊在岸边,靠近主祝谢后让众人吃饼的地方。 24 他们发现耶稣和门徒都不在那里,就乘船到迦百农去找祂。

25 他们在湖对岸找到了耶稣,对祂说:“老师,你什么时候到这里来的?”

26 耶稣回答说:“我实实在在地告诉你们,你们找我,并不是因为看见了神迹,而是因为你们有饼吃,并且吃饱了。 27 不要为那必坏的食物劳苦,要为那存到永生的食物,就是人子要赐给你们的食物劳苦,因为父上帝把这权柄交给了人子。”

28 众人问祂:“我们要怎样做,才算是做上帝的工作呢?”

29 耶稣说:“信上帝所差来的那位,就是做上帝的工作。”

30 他们又问:“那么,你行什么神迹让我们看了可以信你呢?你要做什么呢? 31 我们的祖先在旷野有吗哪吃,正如圣经上说,‘祂赐下天粮给他们吃。’”

32 耶稣却说:“我实实在在地告诉你们,不是摩西从天上赐给了你们粮食,而是我父将天上的真粮食赐给你们。 33 因为上帝赐的粮就是从天降下、赐生命给世人的那位。”

34 他们说:“先生,求你把这种粮食天天赐给我们吧。”

35 耶稣说:“我就是生命的粮,到我这里来的人必定不饿,信我的人必永远不渴。 36 但我对你们说过,你们虽然亲眼看见我,仍然不信。 37 凡父赐给我的人,必到我这里来。到我这里来的,我总不丢弃他。 38 因为我从天上下来,不是要成就自己的旨意,而是要成就差我来者的旨意。 39 差我来者的旨意是,祂所赐给我的,我一个也不失掉,在末日我要叫他们复活。 40 因为我父的旨意是要叫一切看见儿子并相信的人得到永生,在末日,我要叫他们复活。”

41 犹太人听见耶稣说自己是从天上降下来的粮,就小声议论, 42 说:“这不是约瑟的儿子耶稣吗?祂的父母,我们都认识,祂现在怎么能说自己是从天上降下来的呢?”

43 耶稣回答他们说:“你们不用议论纷纷。 44 如果不是差我来的父吸引人到我这里来,没有人能来。到我这里来的,在末日,我要叫他复活。 45 先知书上这样说,‘他们都要受上帝的训诲’,这里是指凡听从父的教导又去效法的人,都会到我这里来。 46 这并不是说有人见过父,唯独从上帝而来的那位见过父。 47 我实实在在地告诉你们,信我的人有永生, 48 因为我是生命的粮。 49 你们的祖先在旷野吃过吗哪,还是死了。 50 但这是从天上降下来的粮,人吃了就不死。 51 我就是天上降下来的生命之粮,人吃了这粮,必永远活着。我将要赐下的粮就是我的肉,是为了让世人得到生命。”

52 犹太人开始彼此争论,说:“这个人怎么能把自己的肉给我们吃呢?”

53 耶稣说:“我实实在在地告诉你们,如果你们不吃人子的肉,不喝人子的血,就没有生命。 54 吃我肉、喝我血的人有永生,在末日,我要叫他复活。 55 因为我的肉是真粮食,我的血是真饮品, 56 吃我肉、喝我血的人常在我里面,我也常在他里面。 57 永活的父差我来,我是靠祂而活。同样,吃我肉的人也靠我而活。 58 我是从天上降下来的真粮,吃这粮的人必永远活着,不像你们的祖先,虽然吃过吗哪,最后还是死了。”

59 这番话是耶稣在迦百农会堂里教导人的时候讲的。

永生之道

60 祂的许多门徒听了,就议论说:“这话实在难懂,谁能接受呢?”

61 耶稣知道门徒在议论,就说:“这话叫你们失去信心吗? 62 如果你们看见人子升到祂原来所在的地方,会怎么样呢? 63 叫人活着的是灵,肉体毫无作用。我对你们说的话就是灵,就是生命。 64 然而,你们中间有些人不信。”因为耶稣一开始就知道谁不信祂、谁会出卖祂。

65 祂继续说:“所以我曾对你们说,如果不是我父赐恩,没有人能到我这里来。”

66 从此,很多门徒离开了,不再跟从耶稣。

67 于是耶稣问那十二个门徒:“你们也要离开我吗?”

68 西门·彼得答道:“主啊!你有永生之道,我们还跟从谁呢? 69 我们已经相信并且知道你是上帝的圣者。”

70 耶稣说:“我不是拣选了你们十二个人吗?但其中有一个是魔鬼。” 71 耶稣这话是指着加略人西门的儿子犹大说的,因为他是十二个门徒之一,后来出卖了耶稣。

Footnotes

  1. 6:7 一个银币相当于当时一天的工钱。

Feeding of the five thousand

After this Jesus went across the Galilee Sea (that is, the Tiberias Sea). A large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miraculous signs he had done among the sick. Jesus went up a mountain and sat there with his disciples. It was nearly time for Passover, the Jewish festival.

Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do.

Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary[a] worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.”

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. 12 When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten.

14 When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” 15 Jesus understood that they were about to come and force him to be their king, so he took refuge again, alone on a mountain.

Jesus walks on water

16 When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the lake. 17 They got into a boat and were crossing the lake to Capernaum. It was already getting dark and Jesus hadn’t come to them yet. 18 The water was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When the wind had driven them out for about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He was approaching the boat and they were afraid. 20 He said to them, “I Am.[b] Don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and just then the boat reached the land where they had been heading.

22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized that only one boat had been there. They knew Jesus hadn’t gone with his disciples, but that the disciples had gone alone. 23 Some boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they had eaten the bread over which the Lord had given thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Bread of life

26 Jesus replied, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One[c] will give you. God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.”

28 They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?”

29 Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.”

30 They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”[d]

32 Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 They said, “Sir,[e] give us this bread all the time!”

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I told you that you have seen me and still don’t believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and I won’t send away anyone who comes to me. 38 I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 This is the will of the one who sent me, that I won’t lose anything he has given me, but I will raise it up at the last day. 40 This is my Father’s will: that all who see the Son and believe in him will have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 The Jewish opposition grumbled about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

42 They asked, “Isn’t this Jesus, Joseph’s son, whose mother and father we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

43 Jesus responded, “Don’t grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless they are drawn to me by the Father who sent me, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God.[f] Everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47 I assure you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that whoever eats from it will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 Then the Jews debated among themselves, asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Human One[g] 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 them up at the last day. 55 My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me lives because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. It isn’t like the bread your ancestors ate, and then they died. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60 Many of his disciples who heard this said, “This message is harsh. Who can hear it?”

61 Jesus knew that the disciples were grumbling about this and he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What if you were to see the Human One[h] going up where he was before? 63 The Spirit is the one who gives life and the flesh doesn’t help at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 Yet some of you don’t believe.”Jesus knew from the beginning who wouldn’t believe and the one who would betray him. 65 He said, “For this reason I said to you that none can come to me unless the Father enables them to do so.” 66 At this, many of his disciples turned away and no longer accompanied him.

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

68 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are God’s holy one.”

70 Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.

Footnotes

  1. John 6:7 Or two hundred denaria
  2. John 6:20 Or It is I.
  3. John 6:27 Or Son of Man
  4. John 6:31 Ps 78:24
  5. John 6:34 Or Lord
  6. John 6:45 Isa 54:13
  7. John 6:53 Or Son of Man
  8. John 6:62 Or Son of Man