The Fourth Sign: Feeding of the Five Thousand

6 After^(A) this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee^(B) (or Tiberias^(C)). ² A huge crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick. ³ Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

⁴ Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. ⁵ So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming towards him,^(D) he asked Philip,^(E) ‘Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat? ’ ⁶ He asked this to test him,^(F) for he himself knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, ‘Two hundred denarii^[a](G) worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.’

⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew,^(H) Simon^(I) Peter’s^(J) 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? ’

¹⁰ Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’

There was plenty of grass in that place; so they sat down. The men numbered about five thousand.^{(K) 11} Then 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)

¹² When they were full, he told his disciples, ‘Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.’^{(M) 13} So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ When the people saw the sign^[b] he had done, they said, ‘This truly is the Prophet^(N) who is to come^(O) into the world.’^(P)

¹⁵ Therefore, when Jesus realised that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,^(Q) he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

The Fifth Sign: Walking on Water

¹⁶ When^(R) evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.^(S) Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them. ¹⁸ A high wind arose, and the sea began to churn. ¹⁹ After they had rowed about five or six kilometres,^[c] they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid. ²⁰ But he said to them, ‘It is I.^[d](T) Don’t be afraid.’ ²¹ Then they were willing to take him aboard, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

The Bread of Life

²² The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw there had been only one boat.^[e](U) They also saw that Jesus had not boarded the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone off alone. ²³ Some boats from Tiberias^(V) came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. ²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, ‘Rabbi,^(W) when did you get here? ’

²⁶ Jesus answered, ‘Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw^[f] the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Don’t work for the food that perishes^(X) but for the food that lasts for eternal life,^(Y) which the Son of Man^(Z) will give you, because God the Father^(AA) has set his seal of approval on him.’

²⁸ ‘What can we do to perform the works of God? ’ they asked.

²⁹ Jesus replied, ‘This is the work^(AB) of God – that you believe in the one he has sent.’^(AC)

³⁰ ‘What sign, then, are you going to do so that we may see and believe you? ’ they asked. ‘What are you going to perform? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna^(AD) in the wilderness,^(AE) just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’^[g](AF)

³² Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, Moses^(AG) didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’

³⁴ Then they said, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

³⁵ ‘I am^(AH) the bread of life,’ Jesus told them. ‘No one who comes to me^(AI) will ever be hungry,^(AJ) and no one who believes in me^(AK) will ever be thirsty^(AL) again. ³⁶ But as I told you, you’ve seen me,^[h] and yet you do not believe. ³⁷ Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.^{(AM) 38} For I have come down from heaven,^(AN) not to do my own will, but the will of him^(AO) who sent me. ³⁹ This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise^(AP) them up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father:^(AQ) that everyone who sees the Son^(AR) and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise^(AS) him up on the last day.’

⁴¹ Therefore the Jews started grumbling about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ ⁴² They were saying, ‘Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph,^(AT) whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”? ’

⁴³ Jesus answered them, ‘Stop grumbling among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws^[i] him, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets:^(AU) And they will all be taught by God.^[j](AV) Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father^(AW) comes to me –  ⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father^(AX) except the one who is from God.^(AY) He has seen the Father.^(AZ)

⁴⁷ ‘Truly I tell you, anyone who believes^[k] has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna^(BA) in the wilderness,^(BB) and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.^{(BC) 51} I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live^(BD) for ever.^(BE) The bread that I will give for the life^(BF) of the world is my flesh.’^(BG)

⁵² At that, the Jews argued^(BH) among themselves,^(BI) ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat? ’

⁵³ So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man^(BJ) and drink his blood,^(BK) you do not have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood^(BL) has eternal life, and I will raise^(BM) him up on the last day, ⁵⁵ because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.^{(BN) 57} Just as the living^(BO) Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live^(BP) because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna^[l] your ancestors ate – and they died. The one who eats this bread will live for ever.’^(BQ)

⁵⁹ He said these things while teaching in the synagogue^(BR) in Capernaum.^(BS)

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, ‘This teaching is hard. Who can accept^[m] it? ’

⁶¹ Jesus, knowing in himself^(BT) that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, ‘Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man^(BU) ascending^(BV) to where he was before? ⁶³ The Spirit^(BW) 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. ⁶⁴ But there are some among you who don’t believe.’ (For Jesus knew from the beginning^(BX) those who did not^[n] believe and the one who would betray^(BY) him.) ⁶⁵ He said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me^(BZ) unless it is granted to him by the Father.’

⁶⁶ From that moment^[o] many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve,^(CA) ‘You don’t want to go away too, do you? ’

⁶⁸ Simon Peter^(CB) answered, ‘Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’^[p](CC)

⁷⁰ Jesus replied to them, ‘Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve?^(CD) Yet one of you is a devil.’^{(CE) 71} He was referring to Judas,^(CF) Simon Iscariot’s son,^[q] one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray^(CG) him.