Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Multiplied Bread

⁴² A man from Baal-shalishah^(A) came to the man of God with his sack full of^[a] twenty loaves of barley bread from the first bread of the harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”^(B)

⁴³ But Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Am I to set this before a hundred men?” ^(C)

“Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ So he set it before them, and as the Lord had promised, they ate and had some left over.^(D)

Prayer for Spiritual Power

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel^(A) before the Father^{[a] 15} from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. ¹⁶ I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches^(B) of his glory,^(C) to be strengthened with power^(D) in your inner being^(E) through his Spirit, ¹⁷ and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,^{(F) 19} and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able^(G) to do above and beyond all that we ask or think^(H) according to the power^(I) that works in us— ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.^(J)

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 toward 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 realized 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 three or four miles,^[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 on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.