1After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberias. ¹⁴⁹

2And a huge crowd was following Him because they had seen His signs that He kept performing on the sick. ¹⁵⁰

3So Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down there with His disciples. ¹⁵¹

4(Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.) ¹⁵²

Food for 15,0006:5 Why 15,000? Well, Matthew 14:21 says plainly that there were about 5,000 men besides women and children. In any crowd what is there usually most of? Since the context was not one of war (where there would be mostly men) I imagine there were at least 15,000 people there (like mothers with sick children).

5Then, raising His eyes and observing that a huge crowd was coming toward Him, Jesus says to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread so that these folks may eat?” ¹⁵³

6Now He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was about to do.

7Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread ¹⁵⁴would not be enough for them, so that each of them could receive a little.”

8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, says to Him,

9“There is a little boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two small fish, but what are they for so many?” ¹⁵⁵

10Then Jesus said, “Make the people recline.” Now there was plenty of grass in the place; so the men reclined, about five thousand in number.

11Then Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples ¹⁵⁶to those who were reclining; so too with the fish, as much as they wanted.

12So when they were full He says to His disciples, “Collect the leftover fragments so that nothing be wasted.” ¹⁵⁷

13So they collected and filled twelve baskets ¹⁵⁸with fragments from the five barley loaves that were left over from those who had eaten.

14Now then, having seen the miraculous sign that Jesus performed the men said, “This One really is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

15So Jesus, perceiving that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, ¹⁵⁹withdrew up the mountain again by Himself, alone.

Jesus walks on water

16Now as evening came on His disciples had gone down to the sea,

17and getting into the boat they started to go across the sea toward Capernaum. ¹⁶⁰Well it had been dark for a while and Jesus had not come to them. ¹⁶¹

18Further, the sea was being agitated by a strong wind blowing.

19Then, after they had rowed some three or four miles, ¹⁶²they see Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat; and they were afraid.

20But He said to them, “It is I; don't be afraid!” ¹⁶³

21Then they wanted to receive Him into the boat, ¹⁶⁴and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. ¹⁶⁵

22The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea, ¹⁶⁶having seen that there was no other boat there except the one into which His disciples had entered, ¹⁶⁷and that Jesus had not gotten into the boat with His disciples but only His disciples had gone away—

23although other boats had come from Tiberias, ¹⁶⁸near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks—

24so when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats ¹⁶⁹and went to Capernaum, looking for Jesus. ¹⁷⁰

25When they found Him on another side ¹⁷¹of the sea they said to Him, “Rabbi, when ¹⁷²did you get here?”

The Bread of Life

26Jesus answered them and said: “Most assuredly I say to you, you are not seeking me because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and were filled. ¹⁷³

27Do not work for the food that wastes away but for the food that endures into life eternal, which the Son of the Man will give you; ¹⁷⁴because on Him God the Father has set His seal.”

28So they said to Him, “What should we do so that we may work the works of God?” ¹⁷⁵

29Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe into the One whom He sent.” ¹⁷⁶

30So they said to Him: “Well then, what sign are you going to do so we may see and believe you? ¹⁷⁷What are you going to perform?

31Our fathers ate the manna in the desert, just as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.’ ” ¹⁷⁸

32Then Jesus said to them: “Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from Heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from Heaven.

33For the bread of God is the One coming down out of Heaven and giving Life to the world.” ¹⁷⁹

34Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” ¹⁸⁰

35So Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of the Life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes into me will never thirst. ¹⁸¹

36But, as I told you, you have actually seen me, yet you do not believe.

37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will not throw out; ¹⁸²

38because it is not to do my own will that I have come down out of Heaven, ¹⁸³but the will of the One who sent me.

39Now this is the will of the Father who sent me, that I should lose nothing out of all that He has given me, but should raise it ¹⁸⁴up at the last day.

40Again this is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who ‘sees’ the Son and believes into Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” ¹⁸⁵

41Then the Jews ¹⁸⁶started complaining about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of Heaven.”

42And they were saying: “Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? ¹⁸⁷So how can he say, ‘I have come down out of Heaven’?” ¹⁸⁸

43So Jesus answered and said to them: “Stop complaining among yourselves.

44No one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, ¹⁸⁹and I will raise him up at the last day.

45It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ ¹⁹⁰Therefore everyone who listens and learns from the Father comes to me. ¹⁹¹

46(Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God—He has seen the Father.)

47Most assuredly I say to you: the one believing into me ¹⁹²has eternal life.

48“I am the bread of the Life. ¹⁹³

49Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and they died. ¹⁹⁴

50This is the bread that comes down out of Heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. ¹⁹⁵

51I am the living bread which came down out of Heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. Actually, the bread that I will give is my flesh, ¹⁹⁶which I will give on behalf of the life of the world.” ¹⁹⁷

Chew flesh, drink blood

52At that the Jews started quarrelling among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?!” ¹⁹⁸

53So Jesus said to them: “Most assuredly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of the Man and drink His blood, you do not have Life within yourselves.

54Whoever chews ¹⁹⁹my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, ²⁰⁰and I will raise him up at the last day.

55Really, my flesh is genuine food and my blood is genuine drink.

56Whoever chews my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. ²⁰¹

57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds ²⁰²on me will live because of me.

58This is the bread that came down out of Heaven. Whoever feeds on this bread of mine will live forever (in contrast to your fathers who ate the manna and died).” ²⁰³

59He said these things while teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum.

Jesus loses many followers

60Therefore, upon hearing this many from among His disciples said: “This word is hard! Who is able to hear it?”

61So Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were complaining about this, said to them: “Does this offend you?

62What if you should see the Son of the Man going up to where He was at first? ²⁰⁴

63The Spirit is the One who makes alive; the flesh does not benefit anything. The words that I speak to you are spirit, are Life.

64But there are some among you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the start who they were who did not believe, and who was betraying Him.)

65And He said, “That is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my Father.” ²⁰⁵

66From that time many of His disciples turned back and stopped going around with Him. ²⁰⁶

67So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don't want to go away too, do you?”

68So Simon Peter answered Him: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

69Further, we have come to believe and to know that you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” ²⁰⁷

70He said to them: “Did I myself not choose you twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” ²⁰⁸

71He was referring to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.