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The Fourth Sign: Feeding of the Five Thousand

¹ After^(C1) this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee^(C2) (or Tiberias^(C3)). 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,^(C1) he asked Philip,^(C2) “Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?”⁶ He asked this to test him,^(C1) for he himself knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii^(F1)(C1) worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.”

⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew,^(C1) Simon^(C2) Peter’s^(C3) 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.^{(C1) 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.^(C1)

¹² When they were full, he told his disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.”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^(F1) he had done, they said, “This truly is the Prophet^(C1) who is to come^(C2) into the world.”^(C3)

¹⁵ Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,^(C1) he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

The Fifth Sign: Walking on Water

¹⁶ When^(C1) evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.^(C1) 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,^(F1) 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.²¹ Then they were willing to take him on board, 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.^(F1)(C1) 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^(C1) 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,^(C1) when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw²⁷ Don’t work for the food that perishes

²⁸ “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

²⁹ Jesus replied, “This is the work

³⁰ “What sign, then, are you going to do so we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna^(C1) in the wilderness,^(C2) just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”^(F1)(C3)

³² Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses³³ 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 am³⁶ But as I told you, you’ve seen me,³⁷ Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.³⁸ For I have come down from heaven,³⁹ This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father:

⁴¹ Therefore the Jews started complaining 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,^(C1) whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’

⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Stop complaining among yourselves.⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets:⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father

⁴⁷ “Truly I tell you, anyone who believes⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live

⁵² At that, the Jews argued^(C1) among themselves,^(C2) “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 Man⁵⁴ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood⁵⁵ 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.⁵⁷ Just as the living⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna

⁵⁹ He said these things while teaching in the synagogue^(C1) in Capernaum.^(C2)

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept^(F1) it?”

⁶¹ Jesus, knowing in himself^(C1) that his disciples were complaining about this, asked them, “Does this offend you?⁶² Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man⁶³ The Spirit⁶⁴ But there are some among you who don’t believe.”⁶⁵ He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me

⁶⁶ From that moment^(F1) many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve,^(C1) “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter^(C1) 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.”^(F1)(C1)

⁷⁰ Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve?⁷¹ He was referring to Judas,^(C1) Simon Iscariot’s son,^(F1) one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray^(C2) him.