John 6

₁After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. ₂And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. ₃Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. ₄Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. ₅Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” ₆He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. ₇Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” ₈One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ₉“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” ₁₀Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. ₁₁Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. ₁₂And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” ₁₃So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. ₁₄When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

₁₅Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

₁₆When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, ₁₇got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. ₁₈The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. ₁₉When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. ₂₀But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” ₂₁Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

₂₂On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. ₂₃Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ₂₄So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

₂₅When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” ₂₆Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ₂₇Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” ₂₈Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ₂₉Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” ₃₀So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? ₃₁Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” ₃₂Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ₃₃For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ₃₄They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

₃₅Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ₃₆But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. ₃₇All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. ₃₈For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. ₃₉And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ₄₀For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

₄₁So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ₄₂They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” ₄₃Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. ₄₄No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. ₄₅It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— ₄₆not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. ₄₇Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ₄₈I am the bread of life. ₄₉Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ₅₀This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. ₅₁I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

₅₂The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ₅₃So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ₅₄Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. ₅₅For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. ₅₆Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. ₅₇As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. ₅₈This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the breadthe fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ₅₉Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

₆₀When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ₆₁But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? ₆₂Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ₆₃It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ₆₄But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) ₆₅And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

₆₆After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. ₆₇So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” ₆₈Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ₆₉and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” ₇₀Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” ₇₁He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.