John 6:1-35 ▼

1 After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee [of Tiberias].

2 A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.

3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.

4 The Jewish feast of Passover was near.

5 When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”

6 He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit].”

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,

9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.

11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

12 When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.”

13 So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.

14 When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”

15 Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

16 When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea,

17 embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

18 The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.

19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.

20 But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

21 They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.

22 The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left.

23 Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks.

24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25 And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

27 Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”

28 So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

30 So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?

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

32 So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.