John 6

1After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

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

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

4Now the Passover, the Jewish festival, was near.

5When Jesus looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread so that these people can eat?”

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

7Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get even 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 these for so many?”

10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down, the men numbering about five thousand.

11Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks he distributed them to those who were seated, and likewise the fish, as much as they wanted.

12When they were full, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing is wasted.”

13So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves, left over by those who had eaten.

14When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This really is the Prophet who is coming into the world!”

15Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and seize him to make him king, 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 already dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

18The sea was growing rough because a strong wind was blowing.

19When they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.

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

21Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the land they were heading for.

22The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not gone into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.

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

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

25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give 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 the one he has sent.”

30So they said to him, “Then what sign are you going to do, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you doing?

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

32Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.

33For the bread of God is that which 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 will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

36But I told you that you have seen me, and still you do not believe.

37Everything the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

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 sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

41Then the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

42They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

43Jesus answered them, “Stop grumbling 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 from the Father and learned from him comes to me.

46Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.

47Truly, truly I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.

48I am the bread of life.

49Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone 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 is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

52Then the Jews began arguing sharply with one another, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I tell 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 remains in me, and I in him.

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

58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like what the ancestors ate—they died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

59He said these things while teaching in the synagogue 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, “Does this offend you?

62Then what if you were to see the Son of Man going up to where he was before?

63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of 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 has been granted to him by the Father.”

66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

67So Jesus said to the Twelve, “You do not want to go away too, do you?”

68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would 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? Yet one of you is a devil.”

71He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.