According to John

6 After this Jesus set out across the Sea of Galʹi·lee, or Ti·beʹri·as.+ 2 And a large crowd kept following him,+ because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing in healing the sick.+ 3 So Jesus went up on a mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover,+ the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip: “Where will we buy bread for these people to eat?”+ 6 However, he was saying this to test him, for he knew what he was about to do. 7 Philip answered him: “Two hundred de·narʹi·i* worth of bread is not enough for each of them to get even a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him: 9 “Here is a little boy who has five barley loaves and two small fish. But what are these among so many?”+

10 Jesus said: “Have the people sit down.” As there was a lot of grass in that place, the men sat down there, about 5,000 in number.+ 11 Jesus took the bread, and after giving thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there; he did likewise with the small fish, and they had as much as they wanted. 12 But when they had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples: “Gather together the fragments left over, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they gathered them together and filled 12 baskets with fragments left over by those who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

14 When the people saw the sign he performed, they began to say: “This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world.”+ 15 Then Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and seize him to make him king, withdrew+ again to the mountain all alone.+

16 When evening fell, his disciples went down to the sea,+ 17 and boarding a boat, they set out across the sea for Ca·perʹna·um. By now it had grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.+ 18 Also, the sea was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing.+ 19 However, when they had rowed about three or four miles,* they saw Jesus walking on the sea and getting near the boat, and they became fearful. 20 But he said to them: “It is I; do not be afraid!”+ 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and right away the boat arrived at the land to which they had been heading.+

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there except a small one, and that Jesus had not boarded the boat with his disciples, but his disciples had left by themselves. 23 Boats from Ti·beʹri·as, however, arrived near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they boarded their boats and came to Ca·perʹna·um to look for Jesus.

25 When they found him across the sea, they said to him: “Rabbi,+ when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered them: “Most truly I say to you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate from the loaves and were satisfied.+ 27 Work, not for the food that perishes, but for the food that remains for everlasting life,+ which the Son of man will give you; for on this one the Father, God himself, has put his seal of approval.”+

28 So they said to him: “What must we do to carry out the works of God?” 29 In answer Jesus said to them: “This is the work of God, that you exercise faith in the one whom he sent.”+ 30 Then they said to him: “What are you performing as a sign,+ so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you doing? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness,+ just as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”+ 32 Jesus then said to them: “Most truly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him: “Lord, always give us this bread.”

35 Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not get hungry at all, and whoever exercises faith in me will never get thirsty at all.+ 36 But as I said to you, you have even seen me and yet do not believe.+ 37 All those whom the Father gives me will come to me, and I will never drive away the one who comes to me;+ 38 for I have come down from heaven+ to do, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.+ 39 This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose none out of all those whom he has given me, but that I should resurrect+ them on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who recognizes the Son and exercises faith in him should have everlasting life,+ and I will resurrect+ him on the last day.”

41 Then the Jews began to murmur about him because he had said: “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”+ 42 And they began saying: “Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?+ How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 In response Jesus said to them: “Stop murmuring among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him,+ and I will resurrect him on the last day.+ 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by Jehovah.’*+ Everyone who has listened to the Father and has learned comes to me. 46 Not that any man has seen the Father,+ except the one who is from God; this one has seen the Father.+ 47 Most truly I say to you, whoever believes has everlasting life.+

48 “I am the bread of life.+ 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness and yet they died.+ 50 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 forever; and for a fact, the bread that I will give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.”+

52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.+ 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will resurrect+ him on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in union with me, and I in union with him.+ 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will live because of me.+ 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. It is not as when your forefathers ate and yet died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”+ 59 He said these things as he was teaching in a synagogue* in Ca·perʹna·um.

60 When they heard this, many of his disciples said: “This speech is shocking; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were murmuring about this, said to them: “Does this stumble you? 62 What, therefore, if you should see the Son of man ascending to where he was before?+ 63 It is the spirit that is life-giving;+ the flesh is of no use at all. The sayings that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.+ 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning those who did not believe and the one who would betray him.+ 65 He went on to say: “This is why I have said to you, no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”+

66 Because of this, many of his disciples went off to the things behind+ and would no longer walk with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve: “You do not want to go also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered him: “Lord, whom shall we go away to?+ You have sayings of everlasting life.+ 69 We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”+ 70 Jesus answered them: “I chose you twelve, did I not?+ Yet one of you is a slanderer.”*+ 71 He was, in fact, speaking of Judas the son of Simon Is·carʹi·ot, for this one was going to betray him, although he was one of the Twelve.+