1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberias, and a great crowd followed him, 2 because they could see the signs he showed in what he did for the sick. 3 But Jesus went up on the hill, and sat down there with his disciples.
4 Now the Jewish festival of the Passover was coming. 5 So Jesus, raising his eyes and seeing that a great crowd was coming up to him, said to Philip, "Where can we buy food for these people to eat?" 6 Now he said this to test him, for he knew what he meant to do.
7 Philip answered, "Forty dollars' worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to have even a little."
8 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, another of his disciples, said to him, 9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and a couple of fish, but what is that among so many people?"
10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." There was plenty of grass there, so the men threw themselves down, about five thousand of them. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and gave thanks, and distributed them among the people who were resting on the ground, and in the same way as much of the fish as they wanted.
12 When they were satisfied, he said to his disciples, "Pick up the pieces that are left, so that nothing may be wasted." 13 So they picked them up, and they filled twelve baskets with pieces of the five barley loaves that were left after the people had eaten.
14 When the people saw the signs that he showed, they said, "This is really the Prophet who was to come into the world!" 15 So Jesus, seeing that they meant to come and carry him off to make him king, retired again to the hill by himself.
16 But in the evening his disciples went down to the sea 17 and got into a boat and started across the sea for Capernaum. By this time it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them; 18 a strong wind was blowing and the sea was growing rough. 19 When they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching the boat, and they were terrified.
20 But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid!" 21 Then as soon as they consented to take him into the boat, the boat was at the shore they had been trying to reach.
22 Next day the people who had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not embarked in it with his disciples, but that the disciples had gone away by themselves. 23 But some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where they had eaten the bread after Jesus had given thanks for it. 24 So when the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were any longer there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of him.
25 And when they had crossed the sea and found him, they said to him, "When did you get here, Master?"
26 Jesus answered, "I tell you, it is not because of the signs you have seen that you have come in search of me, but because you ate that bread and had all you wanted of it. 27 You must not work for the food that perishes, but for that which lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for God the Father has authorized him to do so."
28 Then they said to him, "What must we do to carry out God's work?"
29 Jesus answered them, "The work God has for you is to believe in the messenger that he has sent to you."
30 Then they said to him, "Then what sign do you show for us to see and so come to believe you? What work are you doing? 31 Our forefathers in the desert had manna to eat; as the Scripture says, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat!'"
32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you, Moses did not give you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the bread out of heaven, 33 for it is God's bread that comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world."
34 Then they said to him, "Give us that bread always, sir!"
35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread that gives life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty. 36 But as I have told you, although you have seen me, you will not believe. 37 All that my Father gives to me will come to me, and I will never refuse anyone who comes to me, 38 for I have come down from heaven not to do what I please but what pleases him who has sent me. 39 And the purpose of him who has sent me is this, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but should raise them to life on the Last Day. 40 For it is the purpose of my Father that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him to life on the Last Day."
41 The Jews complained of him for saying, "I am the bread that has come out of heaven," 42 and they said, "Is he not Joseph's son, Jesus, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down out of heaven'?"
43 Jesus answered, "Do not complain to one another. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him to me; then I myself will raise him to life on the Last Day. 45 In the prophets it is written, 'And all men will be taught by God!' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me. 46 Not that anyone has ever seen the Father, except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47 I tell you, whoever believes already possesses eternal life. 48 I am the bread that gives life. 49 Your forefathers in the desert ate the manna and yet they died. 50 But here is bread that comes down out of heaven, and no one who eats it will ever die. 51 I am this living bread that has come down out of heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the world's life is my own flesh!"
52 This led the Jews to dispute with one another. They said, "How can he give us his flesh to eat?"
53 Then Jesus said to them, "I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no self-existent life. 54 Whoever lives on my flesh and drinks my blood possesses eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the Last Day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever lives on my flesh and drinks my blood remains united to me and I remain united to him. 57 Just as the living Father has sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who lives on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that has come down out of heaven??ot like that which your forefathers ate and yet died. Whoever lives on this bread will live forever."
59 Jesus said all this while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
60 Many of his disciples on hearing it said, "This is a harsh teaching! Who can listen to it?"
61 But Jesus, knowing that his disciples were complaining about this, said to them, "Does this stagger you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man go up where he was before? 63 The Spirit is what gives life; flesh is of no use at all. The things that I have said to you are spirit and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who will not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who would not believe, and who was going to betray him. 65 And he added, "This is why I said to you, 'No one can come to me unless he is enabled to do so by the Father.' "
66 In consequence of this many of his disciples drew back and would not go about with him any longer. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you mean to go away too?"
68 Simon Peter answered, "To whom can we go, sir? You have a message of eternal life, 69 and we believe and are satisfied that you are the Holy One of God."
70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not myself select all twelve of you? And even of you, one is an informer." 71 He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though he was one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.