THE FOURTH SIGN: FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

6 After^ar this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee^as (or Tiberias^at). ² A huge crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick. ³ Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

⁴ Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. ⁵ So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward him,^a he asked Philip,^b “Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?” ⁶ He asked this to test him,^c for he himself knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii^A,d worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.”

⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew,^e Simon^f Peter’s^g brother, said to him, ⁹ “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”

There was plenty of grass in that place; so they sat down. The men numbered about five thousand.^h 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks he distributed them to those who were seated—so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.ⁱ

¹² When they were full, he told his disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.”^j 13 So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ When the people saw the sign^B he had done, they said, “This truly is the Prophet^k who is to come^l into the world.”^m 15 Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,ⁿ he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

THE FIFTH SIGN: WALKING ON WATER

¹⁶ When^o evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.^p Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them. ¹⁸ A high wind arose, and the sea began to churn. ¹⁹ After they had rowed about three or four miles,^C they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I.^D,q Don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they were willing to take him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

THE BREAD OF LIFE

²² The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw there had been only one boat.^E,r They also saw that Jesus had not boarded the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone off alone. ²³ Some boats from Tiberias^s came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. ²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi,^t when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw^F the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Don’t work for the food that perishes^u but for the food that lasts for eternal life,^v which the Son of Man^w will give you, because God the Father^x has set his seal of approval on him.”

²⁸ “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

²⁹ Jesus replied, “This is the work^y of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”^z

³⁰ “What sign, then, are you going to do so that we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna^aa in the wilderness,^ab just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”^G,ac

³² Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses^ad didn’t 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 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

³⁵ “I am^ae the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me^af will ever be hungry,^ag and no one who believes in me^ah will ever be thirsty^ai again. ³⁶ But as I told you, you’ve seen me,^H and yet you do not believe. ³⁷ Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.^aj 38 For I have come down from heaven,^ak not to do my own will, but the will of him^al who sent me. ³⁹ This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise^am them up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father:^an that everyone who sees the Son^ao and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise^ap him up on the last day.”

⁴¹ Therefore the Jews started grumbling about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph,^aq whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws^A him, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets:^a And they will all be taught by God.^B,b Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father^c comes to me—⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father^d except the one who is from God.^e He has seen the Father.^f

⁴⁷ “Truly I tell you, anyone who believes^C has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna^g in the wilderness,^h and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.^i 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live^j forever.^k The bread that I will give for the life^l of the world is my flesh.”^m

⁵² At that, the Jews arguedⁿ among themselves,^o “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man^p and drink his blood,^q you do not have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood^r has eternal life, and I will raise^s him up on the last day, ⁵⁵ because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.^t 57 Just as the living^u Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live^v because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna^D your ancestors ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”^w

⁵⁹ He said these things while teaching in the synagogue^x in Capernaum.^y

MANY DISCIPLES DESERT JESUS

⁶⁰ Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept^E it?”

⁶¹ Jesus, knowing in himself^z that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man^aa ascending^ab to where he was before? ⁶³ The Spirit^ac is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some among you who don’t believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning^ad those who did not^F believe and the one who would betray^ae him.) ⁶⁵ He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me^af unless it is granted to him by the Father.”

⁶⁶ From that moment^G many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve,^ag “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter^ah answered, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”^H,ai

⁷⁰ Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve?^aj Yet one of you is a devil.”^ak 71 He was referring to Judas,^al Simon Iscariot’s son,^I one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray^am him.

HE THIRD SIGN: HEALING THE SICK

5 After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.^z 2 By the Sheep Gate^aa in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda^I in Aramaic, which has five colonnades. ³ Within these lay a large number of the disabled—blind, lame, and paralyzed.^*

⁵ One man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and realized he had already been there a long time,^ab he said to him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ “Sir,”^ac the disabled man answered, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”

⁸ “Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹ Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.

Now that day was the Sabbath,^ad 10 and so the Jews^ae said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath.^af The law prohibits you from picking up your mat.”

¹¹ He replied, “The man who made me well^ag told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

¹² “Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” they asked. ¹³ But the man who was healed did not know who it was,^ah because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.^K

¹⁴ After this, Jesus found him in the temple^ai and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” ¹⁵ The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.^a 16 Therefore, the Jews began persecuting^b Jesus^A because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.^c

HONORING THE FATHER AND THE SON

¹⁷ Jesus responded to them, “My Father^d is still working, and I am working also.” ¹⁸ This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill him:^e Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God.

¹⁹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father^B does, the Son likewise does these things.^f 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him greater works^g than these so that you will be amazed. ²¹ And just as the Father raises^h the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants.^i 22 The Father,^j in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.^k Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.^l

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

¹ O Lord, hear my plea for justice.

Listen to my cry for help.

Pay attention to my prayer,

for it comes from honest lips.

² Declare me innocent,

for you see those who do right.

³ You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.

You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong.

I am determined not to sin in what I say.

⁴ I have followed your commands,

which keep me from following cruel and evil people.

⁵ My steps have stayed on your path;

I have not wavered from following you.

⁶ I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.

Bend down and listen as I pray.

⁷ Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.

By your mighty power you rescue

those who seek refuge from their enemies.

⁸ Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.^*

Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

⁹ Protect me from wicked people who attack me,

from murderous enemies who surround me.

¹⁰ They are without pity.

Listen to their boasting!

¹¹ They track me down and surround me,

watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.

¹² They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart—

like young lions hiding in ambush.

¹³ Arise, O Lord!

Stand against them, and bring them to their knees!

Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!

¹⁴ By the power of your hand, O Lord,

destroy those who look to this world for their reward.

But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones.

May their children have plenty,

leaving an inheritance for their descendants.

¹⁵ Because I am righteous, I will see you.

When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.