Feeding Five Thousand
(Matthew 14.13-21Mark 6.30-44Luke 9.10-17)1 Jesus crossed Lake Galilee, which was also known as Lake Tiberias. 2 A large crowd had seen him work miracles to heal the sick, and those people went with him. 3-4 It was almost time for the Jewish festival of Passover, and Jesus went up on a mountain with his disciples and sat down.
5 When Jesus saw the large crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where will we get enough food to feed all these people?” 6 He said this to test Philip, since he already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered, “Don't you know that it would take almost a year's wages just to buy only a little bread for each of these people?”
8 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the disciples. He spoke up and said, 9 “There is a boy here who has five small loaves of barley bread and two fish. But what good is that with all these people?”
10 The ground was covered with grass, and Jesus told his disciples to tell everyone to sit down. About 5,000 men were in the crowd. 11 Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he passed the bread to the people, and he did the same with the fish, until everyone had plenty to eat.
12 The people ate all they wanted, and Jesus told his disciples to gather up the leftovers, so that nothing would be wasted. 13 The disciples gathered them up and filled twelve large baskets with what was left over from the five barley loaves.
14 After the people had seen Jesus work this miracle, they began saying, “This must be the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Jesus realized that they would try to force him to be their king. So he went up on a mountain, where he could be alone.
Jesus Walks on the Water
(Matthew 14.22-27Mark 6.45-52)16 That evening, Jesus' disciples went down to the lake. 17 They got into a boat and started across for Capernaum. Later that evening Jesus had still not come to them, 18 and a strong wind was making the water rough.
19 When the disciples had rowed for five or six kilometers, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He kept coming closer to the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said, “I am Jesus! Don't be afraid!” 21 The disciples wanted to take him into the boat, but suddenly the boat reached the shore where they were headed.
The Bread That Gives Life
22 The people who had stayed on the east side of the lake knew that only one boat had been there. They also knew that Jesus had not left in it with his disciples. But the next day 23 some boats from Tiberias sailed near the place where the crowd had eaten the bread for which the Lord had given thanks. 24 They saw that Jesus and his disciples had left. Then they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus. 25 They found him on the west side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don't work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so.”
28 “What exactly does God want us to do?” the people asked.
29 Jesus answered, “God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.”
30 They replied, “What miracle will you work, so that we can have faith in you? What will you do? 31 For example, when our ancestors were in the desert, they were given manna to eat. It happened just as the Scriptures say, ‘God gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
32 Jesus then told them, “I tell you for certain that Moses wasn't the one who gave you bread from heaven. My Father is the one who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 And the bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world.”
34 The people said, “Sir, give us this bread and don't ever stop!”
35 Jesus replied:
I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty. 36 I have told you already that you have seen me and still do not have faith in me. 37 Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won't turn any of them away.
38 I didn't come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, 39 and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, he wants me to raise them to life on the last day. 40 My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day.
41 The people started grumbling because Jesus had said he was the bread that had come down from heaven. 42 They were asking each other, “Isn't he Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father and mother? How can he say that he has come down from heaven?”
43 Jesus told them:
Stop grumbling! 44 No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me makes them want to come. But if they do come, I will raise them to life on the last day. 45 One of the prophets wrote, “God will teach all of them.” And so everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me.
46 The only one who has seen the Father is the one who has come from him. No one else has ever seen the Father. 47 I tell you for certain that everyone who has faith in me has eternal life.
48 I am the bread that gives life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and later they died. 50 But the bread from heaven has come down, so that no one who eats it will ever die. 51 I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread I give to the people of this world.
52 They started arguing with each other and asked, “How can he give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus answered:
I tell you for certain that you won't live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man. 54 But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day. 55 My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. 56 If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you.
57 The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him. Now everyone who eats my flesh will live because of me. 58 The bread that comes down from heaven isn't like what your ancestors ate. They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever.
59 Jesus was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum when he said these things.
The Words of Eternal Life
60 Many of Jesus' disciples heard him and said, “This is too hard for anyone to understand.”
61 Jesus knew that his disciples were grumbling. So he asked, “Does this bother you? 62 What if you should see the Son of Man go up to heaven where he came from? 63 The Spirit is the one who gives life! Human strength can do nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are from that life-giving Spirit. 64 But some of you refuse to have faith in me.” Jesus said this, because from the beginning he knew who would have faith in him. He also knew which one would betray him.
65 Then Jesus said, “You cannot come to me, unless the Father makes you want to come. That is why I have told these things to all of you.”
66 Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him. 67 Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they also were going to leave him. 68 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, there is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life. 69 We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God's Holy One.”
70 Jesus told his disciples, “I chose all twelve of you, but one of you is a demon!” 71 Jesus was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. He would later betray Jesus, even though he was one of the twelve disciples.
1 After these thinges, Iesus went his way ouer the sea of Galile, which is Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they sawe his miracles, which hee did on them that were diseased. 3 Then Iesus went vp into a mountaine, and there he sate with his disciples. 4 Now the Passeouer, a feast of the Iewes, was neere. 5 Then Iesus lift vp his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude came vnto him, hee sayde vnto Philippe, Whence shall we buy breade, that these might eate? 6 (And this he sayde to prooue him: for hee himselfe knewe what he would doe.) 7 Philippe answered him, Two hundreth penie worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that euery one of them may take a litle. 8 Then saide vnto him one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peters brother, 9 There is a little boy heere, which hath fiue barlie loaues, and two fishes: but what are they among so many? 10 And Iesus saide, Make ye people sit downe. (Nowe there was much grasse in that place.) Then the men sate downe in nomber, about fiue thousande. 11 And Iesus tooke the bread, and gaue thanks, and gaue to the disciples, and the disciples, to them that were set downe: and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 And when they were satisfied, he said vnto his disciples, Gather vp the broken meat which remaineth, that nothing be lost. 13 Then they gathered it together, and filled twelue baskets with the broken meat of the fiue barly loaues, which remained vnto them that had eaten. 14 Then the men, when they had seene the miracle that Iesus did, saide, This is of a trueth that Prophet that should come into the world. 15 When Iesus therfore perceiued that they would come, and take him to make him a King, hee departed againe into a mountaine himselfe alone. 16 When euen was nowe come, his disciples went downe vnto the sea, 17 And entred into a shippe, and went ouer the sea, towardes Capernaum: and nowe it was darke, and Iesus was not come to them. 18 And the Sea arose with a great winde that blewe. 19 And when they had rowed about fiue and twentie, or thirtie furlongs, they sawe Iesus walking on the sea, and drawing neere vnto the ship: so they were afraide. 20 But he said vnto them, It is I: be not afraid. 21 Then willingly they receiued him into the ship, and the ship was by and by at the lande, whither they went. 22 The day following, the people which stoode on the other side of the sea, saw that there was none other ship there, saue that one, whereinto his disciples were entred, and that Iesus went not with his disciples in the ship, but that his disciples were gone alone, 23 And that there came other ships from Tiberias neere vnto the place where they ate the bread, after the Lord had giuen thankes. 24 Nowe when the people sawe that Iesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also tooke shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Iesus. 25 And when they had founde him on the other side of the sea, they sayde vnto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 26 Iesus answered them; and sayde, Verely, verely I say vnto you, ye seeke me not because ye sawe the miracles, but because yee ate of ye loaues, and were filled. 27 Labour not for ye meate which perisheth, but for the meate that endureth vnto euerlasting life, which the Sonne of man shall giue vnto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28 Then sayde they vnto him, What shall we doe, that we might worke the workes of God? 29 Iesus answered, and sayde vnto them, This is the woorke of God, that yee beleeue in him, whome he hath sent. 30 They sayde therefore vnto him, What signe shewest thou then, that we may see it, and beleeue thee? what doest thou woorke? 31 Our fathers did eate Manna in the desart, as it is written, Hee gaue them bread from heauen to eate. 32 Then Iesus said vnto them, Verely, verely I say vnto you, Moses gaue you not that bread from heauen, but my Father giueth you that true bread from heauen. 33 For the breade of God is hee which commeth downe from heauen, and giueth life vnto the world. 34 Then they said vnto him, Lord, euermore giue vs this bread. 35 And Iesus saide vnto them, I am that bread of life: he that commeth to me, shall not hunger, and he that beleeueth in me, shall neuer thirst. 36 But I said vnto you, that ye also haue seene me, and beleeue not. 37 All that the Father giueth me, shall come to mee: and him that commeth to me, I cast not away. 38 For I came downe from heauen, not to do mine owne wil, but his wil which hath sent me. 39 And this is the Fathers will which hath sent mee, that of all which hee hath giuen mee, I should lose nothing, but shoulde raise it vp againe at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent mee, that euery man which seeth the Sonne, and beleeueth in him, should haue euerlasting life: and I will raise him vp at the last day. 41 The Iewes then murmured at him because hee sayde, I am that bread, which is come downe from heauen. 42 And they said, Is not this Iesus that sonne of Ioseph, whose father and mother wee knowe? howe then sayth he, I came downe from heauen? 43 Iesus then answered, and saide vnto them, Murmure not among your selues. 44 No man can come to mee, except the Father, which hath sent mee, drawe him: and I will raise him vp at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophetes, And they shalbe al taught of God. Euery man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, commeth vnto me: 46 Not that any man hath seene the Father, saue hee which is of God, hee hath seene the Father. 47 Verely, verely I say vnto you, hee that beleeueth in me, hath euerlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eate Manna in the wildernesse, and are dead. 50 This is that breade, which commeth downe from heauen, that hee which eateth of it, shoulde not die. 51 I am that liuing breade, which came downe from heauen: if any man eate of this breade, hee shall liue for euer: and the bread that I will giue, is my flesh, which I will giue for the life of the world. 52 Then the Iewes stroue among themselues, saying, Howe can this man giue vs his flesh to eate? 53 Then Iesus saide vnto them, Verely, verely I say vnto you, Except yee eate the flesh of the Sonne of man, and drinke his blood, yee haue no life in you. 54 Whosoeuer eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternall life, and I will raise him vp at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat in deede, and my blood is drinke in deede. 56 Hee that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As that liuing Father hath sent me, so liue I by the Father, and he that eateth me, euen he shall liue by me. 58 This is that bread which came downe from heauen: not as your fathers haue eaten Manna, and are deade. Hee that eateth of this bread, shall liue for euer. 59 These things spake he in the Synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Many therefore of his disciples (when they heard this) sayde, This is an hard saying: who can heare it? 61 But Iesus knowing in himselfe, that his disciples murmured at this, saide vnto them, Doeth this offend you? 62 What then if yee should see that Sonne of man ascend vp where he was before? 63 It is the spirite that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing: the woordes that I speake vnto you, are spirite and life. 64 But there are some of you that beleeue not: for Iesus knewe from the beginning, which they were that beleeued not, and who shoulde betray him. 65 And hee saide, Therefore saide I vnto you, that no man can come vnto mee, except it be giuen vnto him of my Father. 66 From that time, many of his disciples went backe, and walked no more with him. 67 Then sayde Iesus to the twelue, Will yee also goe away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Master, to whome shall we goe? thou hast the wordes of eternall life: 69 And we beleeue and knowe that thou art that Christ that Sonne of the liuing God. 70 Iesus answered them, Haue not I chosen you twelue, and one of you is a deuill? 71 Now he spake it of Iudas Iscariot the sonne of Simon: for hee it was that shoulde betraie him, though he was one of the twelue.