Christ feeds five thousand with five loaves. He walks upon the sea and discourses of the bread of life.

¹ After these things, Jesus traveled across the sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

² And a great multitude was following him, for they saw the signs that he was accomplishing toward those who were infirm.

³ Therefore, Jesus went onto a mountain, and he sat down there with his disciples.

⁴ Now the Passover, the feast day of the Jews, was near.

⁵ And so, when Jesus had lifted up his eyes and had seen that a very great multitude came to him, he said to Philip, “From where should we buy bread, so that these may eat?”

⁶ But he said this to test him. For he himself knew what he would do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii of bread would not be sufficient for each of them to receive even a little.”

⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him:

⁹ “There is a certain boy here, who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are these among so many?”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said, “Have the men sit down to eat.” Now, there was much grass in that place. And so the men, in number about five thousand, sat down to eat.

¹¹ Therefore, Jesus took the bread, and when he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting down to eat; similarly also, from the fish, as much as they wanted.

¹² Then, when they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments that are left over, lest they be lost.”

¹³ And so they gathered, and they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which were left over from those who had eaten.

¹⁴ Therefore, those men, when they had seen that Jesus had accomplished a sign, they said, “Truly, this one is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

¹⁵ And so, when he realized that they were going to come and take him away and make him king, Jesus fled back to the mountain, by himself alone.

¹⁶ Then, when evening arrived, his disciples descended to the sea.

¹⁷ And when they had climbed into a boat, they went across the sea to Capernaum. And darkness had now arrived, and Jesus had not returned to them.

¹⁸ Then the sea was stirred up by a great wind that was blowing.

¹⁹ And so, when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat, and they were afraid.

²⁰ But he said to them: “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

²¹ Therefore, they were willing to receive him into the boat. But immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

²² On the next day, the crowd which was standing across the sea saw that there were no other small boats in that place, except one, and that Jesus had not entered into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had departed alone.

²³ Yet truly, other boats came over from Tiberias, next to the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks.

²⁴ Therefore, when the crowd had seen that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they climbed into the small boats, and they went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

²⁵ And when they had found him across the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered them and said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek me, not because you have seen signs, but because you have eaten from the bread and were satisfied.

²⁷ Do not work for food that perishes, but for that which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”

²⁸ Therefore, they said to him, “What should we do, so that we may labor in the works of God?”

²⁹ Jesus responded and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he sent.”

³⁰ And so they said to him: “Then what sign will you do, so that we may see it and believe in you? What will you work?

³¹ Our fathers ate manna in the desert, just as it has been written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

³² Therefore, Jesus said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

³³ For the bread of God is he who descends from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ And so they said to him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

³⁵ Then Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.¹

1. 6:35Notice that coming to Jesus is not as effective as believing in him. The one who comes to him shall not hunger, but those who believe shall not thirst ever. The world umquam is added because coming to him is not enough to be satisfied forever in eternity; one must also believe.(Conte)

³⁶ But I say to you, that even though you have seen me, you do not believe.

³⁷ All that the Father gives to me shall come to me. And whoever comes to me, I will not cast out.

³⁸ For I descended from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

³⁹ Yet this is the will of the Father who sent me: that I should lose nothing out of all that he has given to me, but that I should raise them up on the last day.

⁴⁰ So then, this is the will of my Father who sent me: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

⁴¹ Therefore, the Jews murmured about him, because he had said: “I am the living bread, who descended from heaven.”¹

1. 6:41The verb ‘descendi’ is here first person singular perfect active indicative, not infinitive, because the phrase ‘Ego sum’ (I am) in effect makes the word ‘qui’ (who) first person singular.(Conte)

⁴² And they said: “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? Then how can he say: ‘For I descended from heaven?’ ”

⁴³ And so Jesus responded and said to them: “Do not choose to murmur among yourselves.

⁴⁴ No one is able to come to me, unless the Father, who has sent me, has drawn him. And I will raise him up on the last day.¹

1. 6:44Draw him: Not by compulsion, nor by laying the free will under any necessity, but by the strong and sweet motions of his heavenly grace.(Challoner)

⁴⁵ It has been written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has listened and learned from the Father comes to me.¹

1. 6:45The use of the word ‘docibiles’ here is unusual. It could also be translated as ‘And they shall all be students of God.’(Conte)

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

⁴⁷ Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me has eternal life.

⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.

⁴⁹ Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and they died.

⁵⁰ This is the bread which descends from heaven, so that if anyone will eat from it, he may not die.

⁵¹ I am the living bread, who descended from heaven.

⁵² If anyone eats from this bread, he shall live in eternity. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

⁵³ Therefore, the Jews debated among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵⁴ And so, Jesus said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.¹

1. 6:54Except you eat--and drink, etc: To receive the body and blood of Christ, is a divine precept, insinuated in this text; which the faithful fulfil, though they receive but in one kind; because in one kind they receive both body and blood, which cannot be separated from each other. Hence, life eternal is here promised to the worthy receiving, though but in one kind. Ver. 52. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world. Ver. 58. He that eats me, the same also shall live by me. Ver. 59. He that eats this bread, shall liver for ever.(Challoner)

⁵⁵ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.