Jesus feeds more than five thousand people. He walks on water. He says that he himself is eternal life. His words are spirit and life.
VERSE 1. After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias.
VERSE 2. A great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he did on those who were sick.
went up into the mountain. Moses also went up on a mountain.
VERSE 4. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
VERSE 5. Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?”
VERSE 6. He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
VERSE 7. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may receive a little.”
Two hundred denarii. A denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s wages for an agricultural laborer, so 200 denarii would be between 6 and 7 month’s pay.
VERSE 8. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
VERSE 9. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these among so many?”
VERSE 10. Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
VERSE 11. Jesus took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were sitting down; likewise also of the fish as much as they desired.
VERSE 12. When they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces which are left over, that nothing be lost.”
VERSE 13. So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.
filled twelve baskets. Jesus Christ provided them with so much abundance that they had leftovers!
VERSE 15. Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Mark 6:45. Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the multitude away.
VERSE 16. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea.
VERSE 17. They entered into the boat, and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.
VERSE 18. The sea was tossed by a great wind blowing.
VERSE 19. When therefore 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.
twenty-five or thirty stadia. That is, is about 3 to 4 miles.
Job 9:8. He alone stretches out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea.
It is I. That is, I AM
VERSE 21. They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat. Immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
VERSE 22. On the next day, the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except the one in which his disciples had embarked, and that Jesus hadn’t entered with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had gone away alone.
VERSE 23. However boats from Tiberias came near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
VERSE 24. When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus wasn’t there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
VERSE 25. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
VERSE 26. Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.
VERSE 27. Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”
Don’t work for the food which perishes. Many of us spend our whole lives working for food that perishes. That is, we give our lives to the earning of money and the buying of things. However, Jesus calls us to (also) spend our lives seeking himself.
VERSE 28. They said therefore to him, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?”
The only work God wants from us is to believe in the one he has sent.
VERSE 30. They said therefore to him, “What then do you do for a sign, that we may see and believe you? What work do you do?
VERSE 31. Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’ ”
bread out of heaven. Both Greek and Hebrew use the same word for “heaven”, “the heavens”, “the sky”, and “the air”.
Exodus 16:4. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
Nehemiah 9:15. and gave them bread from the sky for their hunger, and brought water out of the rock for them for their thirst, and commanded them that they should go in to possess the land which you had sworn to give them.
Psalm 78:24. He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
Psalm 78:25. Man ate the bread of angels. He sent them food to the full.
John 6:31. Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’
VERSE 32. Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.
VERSE 33. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
VERSE 34. They said therefore to him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”
VERSE 35. Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
not be hungry … never be thirsty. What was the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ? How did he himself define it? Here are the verses we find in the four gospels.
I am the bread of life. Jesus himself is the bread of life. The bread of life is not something which is separate from Jesus. Nor is it an institution.
Sirach 24:21. They that eat me will yet be hungry; And those who drink me will yet be thirsty.
VERSE 36. But I told you that you have seen me, and yet you don’t believe.
VERSE 37. All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
I will in no way throw out. The Lord Jesus will never reject his people, no matter what they do.
to do … the will of him who sent me. What was the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ? How did he himself define it? Here are the verses we find in the four gospels.
VERSE 39. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day.
VERSE 40. This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
VERSE 41. The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down out of heaven.”
VERSE 42. They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven?’ ”
VERSE 43. Therefore Jesus answered them, “Don’t murmur among yourselves.
VERSE 44. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.
VERSE 45. It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who hears from the Father and has learned, comes to me.
Isaiah 54:13. All your children will be taught by the LORD; and your children’s peace will be great.
VERSE 46. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen the Father.
VERSE 47. Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life.
VERSE 48. I am the bread of life.
VERSE 49. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died.
VERSE 50. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die.
VERSE 51. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
I am the living bread. Jesus himself is the living bread which came down out of heaven.
If anyone eats of this bread. What does it mean to eat of the living bread? Many people assume this means to consume Holy Communion.
That is a wonderful interpretation, except for one giant problem. There are many people who cannot eat gluten. Wheat is a deadly poison for people with gluten sensitivity. Are they disbarred from eternal life?
he will live forever. People with gluten reactivity cannot receive Holy Communion. Are they disbarred from eternal life? It does not seem likely that they would be disbarred from heaven. Here are two ways to look at this:
- Jesus is available to us as the “Living Bread.” That is, Holy Communion.
- Jesus is available to us as the “Living Word.” That is, the Sacred Scriptures. Eating the Living Word is exactly what we’re about at Explore the Faith. As an online community, we chew and swallow the Living Word. And we digest it.
VERSE 52. The Jews therefore contended with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
VERSE 53. Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves.
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. Liturgical Christians often point to this verse as proof that believers must receive Holy Communion in order to be saved.
However, as we saw above, the existence of people with gluten reactivity “disproves” that interpretation. Perhaps the simplest interpretation of this verse is that we believers want all of Jesus that we can get!
VERSE 54. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
VERSE 55. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
VERSE 56. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him.
VERSE 57. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me.
VERSE 58. This is the bread which came down out of heaven—not as our fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
VERSE 59. He said these things in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
VERSE 60. Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying! Who can listen to it?”
VERSE 61. But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?
VERSE 62. Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
VERSE 63. It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.
The flesh profits nothing. Liturgical Christians often say that it is necessary to receive the body of Christ in Holy Communion.
However, here Jesus says the flesh counts for nothing. Human effort accomplishes nothing.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life. The words of Jesus are what count.
VERSE 64. But there are some of you who don’t believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who didn’t believe, and who it was who would betray him.
VERSE 65. He said, “For this cause I have said to you that no one can come to me, unless it is given to him by my Father.”
VERSE 66. At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
VERSE 67. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You don’t also want to go away, do you?”
VERSE 68. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
VERSE 69. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
VERSE 70. Jesus answered them, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
VERSE 71. Now he spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for it was he who would betray him, being one of the twelve.
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.