John 6
The New Consensus Bible is an AI-generated contemporary rendering, built from seven public-domain translations and the 20-tradition consensus. See all the work behind this chapter.
1After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, the sea of Tiberias. 2And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was performing on those who were sick. 3Now Jesus went up onto the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5Therefore Jesus, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “From where are we to buy loaves, that these people may eat?” 6But he was saying this to test him, for he himself knew what he was intending to do. 7Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of loaves is not enough for them, that each of them may receive a little bit.” 8One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9“There is one young boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. Therefore the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks, he distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish, as much as they desired. 12And when they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather together the leftover fragments, so that nothing may be lost.” 13Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, which remained over by those who had eaten. 14Therefore the people, seeing the sign that Jesus performed, began to say, “This is truly the Prophet, the one coming into the world.” 15Therefore Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and seize him in order that they might make him king, withdrew again to the mountain, he himself alone. 16Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17and having boarded the boat, they were going to the other side of the sea to Capernaum. And darkness had already come, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18And the sea was swelling, as a strong wind was blowing. 19Therefore, having rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20But he said to them, “I am; do not be afraid.” 21Therefore they were willing to receive him into the boat, and immediately the boat arrived at the land to which they were going. 22On the next day, the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there except that one, and that Jesus had not entered into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23(Yet other small boats came from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.) 24Therefore, when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves boarded the small boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25And having found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28Therefore they said to him, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30Therefore they said to him, “What sign then do you perform, that we may see and believe you? What do you work? 31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” 32Therefore Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” 34Therefore they said to him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” 35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never hunger, and the one who believes in me will never thirst. 36But I told you that you have indeed seen me, and yet you do not believe. 37Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of the Father who sent me: that of all he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up on the last day. 40For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.” 41Therefore the Jews were murmuring concerning him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” 42And they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does this man now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43Therefore Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 44No one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard from the Father and has learned, comes to me. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God; this one has seen the Father. 47Amen, amen, I tell you, the one who believes in me has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This is the bread that comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And indeed, the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52Therefore the Jews were arguing with one another, saying, “How is this man able to give us his flesh to eat?” 53Therefore Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54The one who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56The one who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down out of heaven. It is not as when your fathers ate the manna and died; the one who feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59He said these things in a synagogue, while teaching in Capernaum. 60Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, “This word is hard; who is able to listen to it?” 61But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were murmuring about this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? 62What if then you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who the ones were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him. 65And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one is able to come to me unless it is granted to him by my Father.” 66As a result of this, many of his disciples turned back to the things behind and were no longer walking with him. 67Therefore Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away too, do you?” 68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have words of eternal life, 69and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Christ, the Holy One of the living God.” 70Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” 71Now he was speaking of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for this one was about to betray him, being one of the twelve.
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John 6: The Bread of Life
Jesus miraculously feeds a multitude and walks on water, then delivers a challenging teaching in Capernaum declaring himself to be the Bread of Life, causing many to turn away while the twelve remain.
The New Consensus Bible text of John 6, read aloud over the chapter’s eight scenes. The words appear below as they are read.
Film, illustrations and song are AI-generated from this chapter’s consensus — not a depiction any tradition has approved. The imagery is deliberately neutral on the points the traditions dispute, and every word spoken or printed is the New Consensus Bible quoted verbatim.