< John 6 >
1 Some time later, when Jesus was in Galilee district, near the time of the Jewish Passover celebration, Jesus went [with us disciples by boat] and crossed to another place along Galilee Lake. This lake is [also called] Tiberias Lake.
2 A large crowd of people kept following Jesus [on land] because they had been seeing the miracles he performed [by healing] sick people.
3 Jesus went up on the hillside and sat down with [us] disciples [to teach us].
4 Then he looked up and saw a great crowd of people coming toward him.
5 He said to Philip, “Where will we buy food for all these people to eat?”
6 He asked this only to find out if Philip believed what [Jesus could do], because Jesus already knew what he himself was going to do.
7 Philip replied to him, “[Even if we had] the amount of money a man earns in eight months, that would not be enough to buy bread so that each person could have a little bit!”
8 Another one of [us] disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s [younger] brother, said to Jesus,
9 “There is a boy here who has five small barley loaves and two [cooked] fish. But (they will not help much among so many people!/what good will that do among so many people?) [RHQ]”
10 Jesus said, “Tell the people to sit down!” There was plenty of grass there, so they all sat down [comfortably]. There were about 5,000 men [among the crowd].
11 Then Jesus took the small loaves and the fish and thanked [God] for them. Then he [gave them to us, and we] distributed the small loaves and the fish to all the people sitting on the ground. [Because God caused the food to keep increasing], everyone ate as much as they wanted.
12 When everyone had all the food they wanted, he said to [us] disciples, “Gather up the pieces that are left over. Do not let anything be wasted!”
13 So we gathered up the pieces of the small loaves that were left over by those who had eaten. We filled twelve baskets with those pieces!
14 After the people saw that miracle that Jesus had performed, [many of] them started to say, “Surely this is the prophet [like Moses] that [God promised] to send to the world!”
15 So, because Jesus realized that they were about to come and seize him to make him [their] king, he left them again and went up into the hills by himself.
16 When it was evening, [we] disciples went down to [Galilee] Lake.
17 When it became dark and Jesus had still not joined us, [we] got into a boat and went across the lake towards Capernaum [city].
18 A strong wind started to blow and caused the water (to become very rough/to have high waves).
19 After we had rowed (three or four miles/five or six kilometers), we saw Jesus coming near the boat; he was walking on the water! So we were terrified!
20 But he said to us, “Do not be afraid! It is I!”
21 We were glad to take him into the boat. As soon as [we] did that, the boat reached the shore where [we] were going!
22 The next day the crowd of people that had stayed on the other side of the lake [were perplexed about how Jesus had left that area]. They knew that there had been only one boat there [the previous day]. They knew that we had gone away in it by ourselves. They knew that Jesus had not gone with us.
23 Then some [men came] from Tiberias [city] in boats. [They were hoping to take some of the crowd back to Tiberias]. They arrived near the place where the people had eaten the food after Jesus had given thanks [and caused it to multiply].
24 When the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor we disciples were there, [some of] them got into those boats and they sailed to Capernaum to find Jesus.
25 When they found him [in Capernaum] further around the lake, they asked him, “Teacher, [since you(sg) did not come in a boat], when [and how] did you get here?”
26 Jesus replied to them, “Listen to this carefully: Do you know why you are looking for me? It is not because you saw [me perform] miracles [and as a result have realized who I really am]. No! You are looking for me [only] because you had plenty of bread to eat [after I provided it for you by performing a miracle].
27 Stop desiring food that will soon spoil! Instead, desire to get [spiritual] food that will last forever! Yearn for eternal life! That is what I, the one who came from heaven, will give you. God [my] Father has shown that he approves of me [enabling me to do that].” (aiōnios )
28 Then the people asked him, “What things should we do [to please] God?”
29 Jesus replied, “What God [wants you] to do is this: He wants you to believe that [I am] the one he has sent.”
30 So they said to him, “Then perform [another] miracle so that we may see it and believe that [you came from God]. What miracle would you like to perform?
31 Our ancestors ate the [food called] manna [that God provided for them by a miracle] in the desolate area. This is written {[The Psalmist] wrote this} [in the Scriptures] about [what Moses caused to happen: ] ‘He gave them food from heaven to eat.’ [Will you perform a miracle like that]?”
32 So Jesus said to them, “The truth is that it was not Moses who gave your [ancestors] that food from heaven. No, it was my Father [who gave it to them. And my Father is the one] who gives you the true food from heaven.
33 The true bread from God came down from heaven, and he is the one who will give [eternal] life to [the people of] the world [MTY].”
34 [Not understanding what he meant], they said to him, “Sir, give us that kind of bread all the time!”
35 Jesus said to them, “[Just like] food [MET] [sustains physical life], I am the [one who enables you to have spiritual] life. Those who [eat ordinary food and drinks will later be hungry and thirsty]. But those who come to me [to receive that life] will never again [lack anything spiritually].
36 I told you before that you have seen my [miracles, but after seeing them, instead of understanding who I am], you have not believed in me.
37 All the people that [my] Father entrusts to me will come to me, and I will certainly (welcome/never send away) [LIT] anyone who comes to me.
38 When I came down from heaven, it was not to do what I want. Instead, I came to do what ([God/my Father]), who sent me, wants.
39 What the one who sent me wants is that I (keep forever all/never lose any) [LIT] of those whom he has entrusted to me. He wants me to cause all of them to become alive again (on the last day/on the day [when I judge everyone]) [MTY].
40 [Long ago in the desolate area when those who were bitten by snakes looked at the bronze replica of a snake, they were healed] [MET]. What my Father wants is that [similarly] everyone who looks at [what] I [have done] and believes in me will have eternal life. I will cause them to become alive again (on the last day/on the day [when I judge everyone]) [MTY].” (aiōnios )
41 The Jewish [leaders] [SYN] began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the one who is [like] true bread who came down from heaven.”
42 They said, “(This man is Jesus, the son of Joseph!/Isn’t this man the son of Joseph?) [RHQ] We know [the names of] both his father and his mother. [He certainly did not come from heaven], so (he is [lying] by saying ‘I came from heaven.’/why is he now saying, ‘I came from heaven?’) [RHQ]”
43 Jesus replied to them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves [about what I just said]!
44 [My] Father, who sent me, makes people want to come to me. No others will come to me [to receive eternal life]. Those who come to me are the only ones who will believe in me. I will (cause them to be alive again/raise them [from the dead]) (on the last day/on the [judgment] day).
45 It was written ([by one of the prophets/by the prophet Isaiah]) {([One of the prophets/The prophet Isaiah]) wrote} [about all those who will trust in me], ‘God will teach them all.’ Everyone who listens to what [my] Father [says] and learns from him will (come to/believe in) me.
46 I came from God. I am the only one who has seen [my] Father. No one else has seen him.
47 Listen to this carefully: Everyone who believes ([my message/in me]) has eternal life. (aiōnios )
48 [Just like] food [MET] [sustains your physical life], I am the [one who enables you to have spiritual] life.
49 Even though your ancestors ate the manna [while they were traveling] in the desolate area, they died [anyway].
50 But the bread [I am talking about] is something that came down from heaven. If people eat that bread, their [spirits] will never die.
51 I am the one who came down from heaven to enable people to have [spiritual] life. If people take what I will give them, they will live forever. What I will give them is my flesh, which I will give to [all the people in] [MTY] the world in order that they may have [spiritual] life.” (aiōn )
52 Then the Jewish [leaders] [SYN] began to argue among themselves. They said, “(There is no way this man can give us his flesh to eat!/How can this man give us his flesh to eat?)” [RHQ]
53 So, [speaking figuratively of the need for them to accept for themselves the benefits of his sacrificing himself and shedding his blood to atone for their sins] [MET], Jesus said to them, “Listen carefully to this: [Although] I am the one who came from heaven, if you do not eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not have eternal life.
54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will cause them to become alive again at (the last day/the [judgment] day), (aiōnios )
55 because my flesh and my blood are truly spiritual food.
56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood will have a close relationship with me, and I will have a close relationship with them.
57 [My] Father, who is the [source of everything that] lives, sent me, and I live because [my] Father has [given me life]. Similarly those who eat my [flesh] will live [eternally] because of what I [do for them].
58 [I am] the true bread that came down from heaven. Although our ancestors ate [manna], they [later] died [anyway]. But those who eat this bread will live forever.” (aiōn )
59 He said this while he was teaching people in (the synagogue/the Jewish meeting place) in Capernaum.
60 After they heard him say that, many of his disciples said, “What he is teaching is hard [to understand]; (it is very difficult for anyone to accept it!/how can anyone accept it?) [RHQ]”
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were grumbling about it, so he said to them, “(I am sorry that this is offending you./Is this offending you?) [RHQ]
62 ([Perhaps you will believe my message] if you see me, the one who came from heaven, ascending [there] to where I was before!/[(What will you think if you see me], the one who came from heaven, ascending [there] to where I was before)?) [RHQ]
63 [God’s] Spirit is the one who gives people [eternal] life. Human efforts are no help at all [for giving people eternal life]. The message I have spoken to you [gives spiritual] life (OR, [comes from] God’s Spirit [and gives eternal] life.)
64 But there are some of you who do not believe [my message.” Jesus said that] because he knew from the time he started [MTY] [his ministry] which of them would not believe his message. He also knew who would (betray him/enable his enemies to seize him).
65 Then he continued by saying, “That is why I told you that only those whom my Father has enabled [to believe in me] will come to me [and receive eternal life].”
66 From that [time], many of his disciples left him and no longer went with him.
67 So he said to [us] twelve [apostles], “You do not want to leave me also, do you?”
68 Simon Peter replied to him, “Lord, [we] will not [leave you], [because] (there is no other person [like you] to whom we can go!/what other person is there like [you] to whom we can go?) [RHQ] You have the message about eternal life! (aiōnios )
69 We have come to believe for certain that you are the holy one [who has come] from God!”
70 Then Jesus replied to us, “[You are saying that as though all] you twelve [men] whom I have chosen [RHQ] believe that. But one of you is [under the control of] Satan!”
71 He was talking about Judas, the [son] of Simon, from Kerioth [village]. [Even though] Judas was one of us twelve [apostles], he was about (to betray Jesus/to enable Jesus’ enemies to seize him).
