John 6:1–15

THE FOURTH SIGN: FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

6After^ar this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee^as (or Tiberias^at). ²A huge crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick. ³Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

⁴Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. ⁵So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward him,^a he asked Philip,^b “Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?” ⁶He asked this to test him,^c for he himself knew what he was going to do.

⁷Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii^Bd worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.”

⁸One of his disciples, Andrew,^e Simon^f Peter’s^g brother, said to him, ⁹“There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many?”

¹⁰Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”

There was plenty of grass in that place; so they sat down. The men numbered about five thousand.^{h 11}Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks he distributed them to those who were seated—so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.ⁱ

¹²When they were full, he told his disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.”^{j 13}So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴When the people saw the sign^A he had done, they said, “This truly is the Prophet^k who is to come^l into the world.”^{m 15}Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,ⁿ he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.