his discourse on Jesus’ being the bread of life (6:25–40). The story as a whole enacts a pattern of increasing expansion (as Jesus begins his ministry with a handful of followers and becomes a public figure at the center of his society’s attention) and then increasing constriction (as Jesus lives his final days chiefly in the company of his disciples). Passage Content Type of Material Place in Jesus’ Life Time Span 1:1–18 Prologue 1:19–4:54 Jesus’ initiation into public ministry Signs, discourses,