John 6
6
Multiplication of the Loaves.#This story of the multiplication of the loaves is the fourth sign (cf. note on Jn 5:1–47). It is the only miracle story found in all four gospels (occurring twice in Mark and Matthew). See notes on Mt 14:13–21; 15:32–39. John differs on the roles of Philip and Andrew, the proximity of Passover (Jn 6:4), and the allusion to Elisha (see Jn 6:9). The story here symbolizes the food that is really available through Jesus. It connotes a new exodus and has eucharistic overtones. 1#Mt 14:13–21; Mk 6:32–44; Lk 9:10–17. After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee [of Tiberias].#[Of Tiberias]: the awkward apposition represents a later name of the Sea of Galilee. It was probably originally a marginal gloss. 2A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 3Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish feast of Passover was near.#2:13; 11:55. 5#Jesus takes the initiative (in the synoptics, the disciples do), possibly pictured as (cf. Jn 6:14) the new Moses (cf. Nm 11:13). When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip,#Nm 11:13. “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 6#Probably the evangelist’s comment; in this gospel Jesus is never portrayed as ignorant of anything. He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages#Days’ wages: literally, “denarii”; a Roman denarius is a day’s wage in Mt 20:2. worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit].”#Mt 20:2. 8One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves#Barley loaves: the food of the poor. There seems an allusion to the story of Elisha multiplying the barley bread in 2 Kgs 4:42–44. and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”#2 Kgs 4:42–44. 10Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass#Grass: implies springtime, and therefore Passover. Five thousand: so Mk 6:39, 44 and parallels. in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.#Mt 14:21; Mk 6:44. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.#21:13. 12When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets#Baskets: the word describes the typically Palestinian wicker basket, as in Mk 6:43 and parallels. with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. 14When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet,#The Prophet: probably the prophet like Moses (see note on Jn 1:21). The one who is to come into the world: probably Elijah; cf. Mal 3:1, 23. the one who is to come into the world.”#Dt 18:15, 18; Mal 3:1, 23; Acts 3:22. 15Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.#18:36.
Walking on the Water.#The fifth sign is a nature miracle, portraying Jesus sharing Yahweh’s power. Cf. the parallel stories following the multiplication of the loaves in Mk 6:45–52 and Mt 14:22–33. 16#Mt 14:22–27; Mk 6:45–52. When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea, 17embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea#Walking on the sea: although the Greek (cf. Jn 6:16) could mean “on the seashore” or “by the sea” (cf. Jn 21:1), the parallels, especially Mt 14:25, make clear that Jesus walked upon the water. John may allude to Jb 9:8: God “treads upon the crests of the sea.” and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.#Jb 9:8; Ps 29:3–4; 77:20; Is 43:16. 20But he said to them, “It is I.#It is I: literally, “I am.” See also notes on Jn 4:26 and Mk 6:50. Do not be afraid.” 21They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
The Bread of Life Discourse. 22#Discourse on the bread of life; replacement of the manna. Jn 6:22–34 serve as an introduction, Jn 6:35–59 constitute the discourse proper, Jn 6:60–71 portray the reaction of the disciples and Peter’s confession. The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. 23#Possibly a later interpolation, to explain how the crowd got to Capernaum. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. 24When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life,#The food that endures for eternal life: cf. Jn 4:14, on water “springing up to eternal life.” which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”#6:50, 51, 54, 58. 28So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” 29Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” 30So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?#Mt 16:1–4; Lk 11:29–30. 31#Bread from heaven: cf. Ex 16:4, 15, 32–34 and the notes there; Ps 78:24. The manna, thought to have been hidden by Jeremiah (2 Mc 2:5–8), was expected to reappear miraculously at Passover, in the last days. Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:#Ex 16:4–5; Nm 11:7–9; Ps 78:24.
‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.#Mt 6:11. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34#4:15. So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35#Up to Jn 6:50 “bread of life” is a figure for God’s revelation in Jesus; in Jn 6:51–58, the eucharistic theme comes to the fore. There may thus be a break between Jn 6:50–51. Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.#Is 55:1–3; Am 8:11–13. 36But I told you that although you have seen [me], you do not believe.#20:29. 37Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, 38because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.#4:34; Mt 26:39; Heb 10:9. 39And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day.#10:28–29; 17:12; 18:9. 40For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day.”#1 Jn 2:25.
41The Jews murmured about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” 42and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”#Mt 13:54–57; Mk 6:1–4; Lk 4:22. 43Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring#Murmuring: the word may reflect the Greek of Ex 16:2, 7–8. among yourselves.#Ex 16:2, 7, 8; Lk 4:22. 44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets:
‘They shall all be taught by God.’
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.#Is 54:13; Jer 31:33–34. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.#1:18; 7:29; Ex 33:20. 47Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;#1 Cor 10:3, 5. 50this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”#Mt 26:26–27; Lk 22:19.
52The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” 53Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54Whoever eats#Eats: the verb used in these verses is not the classical Greek verb used of human eating, but that of animal eating: “munch,” “gnaw.” This may be part of John’s emphasis on the reality of the flesh and blood of Jesus (cf. Jn 6:55), but the same verb eventually became the ordinary verb in Greek meaning “eat.” my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.#5:26. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 59These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
The Words of Eternal Life.#These verses refer more to themes of Jn 6:35–50 than to those of Jn 6:51–58 and seem to be addressed to members of the Johannine community who found it difficult to accept the high christology reflected in the bread of life discourse. 60Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” 61Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? 62What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?#This unfinished conditional sentence is obscure. Probably there is a reference to Jn 6:49–51. Jesus claims to be the bread that comes down from heaven (Jn 6:50); this claim provokes incredulity (Jn 6:60); and so Jesus is pictured as asking what his disciples will say when he goes up to heaven. 63It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh#Spirit…flesh: probably not a reference to the eucharistic body of Jesus but to the supernatural and the natural, as in Jn 3:6. Spirit and life: all Jesus said about the bread of life is the revelation of the Spirit. is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.#13:11. 65And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”
66As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. 67Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” 68Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”#11:27; Mt 16:16; Mk 1:24; Lk 4:34. 70Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?” 71He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of the Twelve.#12:4; 13:2, 27.
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John 6: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Yoḥanan (John) 6
6
1After this יהושע went away to the other side of the Sea of Galil, that is Lake Kinnereth.
2And a large crowd was following Him, because they saw His signs which He did on those who were sick.
3And יהושע went up on a mountain, and there He sat down with His taught ones.
4And the Pĕsaḥ was near, the festival of the Yehuḏim.
5Then יהושע, lifting up His eyes and seeing a large crowd coming toward Him, said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for them to eat?”
6And this He said, trying him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii#A Roman monetary unit. worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for every one of them to receive a little.”
8One of His taught ones, Andri, the brother of Shim‛on Kĕpha, said to Him,
9Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fishes, but what are these for so many?
10And יהושע said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place, and the men, numbering about five thousand, sat down.
11And יהושע took the loaves, and having given thanks He distributed them to the taught ones, and the taught ones to those sitting down. And the same with the fish, as much as they wished.
12And when they were filled, He said to His taught ones, “Gather the broken pieces that are left over, so that none gets wasted.”
13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14Then the men, having seen the sign that יהושע did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is coming to the world.”
15Then יהושע, knowing that they were about to come and seize Him, that they might make Him sovereign, withdrew again to the mountain, alone by Himself.
16And when evening came, His taught ones went down to the sea,
17and entering into the boat, they were going over the sea toward Kephar Naḥum. And it had already become dark, and יהושע had not yet come to them.
18And the sea was rising because a great wind was blowing.
19When they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia,#Approx. 5 to 6 kilometres or 3 to 4 miles. they saw יהושע walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were afraid.
20And He said to them, “It is I, do not be afraid.”
21They wished therefore to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat was at the land where they were going.
22On the next day, the crowd that was standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there except that one into which His taught ones had entered, and that יהושע had not entered the boat with His taught ones, but His taught ones went away alone –
23but other boats came from Kinnereth, near the place where they ate bread after the Master had given thanks –
24therefore when the crowd saw that יהושע was not there, nor His taught ones, they themselves also entered into the boats and came to Kephar Naḥum, seeking יהושע.
25And having found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”
26יהושע answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were satisfied.
27Do not labour for the food that is perishing, but for the food that is remaining to everlasting life, which the Son of Aḏam shall give you,#See John 6:35; John 6:48; John 6:51; John 6:58; Mat. 4:4 for the Father, Elohim, has set His seal on Him.”
28So they said to Him, “What should we do to work the works of Elohim?”
29יהושע answered and said to them, “This is the work of Elohim, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
30So they said to Him, “What sign then would You do, so that we see and believe You? What would You do?
31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it has been written, ‘He gave them bread out of the heaven to eat.’# Psa. 78:24; Psa. 105:40; Neh. 9:15
32Therefore יהושע said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Mosheh did not give you the bread out of the heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread out of the heaven.
33For the bread of Elohim is He who comes down out of the heaven and gives life to the world.
34So they said to Him, “Master, give us this bread always.”
35And יהושע said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall not get hungry at all, and he who believes in Me shall not get thirsty at all.
36“But I said to you that you have seen Me, and still do not believe.
37“All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I shall by no means cast out.
38“Because I have come down out of the heaven, not to do My own desire, but the desire of Him who sent Me.
39“This is the desire of the Father who sent Me, that all He has given Me I should not lose of it, but should raise it in the last day.
40And this is the desire of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should possess everlasting life. And I shall raise him up in the last day.
41Therefore the Yehuḏim were grumbling against Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down out of the heaven.”
42And they said, “Is not this יהושע, the son of Yosĕph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down out of the heaven’?”
43Then יהושע answered and said to them, “Do not grumble with one another.
44“No one is able to come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. And I shall raise him up in the last day.
45It has been written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by יהוה.’# Isa. 54:13; Jer. 31:34 Everyone, then, who has heard from the Father, and learned, comes to Me.
46“Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from Elohim – He has seen the Father.
47“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me possesses everlasting life.
48“I am the bread of life.
49“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died.
50“This is the bread which comes down out of the heaven, so that anyone might eat of it, and not die.
51“I am the living bread which came down out of the heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever. And indeed, the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
52The Yehuḏim, therefore, were striving with one another, saying, “How is this One able to give us His flesh to eat?”
53יהושע therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Aḏam and drink His blood, you possess no life in yourselves.
54“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood possesses everlasting life, and I shall raise him up in the last day.
55“For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink.
56“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood stays in Me, and I in him.
57“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me shall live because of Me.
58This is the bread which came down out of the heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this bread shall live forever.
59He said this in a congregation, teaching in Kephar Naḥum.
60Therefore many of His taught ones having heard, said, “This word is hard, who is able to hear it?”
61But יהושע knowing within Himself that His taught ones were grumbling about this, said to them, “Does this make you stumble?
62“What if you see the Son of Aḏam going up where He was before?
63It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh does not profit at all. The words that I speak to you are Spirit and are life.#See John 6:68; 1Cor. 15:45
64But there are some of you who do not believe. For יהושע knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would deliver Him up.
65And He said, “Because of this I have said to you that no one is able to come to Me unless it has been given to him by My Father.”
66From then on many of His taught ones withdrew and were not walking with Him any more.
67יהושע therefore said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”
68Then Shim‛on Kĕpha answered Him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You possess words of everlasting life.
69And we have believed, and we know that You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.
70יהושע answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
71He was now speaking of Yehuḏah from Qerioth, the son of Shim‛on, for he, one of the twelve, was about to deliver Him up.
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