Christ feeds five thousand with five loaves. He walks upon the sea and
discourses of the bread of life.
6:1. After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is
that of Tiberias.
6:2. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw the miracles
which he did on them that were diseased.
6:3. Jesus therefore went up into a mountain: and there he sat with his
disciples.
6:4. Now the pasch, the festival day of the Jews, was near at hand.
6:5. When Jesus therefore had lifted up his eyes and seen that a very
great multitude cometh to him, he said to Philip: Whence shall we buy
bread, that these may eat?
6:6. And this he said to try him: for he himself knew what he would do.
6:7. Philip answered him: Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not
sufficient for them that every one may take a little.
6:8. One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to
him:
6:9. There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves and two fishes.
But what are these among so many?
6:10. Then Jesus said: Make the men sit down. Now, there was much grass
in the place. The men therefore sat down, in number about five
thousand.
6:11. And Jesus took the loaves: and when he had given thanks, he
distributed to them that were set down. In like manner also of the
fishes, as much as they would.
6:12. And when they were filled, he said to his disciples: gather up
the fragments that remain, lest they be lost.
6:13. They gathered up therefore and filled twelve baskets with the
fragments of the five barley loaves which remained over and above to
them that had eaten.
6:14. Now those men, when they had seen what a miracle Jesus had done,
said: This is of a truth the prophet that is to come into the world.
6:15. Jesus therefore, when he knew that they would come to take him by
force and make him king, fled again into the mountain himself alone.
6:16. And when evening was come, his disciples went down to the sea.
6:17. And when they had gone up into a ship, they went over the sea to
Capharnaum. And it was now dark: and Jesus was not come unto them.
6:18. And the sea arose, by reason of a great wind that blew.
6:19. When they had rowed therefore about five and twenty or thirty
furlongs, they see Jesus walking upon the sea and drawing nigh to the
ship. And they were afraid.
6:20. But he saith to them: It is I. Be not afraid.
6:21. They were willing therefore to take him into the ship. And
presently the ship was at the land to which they were going.
6:22. The next day, the multitude that stood on the other side of the
sea saw that there was no other ship there but one: and that Jesus had
not entered into the ship with his disciples, but that his disciples
were gone away alone.
6:23. But other ships came in from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where
they had eaten the bread, the Lord giving thanks.
6:24. When therefore the multitude saw that Jesus was not there, nor
his disciples, they took shipping and came to Capharnaum, seeking for
Jesus.
6:25. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they
said to him: Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
6:26. Jesus answered them and said: Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek
me, not because you have seen miracles, but because you did eat of the
loaves and were filled.
6:27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which
endureth unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you. For
him hath God, the Father, sealed.
6:28. They said therefore unto him: What shall we do, that we may work
the works of God?
6:29. Jesus answered and said to them: This is the work of God, that
you believe in him whom he hath sent.
6:30. They said therefore to him: What sign therefore dost thou shew
that we may see and may believe thee? What dost thou work?
6:31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written: He
gave them bread from heaven to eat.
6:32. Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you; Moses gave you
not bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from
heaven.
6:33. For the bread of God is that which cometh down from heaven and
giveth life to the world.
6:34. They said therefore unto him: Lord, give us always this bread.
6:35. And Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life. He that cometh to
me shall not hunger: and he that believeth in me shall never thirst.
6:36. But I said unto you that you also have seen me, and you believe
not.
6:37. All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me: and him that
cometh to me, I will not cast out.
6:38. Because I came down from heaven, not to do my own will but the
will of him that sent me.
6:39. Now this is the will of the Father who sent me: that of all that
he hath given me, I should lose nothing; but should raise it up again
in the last day.
6:40. And this is the will of my Father that sent me: that every one
who seeth the Son and believeth in him may have life everlasting. And I
will raise him up in the last day.
6:41. The Jews therefore murmured at him, because he had said: I am the
living bread which came down from heaven.
6:42. And they said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? How then saith he: I came down from heaven?
6:43. Jesus therefore answered and said to them: Murmur not among
yourselves.
6:44. No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw
him. And I will raise him up in the last day.
Draw him.... Not by compulsion, nor by laying the free will under any
necessity, but by the strong and sweet motions of his heavenly grace.
6:45. It is written in the prophets: And they shall all be taught of
God. Every one that hath heard of the Father and hath learned cometh to
me.
6:46. Not that any man hath seen the Father: but he who is of God, he
hath seen the Father.
6:47. Amen, amen, I say unto you: He that believeth in me hath
everlasting life.
6:48. I am the bread of life.
6:49. Your fathers did eat manna in the desert: and are dead.
6:50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven: that if any man
eat of it, he may not die.
6:51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
6:52. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the
bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
6:53. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this
man give us his flesh to eat?
6:54. Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say unto you: except you
eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have
life in you.
Except you eat—and drink, etc.... To receive the body and blood of
Christ, is a divine precept, insinuated in this text; which the
faithful fulfil, though they receive but in one kind; because in one
kind they receive both body and blood, which cannot be separated from
each other. Hence, life eternal is here promised to the worthy
receiving, though but in one kind. Ver. 52. If any man eat of this
bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my
flesh for the life of the world. Ver. 58. He that eateth me, the same
also shall live by me. Ver. 59. He that eateth this bread, shall liver
for ever.
6:55. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting
life: and I will raise him up in the last day.
6:56. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.
6:57. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me: and
I in him.
6:58. As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father: so he
that eateth me, the same also shall live by me.
6:59. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers
did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live for
ever.
6:60. These things he said, teaching in the synagogue, in Capharnaum.
6:61. Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is
hard; and who can hear it?
6:62. But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at
this, said to them: Doth this scandalize you?
6:63. If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?
If then you shall see, etc.... Christ by mentioning his ascension, by
this instance of his power and divinity, would confirm the truth of
what he had before asserted; and at the same time correct their gross
apprehension of eating his flesh, and drinking his blood, in a vulgar
and carnal manner, by letting them know he should take his whole body
living with him to heaven; and consequently not suffer it to be as they
supposed, divided, mangled, and consumed upon earth.
6:64. It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing.
The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
The flesh profiteth nothing.... Dead flesh separated from the spirit,
in the gross manner they supposed they were to eat his flesh, would
profit nothing. Neither doth man’s flesh, that is to say, man’s natural
and carnal apprehension, (which refuses to be subject to the spirit,
and words of Christ,) profit any thing. But it would be the height of
blasphemy, to say the living flesh of Christ (which we receive in the
blessed sacarament, with his spirit, that is, with his soul and
divinity) profiteth nothing. For if Christ’s flesh had profitedus
nothing, he would never have taken flesh for us, nor died in us
nothing, he would never have taken flesh for us, nor died in the flesh
for us. Are spirit and life.... By proposing to you a heavenly
sacrament, in which you shall receive, in a wonderful manner, spirit,
grace, and life, in its very fountain.
6:65. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from
the beginning who they were that did not believe and who he was that
would betray him.
6:66. And he said: Therefore did I say to you that no man can come to
me, unless it be given him by my Father.
6:67. After this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more
with him.
6:68. Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away?
6:69. And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou
hast the words of eternal life.
6:70. And we have believed and have known that thou art the Christ, the
Son of God.
6:71. Jesus answered them: Have not I chosen you twelve? And one of you
is a devil.
6:72. Now he meant Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon: for this same was
about to betray him, whereas he was one of the twelve.