A) Geographical and Temporal Introduction: Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias); large crowd followed Jesus, since they saw the SIGNS he was doing; he goes up a mountain; Jewish feast of Passover was near (vv. 1-4)

B) Jesus asks Philip: "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" Philip replies: "Two hundred days wages would not be enough" (vv. 5-7)

C) Andrew, one of his disciples, suggests: "Here's a boy with five barley loaves and two fish, but what good is that for so many people?" (vv. 8-9)

D) Jesus orders: "Have the people recline"; about 5000 men recline on the grass (v. 10)

E) Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them... (v. 11a)  --  [see the Synoptic Parallels]

D') ...to those who were reclining; also of the fish, as much as they wanted (vv. 11b)

C') Jesus tells his disciples to collect the fragments; they fill 12 wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves (vv. 12-13a)

B') Which were leftovers from those who had eaten (v. 13b)

A') The people saw the SIGN and say, "This is the Prophet who is to come to the world"; Jesus knew they wanted to make him a king, so he withdrew to the mountain alone (vv. 14-15)

A) In the evening, his disciples go down to the sea, get in a boat, cross the sea to Capernaum (vv. 16-17a)

B) Already dark, Jesus had not yet come; sea is stirred up, strong wind blowing (vv. 17b-18)

C) They row 3-4 miles, see Jesus walking on the sea, coming near the boat (v. 19ab)

D) They are afraid; (v. 19c)

E) Jesus says, "It is I (ego eimi)." (v. 20a)

D') "Do not be afraid." (v. 20b)

C') They want to take him into the boat, but immediately arrive at the shore where they were going (v. 21)

B') Next day, the crowd realizes Jesus had not gone in the boat with his disciples (v. 22)

A') Other boats come from Tiberias (cf. v. 1); near where they had eaten the bread when the Lord had given thanks (cf. v. 11); crowd sees that Jesus and his disciples are not there, get into boats, go to Capernaum; find Jesus across the sea, and ask: "When did you get here?" (vv. 23-25)

[Note: Structurally, vv. 22-25 form a transition to the following "Bread of Life" discourse.]

OVERVIEW:

Part I: Introduction: signs and food; the works of God; believing in Jesus; bread from heaven; Moses and the Father (vv. 22-34)

Part II: The Bread of Life = The Words and Teachings of Jesus (vv. 35-50)

Part III: The Bread of Life = The Flesh and Blood of Jesus (vv. 51-59)

Part IV: Reactions: Some disciples depart; the Twelve remain; Peter professes his belief (vv. 60-71)
 

Part I: Introduction: signs and food; the works of God; believing in Jesus; bread from heaven; Moses and the Father (vv. 22-34)

• Narrator: The next day… sea/boats… went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. (vv. 22-25a)
• [Crowd]: “Rabbi, when did you come here?” (v. 25b)
• Jesus: “Amen, amen, I say to you… work for the food that endures to eternal life” (vv. 26-27)
• [They]: “What must we do to perform the works of God?” (v. 28)
• Jesus: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”(v. 29)
• [They]: “What sign will you give us…? What work will you perform?”(vv. 30-31)
• Jesus: “Amen, amen, I say to you…, it was not Moses…, my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” (vv. 32-33)
• [They]: “Sir, give us this bread always.” (v. 34)

Part II: The Bread of Life = The Words and Teachings of Jesus (vv. 35-50)

• Jesus: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never thirst… I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me… that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; I will raise them up on the last day.” (vv. 35-40)
• Narrator: Jews complained, because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ (v. 41)
• [They]: “Is this not Jesus, son of Joseph…?  How can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” (v. 42)
• Jesus: “Do not complain…. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me;… It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught be God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me… Amen, amen…, whoever believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life… This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” (vv. 43-50)

Part III: The Bread of Life = The Flesh and Blood of Jesus (vv. 51-59)

• Jesus: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (v. 51)
• The Jews: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (v. 52)
• Jesus: “Amen, amen…, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.… The one who eats this bread will live forever.” (vv. 53-58)
• Narrator: He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. (v. 59)

Part IV: Reactions: Some disciples depart; the Twelve remain; Peter professes his belief (vv. 60-71)

• Many Disciples: “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” (v. 60)
• Jesus: “Does this offend you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? The spirit gives life; the flesh is useless. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life…” (vv. 61-64a)
• Narrator: Jesus knew from the first who would believe and who would betray him… (v. 64b)
• Jesus: “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.” (v. 65)
• Narrator: Because of this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (v. 66)
• Jesus (to the 12): “Do you also wish to go away?” (v. 67)
• Simon Peter: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (vv. 68-69)
• Jesus: “Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” (v. 70)
• Narrator: He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he… was going to betray him. (v. 71)