Andrew Fountain - What on earth does it mean to 'feed on Jesus' and why this is one of the most important things you can ever learn

1. After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). ²A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. ³So Jesus went on up the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples. ⁴(Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.) ⁵Then Jesus, when he looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?” ⁶(Now Jesus said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.) ⁷Philip replied, “200 silver coins worth of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little.” ⁸One of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹“Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many people?”
10. Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) So the men sat down, about 5,000 in number. ¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹²When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” ¹³So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves left over by the people who had eaten.
14. Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone.

Walking on Water

16. Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷got into a boat, and started to cross the lake to Capernaum. (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) ¹⁸By now a strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough. ¹⁹Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, approaching the boat, and they were frightened. ²⁰But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” ²¹Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.
22. The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized that only one small boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. ²³Other boats from Tiberias came to shore near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

25. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” ²⁶Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. ²⁷Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life—the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.”
28. So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?” ²⁹Jesus replied, “This is the deed God requires—to believe in the one whom he sent.” ³⁰So they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32. Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!”
35. Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.
57. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”