The Life of Jesus

“Go and see how many loaves you have,” He told them. And after checking, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass.

So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all.

They all ate and were satisfied,

and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.

After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land.

He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them,

but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost—

for they all saw Him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded,

for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat.

As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus

and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was.

And wherever He went—villages and towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus,

and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.

Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially.

And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”

Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.