John 6:22–44

Discourse About the Bread of Life

²²On the next day, the crowd that was on the other side of the sea saw that other boats were not there (except one), and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had departed alone. ²³Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after^* the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.

²⁵And when they^* found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” ²⁶Jesus replied to 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 work for the food that perishes, but the food that remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has set his seal on this one.”

²⁸So they said to him, “What shall we do that we can accomplish the works of God?” ²⁹Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one whom that one sent.” ³⁰So they said to him, “Then what sign will you perform, so that we can see it^* and believe you? What will you do? ³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’^c

³²Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you 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, always give us this bread!”

³⁵Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty again. ³⁶But I said to you that you have seen me and do not believe. ³⁷Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never throw out, ³⁸because I have come down from heaven not that I should do my will, but the will of the one who sent me. ³⁹Now this is the will of the one who sent me: that everyone whom he has given me, I would not lose any of them,^d but raise them^e up on the last day. ⁴⁰For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks at the Son and believes in him would have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

⁴¹Now the Jews began to grumble^* about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” ⁴²and they were saying, “Is this one not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” ⁴³Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves!^{f 44}No one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.