John 6:22–71

²²The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake^l realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.^{m 23}Then some boats from Tiberiasⁿ landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.^{o 24}Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

²⁵When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi,^p when did you get here?”

²⁶Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,^q not because you saw the signs^r I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures^s to eternal life,^t which the Son of Man^u will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal^v of approval.”

²⁸Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe^w in the one he has sent.”^x

³⁰So they asked him, “What sign^y then will you give that we may see it and believe you?^z What will you do? ³¹Our ancestors ate the manna^a in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’^c”^b

³²Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven^c and gives life to the world.”

³⁴“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”^d

³⁵Then Jesus declared, “I am^e the bread of life.^f Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes^g in me will never be thirsty.^{h 36}But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷All those the Father gives meⁱ will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven^j not to do my will but to do the will^k of him who sent me.^{l 39}And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,^m but raise them up at the last day.^{n 40}For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son^o and believes in him shall have eternal life,^p and I will raise them up at the last day.”

⁴¹At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴²They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,^q whose father and mother we know?^r How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”^s

⁴³“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,^t and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^du Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;^v only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.^{w 48}I am the bread of life.^{x 49}Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.^{y 50}But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,^z which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹I am the living bread^a that came down from heaven.^b Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”^c

⁵²Then the Jews^d began to argue sharply among themselves,^e “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh^f of the Son of Man^g and drink his blood,^h you have no life in you. ⁵⁴Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.^{i 55}For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.^{j 57}Just as the living Father sent me^k and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”^{l 59}He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰On hearing it, many of his disciples^m said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”ⁿ

⁶¹Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?^{o 62}Then what if you see the Son of Man^p ascend to where he was before!^{q 63}The Spirit gives life;^r the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit^e and life. ⁶⁴Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known^s from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.^{t 65}He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”^u

⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples^v turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.^w

⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him,^x “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.^{y 69}We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”^z

⁷⁰Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you,^a the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”^{b 71}(He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,^c who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)^d