³ He sent his servants^(A) to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’^(A)

²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me^(A) to have life.

³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna^(A) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’^[a]”^(B)

³² Jesus 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. ³³ For 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)

³⁵ Then 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. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me^(I) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,^(A) and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[a](B) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.

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.”^(A)

³⁴ You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”^(A)

¹⁶ Let us then approach^(A) God’s throne of grace with confidence,^(B) so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.