²² The next day ^(A)the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there except one, and that Jesus ^(B)had not gotten into the boat with His disciples, but that His disciples had departed alone. ²³ Other small boats came from ^(C)Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the ^(D)Lord ^(E)had given thanks. ²⁴ So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats and ^(F)came to Capernaum, looking for Jesus. ²⁵ And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “^(G)Rabbi, when did You get here?”

Words to the People

²⁶ Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you ^(H)seek Me, not because you saw ^[a](I)signs, but because you ate some of the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Do not ^(J)work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for ^(K)eternal life, which ^(L)the Son of Man will give you, for on Him the Father, God, ^(M)has set His ^[b]seal.” ²⁸ Therefore they said to Him, “What are we to do, so that we may accomplish the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is ^(N)the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He ^(O)has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to Him, “^(P)What then are You doing as a ^(Q)sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work are You performing? ^31 (R)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘^(S)He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” ³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is ^[c]that which ^(T)comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ Then they said to Him, “Lord, always ^(U)give us this bread.”

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “^(V)I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me ^(W)will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But ^(X)I said to you that you have indeed seen Me, and yet you do not believe. ^37 (Y)Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out. ³⁸ For ^(Z)I have come down from heaven, ^(AA)not to do My own will, but ^(AB)the will of Him who ^(AC)sent Me. ³⁹ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of ^(AD)everything that He has given Me I will ^(AE)lose nothing, but will ^(AF)raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who ^(AG)sees the Son and ^(AH)believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will ^(AI)raise him up on the last day.”

Words to the Jews

^41 (AJ)So then the Jews were complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that ^(AK)came down out of heaven.” ⁴² And they were saying, “^(AL)Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother ^(AM)we know? How does He now say, ‘^(AN)I have come down out of heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me ^(AO)draws him; and I will ^(AP)raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written ^(AQ)in the Prophets: ‘^(AR)And they shall all be ^(AS)taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. ^46 (AT)Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes ^(AU)has eternal life. ^48 (AV)I am the bread of life. ^49 (AW)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that ^(AX)comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and ^(AY)not die. ^51 (AZ)I am the living bread that ^(BA)came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, ^(BB)he will live forever; and the bread which I will give ^(BC)for the life of the world also is ^(BD)My flesh.”

^52 (BE)Then the Jews ^(BF)began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of ^(BG)the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will ^(BH)raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood ^(BI)remains in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ Just as the ^(BJ)living Father ^(BK)sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that ^(BL)came down out of heaven, not as ^(BM)the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread ^(BN)will live forever.”

Words to the Disciples

⁵⁹ These things He said ^(BO)in the synagogue as He taught ^(BP)in Capernaum.

⁶⁰ So then many of His ^(BQ)disciples, when they heard this, said, “^(BR)This statement is very ^[d]unpleasant; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, ^(BS)aware that His disciples were complaining about this, said to them, “Is this ^[e](BT)offensive to you? ⁶² What then if you see ^(BU)the Son of Man ^(BV)ascending to where He was before? ^63 (BW)It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; ^(BX)the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are ^(BY)some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus ^(BZ)knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and ^(CA)who it was who would ^[f]betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He was saying, “For this reason I have ^(CB)told you that no one can come to Me unless ^(CC)it has been granted him from the Father.”

Peter’s Confession of Faith

⁶⁶ As a result of this many of His ^(CD)disciples ^(CE)left, and would no longer walk with Him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to ^(CF)the twelve, “You do not want to leave also, do you?” ^68 (CG)Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have ^(CH)words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ And we have already believed and have come to know that You are ^(CI)the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “^(CJ)Did I Myself not choose you, ^(CK)the twelve? And yet one of you is ^(CL)a devil.” ⁷¹ Now He meant Judas ^(CM)the son of Simon Iscariot; for he, ^(CN)one of ^(CO)the twelve, ^[g]was going to betray Him.

Followers of Tradition

7 ^(A)The Pharisees and some of the scribes *gathered to Him after they came ^(B)from Jerusalem, ² and saw that some of His disciples were eating their bread with ^[a](C)unholy hands, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the other Jews do not eat unless they ^[b]carefully wash their hands, thereby holding firmly to the ^(D)tradition of the elders; ⁴ and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they ^[c]completely cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received as traditions to firmly hold, such as the ^[d]washing of ^(E)cups, pitchers, and copper pots.) ⁵ And the Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the ^(F)tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with ^(G)[e]unholy hands?” ⁶ But He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:

⁸ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the ^(J)tradition of men.”

⁹ He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your ^(K)tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘^(L)Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘^(M)The one who speaks evil of father or mother, is ^[f]certainly to be put to death’; ¹¹ but you say, ‘If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is ^(N)Corban (that is, ^[g]given to God),’ ¹² you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother; ¹³ thereby invalidating the word of God by your ^(O)tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

The Heart of Man

¹⁴ After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which come out of the person are what defile the person^[h].”

¹⁷ And when He later entered a house, away from the crowd, ^(P)His disciples asked Him about the parable. ¹⁸ And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding as well? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the person from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and ^[i]is eliminated?” (Thereby He declared ^(Q)all foods ^(R)clean.) ²⁰ And He was saying, “^(S)That which comes out of the person, that is what defiles the person. ²¹ For from within, out of the ^[j]hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, ²² deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, ^[k](T)envy, slander, ^[l]pride, and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”

Tradition and Commandment

15 ^(A)Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus ^(B)from Jerusalem and said, ² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they ^(C)do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³ And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘^(D)Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘^(E)The one who speaks evil of father or mother is to ^[a]be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been ^[b]given to God,” ⁶ he is not to ^[c]honor his father or mother.’ And by this you have invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, by saying:

¹⁰ After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand! ^11 (H)It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.”

¹² Then the disciples came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were ^[d]offended when they heard this statement?” ¹³ But He answered and said, “^(I)Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Leave them alone; ^(J)they are blind guides ^[e]of blind people. And ^(K)if a person who is blind guides another who is blind, both will fall into a pit.”

The Heart of Man

¹⁵ Peter ^[f]said to Him, “^(L)Explain the parable to us.” ^16 [g]Jesus said, “Are you also still lacking in understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is ^[h]eliminated? ¹⁸ But ^(M)the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. ^19 (N)For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and ^[i]slanderous statements. ²⁰ These are the things that defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”