John 6:48-66

Contemporary English Version

⁴⁸ I am the bread that gives life! ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate manna^[a] in the desert, and later they died. ⁵⁰ But the bread from heaven has come down, so that no one who eats it will ever die. ⁵¹ I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread I give to the people of this world.

⁵² They started arguing with each other and asked, “How can he give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus answered:

I tell you for certain that you won't live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man. ⁵⁴ But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day. ⁵⁵ My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. ⁵⁶ If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you.

⁵⁷ The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him. Now everyone who eats my flesh will live because of me. ⁵⁸ The bread that comes down from heaven isn't like what your ancestors ate. They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever.

⁵⁹ Jesus was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum when he said these things.

The Words of Eternal Life

⁶⁰ Many of Jesus' disciples heard him and said, “This is too hard for anyone to understand.”

⁶¹ Jesus knew that his disciples were grumbling. So he asked, “Does this bother you? ⁶² What if you should see the Son of Man go up to heaven where he came from? ^63 (A) The Spirit is the one who gives life! Human strength can do nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are from that life-giving Spirit. ⁶⁴ But some of you refuse to have faith in me.” Jesus said this, because from the beginning he knew who would have faith in him. He also knew which one would betray him.

⁶⁵ Then Jesus said, “You cannot come to me, unless the Father makes you want to come. That is why I have told these things to all of you.”

⁶⁶ Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him.