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’?”

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Footnotes

  1. John 6:26 I.e., confirming miracles
  2. John 6:27 I.e., of identification or authenticity
  3. John 6:33 Or He who comes

Jesus, the Bread of Life

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. 23 Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25 They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man[a] can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

30 They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[b]

32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. 37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 Then the people[c] began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

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Footnotes

  1. 6:27 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
  2. 6:31 Exod 16:4; Ps 78:24.
  3. 6:41 Greek Jewish people; also in 6:52.