John 6:22-7:36

New King James Version

The Bread from Heaven

²² On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except ^[a]that one ^[b]which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— ²³ however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks— ²⁴ when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, ^(A)seeking Jesus. ²⁵ And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. ^27 (B)Do not labor for the food which perishes, but ^(C)for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, ^(D)because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

²⁸ Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, ^(E)“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

³⁰ Therefore they said to Him, ^(F)“What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? ^31 (G)Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ^(H)‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

³² Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but ^(I)My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

^34 (J)Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

³⁵ And Jesus said to them, ^(K)“I am the bread of life. ^(L)He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never ^(M)thirst. ^36 (N)But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet ^(O)do not believe. ^37 (P)All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and ^(Q)the one who comes to Me I will ^[c]by no means cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, ^(R)not to do My own will, ^(S)but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹ This is the will of the Father who sent Me, ^(T)that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. ⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, ^(U)that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Rejected by His Own

⁴¹ The Jews then ^[d]complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” ⁴² And they said, ^(V)“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁴³ Jesus therefore answered and said to them, ^[e]“Do not murmur among yourselves. ^44 (W)No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me ^(X)draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ^(Y)‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ ^(Z)Therefore everyone who ^[f]has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. ^46 (AA)Not that anyone has seen the Father, ^(AB)except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(AC)he who believes ^[g]in Me has everlasting life. ^48 (AD)I am the bread of life. ^49 (AE)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ^50 (AF)This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread ^(AG)which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and ^(AH)the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

⁵² The Jews therefore ^(AI)quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless ^(AJ)you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ^54 (AK)Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is ^[h]food indeed, and My blood is ^[i]drink indeed. ⁵⁶ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood ^(AL)abides in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. ^58 (AM)This is the bread which came down from heaven—not ^(AN)as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹ These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Turn Away

^60 (AO)Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a ^[j]hard saying; who can understand it?”

⁶¹ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples ^[k]complained about this, He said to them, “Does this ^[l]offend you? ^62 (AP)What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? ^63 (AQ)It is the Spirit who gives life; the ^(AR)flesh profits nothing. The ^(AS)words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But ^(AT)there are some of you who do not believe.” For ^(AU)Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He said, “Therefore ^(AV)I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

^66 (AW)From that time many of His disciples went ^[m]back and walked with Him no more. ⁶⁷ Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

⁶⁸ But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have ^(AX)the words of eternal life. ^69 (AY)Also we have come to believe and know that You are the ^[n]Christ, the Son of the living God.”

⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, ^(AZ)“Did I not choose you, the twelve, ^(BA)and one of you is a devil?” ⁷¹ He spoke of ^(BB)Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would ^(BC)betray Him, being one of the twelve.

Jesus’ Brothers Disbelieve

7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, ^(BD)because the ^[o]Jews sought to kill Him. ^2 (BE)Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. ^3 (BF)His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. ⁴ For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” ⁵ For ^(BG)even His ^(BH)brothers did not believe in Him.

⁶ Then Jesus said to them, ^(BI)“My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. ^7 (BJ)The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me ^(BK)because I testify of it that its works are evil. ⁸ You go up to this feast. I am not ^[p]yet going up to this feast, ^(BL)for My time has not yet fully come.” ⁹ When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

The Heavenly Scholar

¹⁰ But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. ¹¹ Then ^(BM)the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” ¹² And ^(BN)there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. ^(BO)Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” ¹³ However, no one spoke openly of Him ^(BP)for fear of the Jews.

¹⁴ Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and ^(BQ)taught. ^15 (BR)And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”

^16 [q]Jesus answered them and said, ^(BS)“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. ^17 (BT)If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. ^18 (BU)He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who ^(BV)seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and ^(BW)no unrighteousness is in Him. ^19 (BX)Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? ^(BY)Why do you seek to kill Me?”

²⁰ The people answered and said, ^(BZ)“You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”

²¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. ^22 (CA)Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, ^(CB)but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. ²³ If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because ^(CC)I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? ^24 (CD)Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Could This Be the Christ?

²⁵ Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to ^(CE)kill? ²⁶ But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. ^(CF)Do the rulers know indeed that this is ^[r]truly the Christ? ^27 (CG)However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

²⁸ Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, ^(CH)“You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and ^(CI)I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me ^(CJ)is true, ^(CK)whom you do not know. ^29 [s]But ^(CL)I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

³⁰ Therefore ^(CM)they sought to take Him; but ^(CN)no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. ³¹ And ^(CO)many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”

Jesus and the Religious Leaders

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. ³³ Then Jesus said ^[t]to them, ^(CP)“I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I ^(CQ)go to Him who sent Me. ³⁴ You ^(CR)will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you ^(CS)cannot come.”

³⁵ Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to ^(CT)the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”