John 6:25-59

International Children’s Bible

Jesus, the Bread of Life

²⁵ The people found Jesus on the other side of the lake. They asked him, “Teacher, when did you come here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Are you looking for me because you saw me do miracles? No! I tell you the truth. You are looking for me because you ate the bread and were satisfied. ²⁷ Earthly food spoils and ruins. So don’t work to get that kind of food. But work to get the food that stays good always and gives you eternal life. The Son of Man will give you that food. God the Father has shown that he is with the Son of Man.”

²⁸ The people asked Jesus, “What are the things God wants us to do?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work God wants you to do is this: to believe in the One that God sent.”

³⁰ So the people asked, “What miracle will you do? If we can see a miracle, then we will believe you. What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the desert. This is written in the Scriptures: ‘God gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”^[a]

³² Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. Moses was not the one who gave you bread from heaven. But my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ God’s bread is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ The people said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

³⁵ Then Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life. He who comes to me will never be hungry. He who believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you before, you have seen me, and still you don’t believe. ³⁷ The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me, and I will always accept them. ³⁸ I came down from heaven to do what God wants me to do. I did not come to do what I want to do. ³⁹ I must not lose even one of those that God has given me, but I must raise them up on the last day. This is what the One who sent me wants me to do. ⁴⁰ Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life. I will raise him up on the last day. This is what my Father wants.”

⁴¹ The Jews began to complain about Jesus. They complained because he said, “I am the bread that comes down from heaven.” ⁴² The Jews said, “This is Jesus. We know his father and mother. He is only Joseph’s son. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³ But Jesus answered, “Stop complaining to each other. ⁴⁴ The Father is the One who sent me. No one can come to me unless the Father draws him to me. And I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ‘God will teach all the people.’^[b] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the One who is from God. Only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ I tell you the truth. He who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread that gives life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert. But still they died. ⁵⁰ Here is the bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will never die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh. I will give my flesh so that the people in the world may have life.”

⁵² Then the Jews began to argue among themselves. They said, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. You must eat the flesh of the Son of Man. And you must drink his blood. If you don’t do this, then you won’t have real life in you. ⁵⁴ He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ My flesh is true food. My blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him. ⁵⁷ The Father sent me. The Father lives, and I live because of the Father. So he who eats me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ I am not like the bread our ancestors ate. They ate that bread, but still they died. I am the bread that came down from heaven. He who eats this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ Jesus said all these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.