John 6:42-69

Christian Standard Bible

⁴² They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph,^(A) whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws^[a] him, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ^(B) And they will all be taught by God.^[b](C) Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father^(D) comes to me— ⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father^(E) except the one who is from God.^(F) He has seen the Father.^(G)

⁴⁷ “Truly I tell you, anyone who believes^[c] has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna^(H) in the wilderness,^(I) and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.^{(J) 51} I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live^(K) forever.^(L) The bread that I will give for the life^(M) of the world is my flesh.”^(N)

⁵² At that, the Jews argued^(O) among themselves,^(P) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man^(Q) and drink his blood,^(R) you do not have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood^(S) has eternal life, and I will raise^(T) him up on the last day, ⁵⁵ because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.^{(U) 57} Just as the living^(V) Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live^(W) because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna^[d] your ancestors ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”^(X)

⁵⁹ He said these things while teaching in the synagogue^(Y) in Capernaum.^(Z)

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept^[e] it?”

⁶¹ Jesus, knowing in himself^(AA) that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man^(AB) ascending^(AC) to where he was before? ⁶³ The Spirit^(AD) is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some among you who don’t believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning^(AE) those who did not^[f] believe and the one who would betray^(AF) him.) ⁶⁵ He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me^(AG) unless it is granted to him by the Father.”

⁶⁶ From that moment^[g] many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve,^(AH) “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter^(AI) answered, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”^[h](AJ)