John 6:25-59
Expanded Bible
Jesus, the Bread of Life
25 When ·the people [L they] found Jesus on the ·other [opposite] side of the ·lake [sea], they asked him, “·Teacher [L Rabbi], when did you come here?”
26 Jesus answered, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], you aren’t looking for me because you saw ·me do miracles [L signs]. You are looking for me because you ate the bread and were ·satisfied [filled]. 27 Don’t work for the food that ·spoils [perishes]. Work for the food that ·stays good always and gives eternal life [L endures/remains/abides for eternal life]. The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] will give you this food, because on him God the Father has ·put his power [L set his seal; C a seal impression signifies ownership and authority; 3:33].”
28 The people asked Jesus, “What ·are the things God wants us to do [L should we do to work the works of God]?”
29 Jesus answered, “·The work God wants you to do is this [L This is the work of God]: Believe the One he sent.”
30 So ·the people [L they] asked, “What ·miracle will you do? If we see a miracle, we will believe you [L sign will you do that we might see and believe you?]. What ·will you do [work will you perform]? 31 Our ·ancestors [forefathers; L fathers] ate the manna [C a flaky breadlike food that God provided the Israelites in the wilderness; Ex. 16:13–36] in the ·desert [wilderness]. ·This is written in the Scriptures [L As it is written]: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat [compare Ex. 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Ps. 78:24].’
32 [L Therefore; So; Then] Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven; it is my Father who is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33 [L For] God’s bread is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 [L Therefore] ·the people [L they] said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Then Jesus said to them, “I am the ·bread that gives life [T bread of life]. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you before, you have seen me and still don’t believe. 37 ·The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me [L All/Everything the Father gives me will come to me], and I will ·always accept them [not reject them; L not cast them out]. 38 [L For] I came down from heaven to do ·what God wants me to do [L the will of him who sent me], not ·what I want to do [L my own will]. 39 Here is ·what the One who sent me wants me to do [L the will of him who sent me]: I must not lose even one whom God gave me, but I must raise them all on the last day. 40 Those who see the Son and believe in him have eternal life, and I will raise them on the last day. This is ·what my Father wants [L the will of my Father].”
41 ·Some people [The Jewish leaders; L The Jews] began to ·complain [grumble; murmur] about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that comes down from heaven.” 42 They said, “·This is [L Is this not…?] Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his father and mother. How can he [L now] say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 But Jesus ·answered [responded], “Stop ·complaining to each other [grumbling/murmuring among yourselves]. 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 that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God [Is. 54:13].’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 ·No one has [or Not that anyone has] seen the Father except the One who is from God; only he has seen the Father. [C Some interpreters put the previous sentence in parentheses as a side comment made by the author.] 47 ·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the ·bread that gives life [T bread of life]. 49 Your ·ancestors [forefathers; L fathers] ate the manna [see 6:31] in the ·desert [wilderness], but still they died. 50 Here is the bread that comes down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give up so that the world may have life.”
52 Then the ·Jewish leaders [L Jews] began to ·argue [dispute; quarrel] among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 [L So] Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], you must eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. Otherwise, you won’t have ·real life [L life] in you. 54 Those who ·eat [feed on; C Jesus uses a different Greek word for “eat” in vv. 54–57 than in the previous verses; but the difference is probably stylistic] my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. 55 [L For] My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who ·eat [feed on] my flesh and drink my blood ·live [remain; abide] in me, and I ·live [remain; abide] in them. 57 The living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father. So whoever ·eats [feeds on] me will live because of me. 58 I am not like the bread your ·ancestors [forefathers; L fathers] ate [C the manna; 6:31]. They ate that bread and still died. I am the bread that came down from heaven, and whoever ·eats [feeds on] this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said all these things while he was teaching in the synagogue [C a local congregation of Jews] in Capernaum [2:12].
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John 6:25-59
Amplified Bible
25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
Words to the People
26 Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you have been searching for Me, not because you saw the signs (attesting miracles), but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures [and leads] to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you; for God the Father has authorized Him and put His seal on Him.” 28 Then they asked Him, “What are we to do, so that we may habitually be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered, “This is the work of God: that you believe [adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One whom He has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “What sign (attesting miracle) will You do that we may see it and believe You? What [supernatural] work will You do [as proof]? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written [in Scripture], ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”(A) 32 Then Jesus said to them, “I assure you and most solemnly 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 [a]bread out of heaven. 33 For the Bread of God is He who comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”
35 Jesus replied to them, “[b]I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually]. 36 But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. 37 All that My Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, never reject anyone who follows Me]. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but that I [give new life and] raise it up at the last day. 40 For this is My Father’s will and purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him [as Savior] will have eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.”
Words to the Jews
41 Now the Jews murmured and found fault with Him because He said, “I am the Bread that came down out of heaven.” 42 They kept saying, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now [have the arrogance to] say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 So Jesus answered, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him [giving him the desire to come to Me]; and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father, comes to Me.(B) 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He [who was with the Father and] who is from God; He [alone] has seen the Father. 47 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he who believes [in Me as Savior—whoever adheres to, trusts in, relies on, and has faith in Me—already] has eternal life [that is, now possesses it]. 48 I am the Bread of Life [the Living Bread which gives and sustains life]. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the Bread that comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the Living Bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior], he will live forever. And the Bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh (body).”
52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 And Jesus said to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [unless you believe in Me as Savior and believe in the saving power of My blood which will be shed for you], you do not have life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] has eternal life [that is, now possesses it], and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true [spiritual] food, and My blood is true [spiritual] drink. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] remains in Me, and I [in the same way remain] in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, even so the one who feeds on Me [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] will also live because of Me. 58 This is the Bread which came down out of heaven. It is not like [the manna that] our fathers ate and they [eventually] died; the one who eats this Bread [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] will live forever.”
Words to the Disciples
59 He said these things in a synagogue while He was teaching in Capernaum.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 6:32 I.e. salvation and everlasting life through Christ.
- John 6:35 Jesus uses the words “I am” over twenty times in this Gospel. Especially memorable are those places where “I am” is followed by a metaphor that declares His deity and His relationship to mankind as Savior (this is the first of seven such references); see 8:12 (Light); 10:9 (Door); 10:11 (Good Shepherd); 11:25 (Resurrection); 14:6 (Way, Truth, Life); 15:5 (Vine).
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