Jesus the Bread of Life

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi,(A) when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,(B) not because you saw the signs(C) I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures(D) to eternal life,(E) which the Son of Man(F) will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal(G) of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe(H) in the one he has sent.”(I)

30 So they asked him, “What sign(J) then will you give that we may see it and believe you?(K) What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna(L) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[a](M)

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven(N) and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”(O)

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am(P) the bread of life.(Q) Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes(R) in me will never be thirsty.(S) 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me(T) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven(U) not to do my will but to do the will(V) of him who sent me.(W) 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,(X) but raise them up at the last day.(Y) 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son(Z) and believes in him shall have eternal life,(AA) and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,(AB) whose father and mother we know?(AC) How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”(AD)

43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,(AE) and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[b](AF) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;(AG) only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.(AH) 48 I am the bread of life.(AI) 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.(AJ) 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,(AK) which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread(AL) that came down from heaven.(AM) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”(AN)

52 Then the Jews(AO) began to argue sharply among themselves,(AP) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh(AQ) of the Son of Man(AR) and drink his blood,(AS) you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.(AT) 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.(AU) 57 Just as the living Father sent me(AV) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”(AW) 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

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Footnotes

  1. John 6:31 Exodus 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Psalm 78:24,25
  2. John 6:45 Isaiah 54:13

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Bread of life

26 Jesus replied, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One[a] will give you. God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.”

28 They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?”

29 Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.”

30 They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”[b]

32 Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 They said, “Sir,[c] give us this bread all the time!”

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I told you that you have seen me and still don’t believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and I won’t send away anyone who comes to me. 38 I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 This is the will of the one who sent me, that I won’t lose anything he has given me, but I will raise it up at the last day. 40 This is my Father’s will: that all who see the Son and believe in him will have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 The Jewish opposition grumbled about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

42 They asked, “Isn’t this Jesus, Joseph’s son, whose mother and father we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

43 Jesus responded, “Don’t grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless they are drawn to me by the Father who sent me, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God.[d] Everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47 I assure you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that whoever eats from it will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 Then the Jews debated among themselves, asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Human One[e] and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me lives because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. It isn’t like the bread your ancestors ate, and then they died. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

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Footnotes

  1. John 6:27 Or Son of Man
  2. John 6:31 Ps 78:24
  3. John 6:34 Or Lord
  4. John 6:45 Isa 54:13
  5. John 6:53 Or Son of Man