Jesus Rejected at Nazareth^(A)

⁵³ Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. ^54 (B)When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ^55 (C)Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And ^(D)His brothers ^(E)James, ^[a]Joses, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶ And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ So they ^(F)were offended at Him.

But Jesus said to them, ^(G)“A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” ⁵⁸ Now ^(H)He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Rejected by His Own

⁴¹ The Jews then ^[a]complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” ⁴² And they said, ^(A)“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, ^[b]“Do not murmur among yourselves. ^44 (B)No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me ^(C)draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ^(D)‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ ^(E)Therefore everyone who ^[c]has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. ^46 (F)Not that anyone has seen the Father, ^(G)except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(H)he who believes ^[d]in Me has everlasting life. ^48 (I)I am the bread of life. ^49 (J)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ^50 (K)This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread ^(L)which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and ^(M)the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

⁵² The Jews therefore ^(N)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 ^(O)you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ^54 (P)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 ^[e]food indeed, and My blood is ^[f]drink indeed. ⁵⁶ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood ^(Q)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 (R)This is the bread which came down from heaven—not ^(S)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 (T)Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a ^[g]hard saying; who can understand it?”

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

^66 (AB)From that time many of His disciples went ^[j]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 ^(AC)the words of eternal life. ^69 (AD)Also we have come to believe and know that You are the ^[k]Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁹ Therefore ^(A)there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. ²⁰ And many of them said, ^(B)“He has a demon and is ^[a]mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

²¹ Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. ^(C)Can a demon ^(D)open the eyes of the blind?”

The Shepherd Knows His Sheep

²² Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. ²³ And Jesus walked in the temple, ^(E)in Solomon’s porch. ²⁴ Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in ^[b]doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. ^(F)The works that I do in My Father’s name, they ^(G)bear witness of Me. ²⁶ But ^(H)you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, ^[c]as I said to you. ^27 (I)My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ^29 (J)My Father, ^(K)who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ^30 (L)I and My Father are one.”

Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus

³¹ Then ^(M)the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. ³² Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

³³ The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for ^(N)blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, ^(O)make Yourself God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ^(P)‘I said, “You are gods” ’? ³⁵ If He called them gods, ^(Q)to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture ^(R)cannot be broken), ³⁶ do you say of Him ^(S)whom the Father sanctified and ^(T)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ ^(U)because I said, ‘I am ^(V)the Son of God’? ^37 (W)If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; ³⁸ but if I do, though you do not believe Me, ^(X)believe the works, that you may know and ^[d]believe ^(Y)that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” ^39 (Z)Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

The Believers Beyond Jordan

⁴⁰ And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place ^(AA)where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. ⁴¹ Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, ^(AB)but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” ⁴² And many believed in Him there.