John 6:41-71

Holman Christian Standard Bible

⁴¹ Therefore the Jews started complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 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 complaining 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.^(C)[b] 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 “I assure you: Anyone who believes^[c] has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers 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, “I assure 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 Anyone 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 real food and My blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives 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 fathers 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 complaining 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 would 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 many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him. ⁶⁷ Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve,^(AH) “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”

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

⁷⁰ Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve?^(AK) Yet one of you is the Devil!”^{(AL) 71} He was referring to Judas,^(AM) Simon Iscariot’s son,^[h][i] one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray^(AN) Him.