Study Desk

Therefore the Jews started complaining about Him because He said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

They were saying, "Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph,^(at) whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven' ?"

Jesus answered them, "Stop complaining among yourselves.

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws^[j] him, and I will raise him up on the last day.

It is written in the Prophets:^(au) And they will all be taught by God. ^(av)[k] Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father^(aw) comes to Me—

not that anyone has seen the Father^(ax) except the One who is from God.^(ay) He has seen the Father. ^(az)

"I assure you: Anyone who believes^[l] has eternal life.

I am the bread of life.

Your fathers ate the manna^(ba) in the wilderness,^(bb) and they died.

This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.^(bc)

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live^(bd) forever.^(be) The bread that I will give for the life^(bf) of the world is My flesh." ^(bg)

At that, the Jews argued^(bh) among themselves,^(bi) "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?"

So Jesus said to them, "I assure you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man^(bj) and drink His blood,^(bk) you do not have life in yourselves.

Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood^(bl) has eternal life, and I will raise^(bm) him up on the last day,

because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink.

The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.^(bn)

Just as the living^(bo) Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live^(bp) because of Me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna^[m] your fathers ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever." ^(bq)

He said these things while teaching in the synagogue^(br) in Capernaum.^(bs)

Therefore, when many of His disciples heard this, they said, "This teaching is hard! Who can accept^[n] it?"

Jesus, knowing in Himself^(bt) that His disciples were complaining about this, asked them, "Does this offend you?

Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man^(bu) ascending^(bv) to where He was before?

The Spirit^(bw) 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.

But there are some among you who don't believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning^(bx) those who would not^[o] believe and the one who would betray^(by) Him.)

He said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to Me^(bz) unless it is granted to him by the Father."

From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him.

Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve,^(ca) "You don't want to go away too, do you?"

Simon Peter^(cb) answered, "Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life.

We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God!"^[p](cc)

Jesus replied to them, "Didn't I choose you, the Twelve?^(cd) Yet one of you is the Devil!" ^(ce)

He was referring to Judas,^(cf) Simon Iscariot's son,^[q][r] one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray^(cg) Him.