I Am the Bread of Life

22 On the next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea realized that there had been no other boat there except [fn]the one Jesus' disciples had gotten into, and that Jesus himself had not gotten into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 [fn]Then other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did yoʋ get here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to do the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign then are yoʋ going to perform so that we may see it and believe yoʋ? What will yoʋ do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will never hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and I will never cast out anyone who comes to me. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of [fn]the Father who sent me, that I should lose none of those he has given me, but should raise them up on the last day. 40 [fn]And this is the will of [fn]him who sent me, that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

41 Then the Jews 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, whose father and mother we know? How [fn]then can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone [fn]therefore who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes [fn]in me has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 Then the Jews began to quarrel with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me will also live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as [fn]your fathers ate [fn]the manna, and died. Whoever eats this [fn]bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things in a synagogue while teaching in Capernaum.