Daily Reader's Bible - Flipbook - Page 18
had blessed the bread and the
people had eaten. So when
the crowd saw that neither
Jesus nor his disciples were
there, they got into the boats
and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They
found him on the other side
of the lake and asked, “Rabbi,
when did you get here?”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the
truth, you want to be with me
because I fed you, not because
you understood the miraculous
signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things
like food. Spend your energy
seeking the eternal life that
the Son of Man can give you.
For God the Father has given
me the seal of his approval.”
They replied, “We want
to perform God’s works,
too. What should we do?”
Jesus told them, “This is the
only work God wants from you:
Believe in the one he has sent.”
They answered, “Show us
a miraculous sign if you want
us to believe in you. What
can you do? After all, our
ancestors ate manna while
they journeyed through the
wilderness! The Scriptures
say, ‘Moses gave them bread
from heaven to eat.’”
Jesus said, “I tell you the
truth, Moses didn’t give you
bread from heaven. My Father
did. And now he offers you the
true bread from heaven. The
true bread of God is the one
who comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,” they said, “give us
that bread every day.”
Jesus replied, “I am the
bread of life. Whoever comes
to me will never be hungry
again. Whoever believes in
me will never be thirsty. But
you haven’t believed in me
even though you have seen
me. However, those the Father
has given me will come to me,
and I will never reject them. For
I have come down from heaven
to do the will of God who sent
me, not to do my own will. And
this is the will of God, that I
should not lose even one of
all those he has given me,
but that I should raise them
up at the last day. For it is my
Father’s will that all who see
his Son and believe in him
should have eternal life. I will
raise them up at the last day.”
Then the people began
to murmur in disagreement
because he had said, “I am
the bread that came down
from heaven.” They said,
“Isn’t this Jesus, the son of
Joseph? We know his father
and mother. How can he say, ‘I
came down from heaven’?”
But Jesus replied, “Stop
complaining about what I
said. For no one can come
to me unless the Father who
sent me draws them to me,
and at the last day I will raise
them up. As it is written in the
Scriptures, ‘They will all be
taught by God.’ Everyone who
listens to the Father and learns
from him comes to me. (Not
that anyone has ever seen the
Father; only I, who was sent
from God, have seen him.)
“I tell you the truth, anyone
who believes has eternal
life. Yes, I am the bread of
life! Your ancestors ate manna
in the wilderness, but they all
died. Anyone who eats the
bread from heaven, however,
will never die. I am the living
bread that came down from
heaven. Anyone who eats this
bread will live forever; and this
bread, which I will offer so the
world may live, is my flesh.”
Then the people began
arguing with each other
about what he meant. “How
can this man give us his
flesh to eat?” they asked.
So Jesus said again, “I tell
you the truth, unless you eat
the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood, you
cannot have eternal life within
you. But anyone who eats my
flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise
that person at the last day. For
my flesh is true food, and my
blood is true drink. Anyone
who eats my flesh and drinks
my blood remains in me, and
I in him. I live because of the
living Father who sent me; in
the same way, anyone who
feeds on me will live because
of me. I am the true bread
that came down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread
will not die as your ancestors
did (even though they ate the
manna) but will live forever.”
He said these things while
he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many of his disciples said, “This
is very hard to understand.
How can anyone accept it?”
Jesus was aware that his
disciples were complaining,
so he said to them, “Does this
offend you? Then what will you
think if you see the Son of Man
ascend to heaven again? The
Spirit alone gives eternal life.
Human effort accomplishes
nothing. And the very words
I have spoken to you are spirit
and life. But some of you do not
believe me.” (For Jesus knew
from the beginning which ones
didn’t believe, and he knew
who would betray him.) Then
he said, “That is why I said that
people can’t come to me unless
the Father gives them to me.”
At this point many of his
disciples turned away and
deserted him. Then Jesus turned
to the Twelve and asked, “Are
you also going to leave?”
Simon Peter replied,
“Lord, to whom would we
go? You have the words
that give eternal life. We
believe, and we know you
are the Holy One of God.”
Then Jesus said, “I chose
the twelve of you, but one
is a devil.” He was speaking
of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who
would later betray him.
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