John 6:51-69

Evangelical Heritage Version

⁵¹ I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

⁵² At that, the Jews argued among themselves, “How can this man give us his^[a] flesh to eat?”

⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who 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 real food, and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like your^[b] fathers ate and died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹ He said these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. ⁶⁰ When they heard it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching! Who can listen to it?”

⁶¹ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this cause you to stumble in your faith? ⁶² What if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³ The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh does not help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning those who would not believe and the one who would betray him. ⁶⁵ He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is given to him by my Father.”

⁶⁶ After this, many of his disciples turned back and were not walking with him anymore. ⁶⁷ So Jesus asked the Twelve, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”^[c]