John 6:28-71
Jesus is the True Bread of Life
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
41 At this the Jews there 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 can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 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. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
When Jesus was teaching about Himself, He called Himself the Bread of Life...He stated that man needed to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, otherwise we have no life in ourselves...Whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life, and then He will raise them up on the last day...For His flesh is the real food and His blood is real drink...Whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood remains in Him, and He in them...The Living Father sent His Son to us, and because of the Father His Son lives even today...So the one who feeds on Jesus will live because of Who He Is...He is the bread that came down from heaven...Our ancestors in the desert ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread, the Bread of Life, will live forever...
On hearing this teaching, many of His disciples said, “This is a hard teaching...Who can accept it?”...Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?...Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before!...The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing...The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life...Yet there are some of you who do not believe.”...For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him...He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled them.”...From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him...
Jesus numbers dwindled that day, because it is hard to follow Him and His teachings...But does the loss of His followers relate to His teachings and His Truths, and lessen them...I do not think so...The number of those following Him, does not make what He said untrue or True for that matter...One has to study what He says and see if it makes sense, and is the Truth, not the number of people following Him...Just because many disciples desert Him at times, does not change the Truth of what He teaches...
Jesus knew people would turn away from Him and leave, because the cross is difficult to follow...His road is narrow, and we have our own particular problems in always completely loving our family and friends, and have great difficulty in loving our enemies...His teachings are hard, and some not accepted -but are they True?...