The next day, the people that had stayed on the other side saw that only one boat was there, and that Jesus had not gotten into that boat. They got into boats to look for Him. When they found Him on the other side, they asked Him how He got there. Jesus said to them, "You are only interested in Me because you have had all the bread you wanted to eat. You should seek the bread that gives eternal life."
"What must we do," they asked, "to do the work that God wants?" "You must believe in the One Whom He has sent," Jesus answered. "What sign can you give us to show us that we should believe in You?" they asked. "Our fathers ate manna in the desert."
Jesus said to them, "It was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven. It is My Father Who gives you the true bread of God which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "give us that bread always." "I am the bread of life," said Jesus. "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of the One who sent Me. Now the will of Him Who sent Me is that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but that I should raise it up on the last day. Yes, it is the Father's will that whoever sees the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him up on the last day."
But the people were complaining because He said "I am the bread that comes down from heaven." "This is Jesus, the son of Joseph," they said. "We know His parents; how can He say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus told them to stop complaining and went on, "No one can come to Me unless he is drawn by the Father Who sent Me. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and they are dead. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my Body, for the life of the world." "How can this Man give us His Body to eat??! !" they said. Jesus answered, "If you do not eat the Body of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My Body and drinks My Blood lives in Me and I live in him."
Many said, "This is crazy. How can anyone think this way?" And many of His disciples left Him. But Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe. He also knew who it was who would betray Him. This is why He said, "No one can come to Me unless he is drawn by the Father Who sent Me." |
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