John 6

¹After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias). ²A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick. ³Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with His disciples. ⁴Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near. ⁵When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do. ⁷Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small piece.” ⁸One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ⁹“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?” ¹⁰“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them. ¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. ¹²And when everyone was full, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” ¹³So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. ¹⁴When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself. ¹⁶When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them. ¹⁸A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated. ¹⁹When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified. ²⁰But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.” ²¹Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they were heading. ²²The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with His disciples, but they had gone away alone. ²³However, some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Him. ²⁵When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” ²⁶Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷Do 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 placed His seal of approval.” ²⁸Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” ²⁹Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” ³⁰So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? ³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” ³²Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.” ³⁵Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. ³⁶But as I stated, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. ³⁷Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” ⁴¹At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴²They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’” ⁴³“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied. ⁴⁴“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me— ⁴⁶not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.” ⁵²At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” ⁵³So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink. ⁵⁶Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. ⁶⁰On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?” ⁶¹Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you? ⁶²Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before? ⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. ⁶⁴However, 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.) ⁶⁵Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.” ⁶⁶From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. ⁶⁷So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?” ⁶⁸Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.

Life is short. Where are you going?

You just read God’s own words, and one day every one of us will stand before Him. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This life will be over sooner than you think — do you know where you are going when it is?

The Bible says, “Man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If you died today, would you be ready?

Are you a good person?

Most of us think we are. But God doesn’t measure us against other people — He measures us by His Law. Look honestly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17):

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet.

Have you ever told a lie — even a small one? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever wanted what belongs to someone else? Jesus said that anyone who looks with lust “has already committed adultery … in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), and the Bible says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).

If we’re honest, we have all broken God’s Law — and “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).

That leaves every one of us guilty before a holy God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). This is why our world is full of tragedy — and without Christ, every life ends in the greatest tragedy of all.

But God made a way

“God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived the perfect life we never could, and on the cross He took the punishment we deserved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).

It’s like standing guilty in court when the judge steps down and pays your fine himself. Forgiveness is a free gift — you can’t earn it: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God, not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Jesus — John 10:10

What will you do with Jesus?

“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus alone — “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Don’t put it off — “now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

And when you turn to Him, you won’t be met with a frown — you’ll be met with a celebration. Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). God says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). He is “mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness … He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like the father who ran to embrace his lost son, He is waiting with open arms — and heaven throws a party when you come home (Luke 15:20–24).

If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Today you can be forgiven, made new, and have real, abundant life — now and forever.

Join the Party — give my life to Jesus Find a Party — a church near me

Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.