The Free Offer of Mercy

¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him ^(A)shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to ^(B)eternal life.”

^48 (A)I am the bread of life. ^49 (B)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that ^(C)comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and ^(D)not die. ^51 (E)I am the living bread that ^(F)came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, ^(G)he will live forever; and the bread which I will give ^(H)for the life of the world also is ^(I)My flesh.”

^52 (J)Then the Jews ^(K)began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of ^(L)the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will ^(M)raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood ^(N)remains in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ Just as the ^(O)living Father ^(P)sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that ^(Q)came down out of heaven, not as ^(R)the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread ^(S)will live forever.”

Words to the Disciples

⁵⁹ These things He said ^(T)in the synagogue as He taught ^(U)in Capernaum.

⁶⁰ So then many of His ^(V)disciples, when they heard this, said, “^(W)This statement is very ^[a]unpleasant; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, ^(X)aware that His disciples were complaining about this, said to them, “Is this ^[b](Y)offensive to you? ⁶² What then if you see ^(Z)the Son of Man ^(AA)ascending to where He was before? ^63 (AB)It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; ^(AC)the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are ^(AD)some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus ^(AE)knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and ^(AF)who it was who would ^[c]betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He was saying, “For this reason I have ^(AG)told you that no one can come to Me unless ^(AH)it has been granted him from the Father.”

Peter’s Confession of Faith

⁶⁶ As a result of this many of His ^(AI)disciples ^(AJ)left, and would no longer walk with Him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to ^(AK)the twelve, “You do not want to leave also, do you?” ^68 (AL)Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have ^(AM)words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ And we have already believed and have come to know that You are ^(AN)the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “^(AO)Did I Myself not choose you, ^(AP)the twelve? And yet one of you is ^(AQ)a devil.” ⁷¹ Now He meant Judas ^(AR)the son of Simon Iscariot; for he, ^(AS)one of ^(AT)the twelve, ^[d]was going to betray Him.

³⁷ Now on ^(A)the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “^(B)If anyone is thirsty, ^[a]let him come to Me and drink.