Study Desk

At that, the Jews argued^(bh) among themselves,^(bi) "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?"

So Jesus said to them, "I assure you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man^(bj) and drink His blood,^(bk) you do not have life in yourselves.

Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood^(bl) has eternal life, and I will raise^(bm) him up on the last day,

because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink.

The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.^(bn)

Just as the living^(bo) Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live^(bp) because of Me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna^[m] your fathers ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever." ^(bq)

He said these things while teaching in the synagogue^(br) in Capernaum.^(bs)

Therefore, when many of His disciples heard this, they said, "This teaching is hard! Who can accept^[n] it?"

Jesus, knowing in Himself^(bt) that His disciples were complaining about this, asked them, "Does this offend you?

Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man^(bu) ascending^(bv) to where He was before?

The Spirit^(bw) is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn't help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

But there are some among you who don't believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning^(bx) those who would not^[o] believe and the one who would betray^(by) Him.)

He said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to Me^(bz) unless it is granted to him by the Father."

From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him.

Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve,^(ca) "You don't want to go away too, do you?"

Simon Peter^(cb) answered, "Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life.

We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God!"^[p](cc)

Jesus replied to them, "Didn't I choose you, the Twelve?^(cd) Yet one of you is the Devil!" ^(ce)

He was referring to Judas,^(cf) Simon Iscariot's son,^[q][r] one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray^(cg) Him.

After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee,^(a) since He did not want to travel in Judea^(b) because the Jews^(c) were trying to kill Him.^(d)

The Jewish Festival of Tabernacles^[a][b](e) was near,

so His brothers^(f) said to Him, "Leave here and go to Judea so Your disciples can see Your works^(g) that You are doing.

For no one does anything in secret while he's seeking public recognition. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."

(For not even His brothers believed in Him.)

Jesus told them, "My time^(h) has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand.

The world cannot hate⁽ⁱ⁾ you, but it does hate Me because I testify about it—that its deeds are evil.

Go up to the festival yourselves. I'm not going up to the festival yet,^[c] because My time has not yet fully come."

After He had said these things, He stayed in Galilee.

After His brothers had gone up to the festival, then He also went up, not openly but secretly.

The Jews were looking for Him at the festival and saying, "Where is He?"

And there was a lot of discussion about Him among the crowds. Some were saying, "He's a good^(j) man." Others were saying, "No, on the contrary, He's deceiving^(k) the people."

Still, nobody was talking publicly about Him because they feared the Jews.

When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple complex^(l) and began to teach.

Then the Jews were amazed and said, "How does He know the Scriptures,^(m) since He hasn't been trained?"

Jesus answered them, "My teaching isn't Mine but is from the One who sent Me.⁽ⁿ⁾

If anyone wants to do His will,^(o) he will understand whether the teaching is from God or if I am speaking on My own.

The one who speaks for himself seeks his own glory.^(p) But He who seeks the glory^(q) of the One who sent Him is true,^(r) and there is no unrighteousness in Him.^(s)

Didn't Moses^(t) give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law!^(u) Why do you want to kill Me?"

"You have a demon!" the crowd responded. "Who wants to kill You?"

"I did one work,^(v) and you are all amazed," Jesus answered.

"Consider this: Moses has given you circumcision^(w)—not that it comes from Moses but from the fathers^(x)—and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.^(y)

If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath^(z) so that the law of Moses^(aa) won't be broken, are you angry at Me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath?

Stop judging^(ab) according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment."

Some of the people of Jerusalem^(ac) were saying, "Isn't this the man they want to kill?

Yet, look! He's speaking publicly and they're saying nothing to Him. Can it be true that the authorities^(ad) know He is the Messiah?^(ae)

But we know where this man is from.^(af) When the Messiah comes, nobody will know where He is from."

As He was teaching in the temple complex,^(ag) Jesus cried out, "You know Me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on My own, but the One who sent Me^(ah) is true. You don't know Him;^(ai)

I know Him because I am from Him, and He sent Me." ^(aj)

Then they tried to seize Him. Yet no one laid a hand on Him because His hour^[d] had not yet come.

However, many from the crowd believed in Him and said, "When the Messiah comes, He won't perform more signs than this man has done,^(ak) will He?"

The Pharisees^(al) heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, so the chief priests^(am) and the Pharisees sent temple police to arrest Him.

Then Jesus said, "I am only with you for a short time.^(an) Then I'm going to the One who sent Me.^(ao)

You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." ^(ap)

Then the Jews^(aq) said to one another, "Where does He intend to go so we won't find Him? He doesn't intend to go to the Dispersion^[e](ar) among the Greeks^(as) and teach the Greeks, does He?

What is this remark He made: ‘You will look for Me, and you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come'^(at) ?"

On the last and most important day of the festival,^(au) Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me ^[f](av) and drink!^(aw)

The one who believes in Me,^(ax) as the Scripture^(ay) has said,^[g] will have streams of living water^(az) flow^(ba) from deep within him."

He said this about the Spirit.^(bb) Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit,^(bc) for the Spirit^[h] had not yet been received^[i][j] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, "This really is the Prophet!"^[k](bd)

Others said, "This is the Messiah!" But some said, "Surely the Messiah doesn't come from Galilee, does He?

Doesn't the Scripture^(be) say that the Messiah comes from David's^(bf) offspring^[l] and from the town of Bethlehem,^(bg) where David once lived?"

So a division^(bh) occurred among the crowd because of Him.

Some of them wanted to seize Him,^(bi) but no one laid hands on Him.

Then the temple police^(bj) came to the chief priests^(bk) and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why haven't you brought Him?"

The police answered, "No man ever spoke like this!"^[m](bl)

Then the Pharisees responded to them: "Are you fooled^(bm) too?

Have any of the rulers^(bn) or Pharisees believed in Him?

But this crowd, which doesn't know the law, is accursed!"

Nicodemus^(bo)—the one who came to Him previously, being one of them—said to them,

"Our law doesn't judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he's doing, does it?"^(bp)

"You aren't from Galilee^(bq) too, are you?" they replied. "Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee."^[n](br)

[So each one went to his house.

¹But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.^(a)

At dawn He went to the temple complex^(b) again, and all the people were coming to Him.^(c) He sat down^(d) and began to teach them.

Then the scribes and the Pharisees^(e) brought a woman caught in adultery,^(f) making her stand in the center.

"Teacher," they said to Him, "this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.^(g)

In the law Moses^(h) commanded us to stone such women.⁽ⁱ⁾ So what do You say?"

They asked this to trap Him,^(j) in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger.

When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, "The one without sin^(k) among you^(l) should be the first to throw a stone at her." ^(m)

Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground.

When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center.

When Jesus stood up, He said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, Lord,"^[a] she answered. "Neither do I condemn you," ⁽ⁿ⁾ said Jesus. "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore." ]^[b]

Then Jesus spoke to them again: "I am^(o) the light^(p) of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life." ^(q)

So the Pharisees said to Him, "You are testifying about Yourself. Your testimony is not valid."^[c]

"Even if I testify about Myself," Jesus replied, "My testimony is valid,^[d] because I know where I came from and where I'm going. But you don't know where I come from or where I'm going.^(r)

You judge^(s) by human standards. ^[e](t) I judge no one.^(u)

And if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me judge^(v) together. ^(w)

Even in your law it is written that the witness of two men is valid.^(x)

I am the One who testifies^(y) about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me."

Then they asked Him, "Where is Your Father?" "You know neither Me nor My Father," ^(z) Jesus answered. "If you knew Me, you would also know My Father." ^(aa)

He spoke these words by the treasury,^[f](ab) while teaching in the temple complex. But no one seized Him, because His hour^[g] had not come.