The Bread of Life
"Lord, to whom would we go?"
This teaching uses strong words about eating and drinking, which upset many who first heard them.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
The whole story, in shortWhat happens, start to finish. Open it if you want the ending first.
The day after Jesus fed the 5,000, the crowd found him in Capernaum, wanting more bread. Jesus told them not to work for food that perishes and said, "I am the bread of life," the true bread from heaven, who gives his flesh for the life of the world. Many followers found this too hard and left, but when Jesus asked the Twelve if they would leave too, Peter said, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life."
Where it is in the Bible: John 6:22-71
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God.
- The crowd: Thousands of people. The day before, Jesus fed them with five loaves and two fish.
- The Jewish leaders: People in the synagogue who argue about what Jesus says. John calls them "the Jews."
- The disciples: Many people who have been following Jesus, including the Twelve, his closest followers.
- Simon Peter: One of the Twelve. He answers for the others.
Setting
- Capernaum, a town on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Part of the story happens in the synagogue there.
When
- The day after Jesus fed the 5,000, about 2,000 years ago. It is almost Passover (6:4).
Before the Story
Jesus fed a huge crowd. With five barley loaves and two small fish, he fed about 5,000 men, plus women and children. Twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered (6:9-13).
The crowd wanted to make him king. Jesus went off alone to the mountain (6:15).
That night, Jesus walked on the water to his disciples' boat (6:16-21).
Long ago, God fed his people in the wilderness. Every morning, he sent bread from heaven called manna (Exodus 16:4, 16:15).
Here's what you know that the crowd doesn't: The feeding was a sign. A sign is a miracle that points to who Jesus is. The crowd saw the bread. They didn't yet see what it pointed to.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Looking for Jesus | 6:22-25 | The crowd crosses the lake to find Jesus |
| 2. Food that lasts | 6:26-29 | Jesus tells them what to work for |
| 3. Bread from heaven | 6:30-34 | They ask for a sign, like the manna |
| 4. "I am the bread of life" | 6:35-40 | Jesus says he is the bread |
| 5. Grumbling | 6:41-51 | People complain. Jesus says more |
| 6. "Eat My flesh" | 6:52-59 | Jesus says something even harder |
| 7. A hard teaching | 6:60-66 | Many followers leave |
| 8. "To whom would we go?" | 6:67-71 | Peter answers for the Twelve |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 8Looking for Jesus
The next day, the crowd looked for Jesus. They knew he had not left in the disciples' boat. But he was gone.
Some boats came over from the town of Tiberias. So the crowd got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus.
They found him on the other side of the lake. "Rabbi, when did You get here?" they asked (6:25). Rabbi means teacher.
Scene 2 of 8Food That Lasts
Jesus didn't answer their question. He told them why they had come.
He said they were not looking for him because they saw the signs. They came because they ate the bread and were full.
"Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you" (6:27). Food that perishes goes bad. Food that endures lasts. "Son of Man" is a name Jesus used for himself.
The people asked, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" (6:28).
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent" (6:29).
Scene 3 of 8Bread from Heaven
The people asked for a sign so they could believe. "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness" (6:31).
Jesus said it was not Moses who gave them bread from heaven. "It is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven" (6:32).
"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" (6:33).
"Sir," they said, "give us this bread at all times" (6:34).
Scene 4 of 8"I Am the Bread of Life"
Jesus answered, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst" (6:35).
This is a comparison. Bread keeps your body alive. Jesus gives life that lasts forever.
Jesus said everyone the Father gives him will come to him. "The one who comes to Me I will never drive away" (6:37).
He said he came down from heaven to do his Father's will. His Father's will is that he would not lose anyone the Father gave him, but would raise them up on the last day.
Scene 5 of 8Grumbling
Some of the people began to grumble. To grumble means to complain under your breath.
"Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?" they said. How could he say he came down from heaven?
"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus said (6:43). He said no one can come to him unless the Father draws them.
"Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life" (6:47-48).
Their ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. But Jesus is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone who eats it will not die.
"I 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" (6:51).
Scene 6 of 8"Eat My Flesh"
The people argued with each other. "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" (6:52).
Jesus did not make it easier. "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" (6:53).
"Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (6:54).
Jesus said that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood remains in him, and he in them.
Jesus taught all this in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Scene 7 of 8A Hard Teaching
Many of Jesus's followers said, "This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?" (6:60).
Jesus knew they were grumbling. He asked, "Does this offend you?" (6:61).
"The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" (6:63).
Jesus knew that some of them did not believe.
From that time on, many of his followers turned back. They didn't walk with him anymore.
Scene 8 of 8"To Whom Would We Go?"
Jesus turned to the Twelve. "Do you want to leave too?" (6:67).
Simon Peter answered. "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life" (6:68).
"We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God" (6:69).
Then Jesus said that he had chosen the Twelve, but one of them was "a devil" (6:70). He meant Judas, who would later betray him. To betray means to turn against someone who trusts you.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Do not work for food that perishes" (6:27) | Food fills you for a day. Jesus gives life that lasts forever. |
| "The work of God is this: to believe" (6:29) | Believing in Jesus is God's work in us, not something we earn. |
| "I am the bread of life" (6:35) | You need Jesus the way your body needs food. He keeps you alive with God. |
| "I will never drive away" (6:37) | Jesus does not turn away anyone who comes to him. |
| "This bread... is My flesh" (6:51) | Jesus would give his body on the cross for the life of the world. |
| "Unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood" (6:53) | We live because Jesus gave himself. Christians have also heard the Lord's Supper in these words. |
| "Lord, to whom would we go?" (6:68) | Peter didn't understand everything. He knew Jesus was the only one with words of life. |
Back Then
Manna was bread from heaven. In the wilderness, God sent it every morning for forty years. When the people first saw it, they asked, "What is it?" (Exodus 16:15). The Hebrew word "manna" sounds like that question.
Bread was the most important food. For most families, bread was the main part of every meal. To say "I am the bread of life" was to say "I am what you need most."
Capernaum's synagogue. Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum (6:59). The ruins of a later stone synagogue can still be seen there today, built on top of an older one.
Literal Reader Alert
Was Jesus telling people to bite him? No. That is what some of the crowd thought, and it upset them (6:52). Jesus was going to give his body on the cross. Eating his flesh means receiving him and the life he gives. It is not about biting a person.
Is this about Holy Communion? Many Christians hear the Lord's Supper in these words. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, "Take and eat; this is My body" (Matthew 26:26). Luther taught that John 6 speaks first of all about receiving Jesus by faith. Lutherans believe Jesus's body and blood are truly present in the Lord's Supper because of his words at the Last Supper.
Why did so many people leave? The teaching was hard to understand, and some did not believe (6:64). Jesus didn't change his words to keep the crowd.
"One of you is a devil." Was Judas a demon? No. Judas was a man. Jesus meant that Judas would work for the devil's purpose by betraying him (6:71).
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The crowd | Eager | They wanted more bread (6:26, 6:34) |
| The leaders | Grumbling | They knew Jesus's family and couldn't believe he came from heaven (6:42) |
| Many followers | Offended | "This is a difficult teaching" (6:60) |
| Jesus | Honest | He didn't soften his words, and he asked the Twelve if they would leave too (6:61-67) |
| Peter | Loyal | "Lord, to whom would we go?" (6:68) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
What are you hungry for right now? Tap one.
Something real
Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." He gives life that lasts.
To be wanted
Jesus said, "The one who comes to Me I will never drive away" (6:37).
I don't get it
Neither did many people that day. Peter didn't understand it all either. He stayed with Jesus anyway.
I want to leave
Jesus asked his friends, "Do you want to leave too?" Peter's answer can be yours: "To whom would we go?"
You Might Have Heard
"Jesus came to give people what they want."
What's true: Jesus really fed hungry people. He cares about our bodies.
What the story is mainly about: The crowd wanted more bread. Jesus wanted to give them himself. He gives what we need most: life with God that never ends.
Where Jesus is: In the synagogue, giving hard words that are spirit and life. And on his way to the cross, where he would give his flesh for the life of the world (6:51).
Good News
The crowd came for bread. Jesus offered them himself.
"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst" (6:35).
He promises not to drive anyone away. He promises to raise up on the last day everyone the Father gives him.
Jesus is the bread of life. He gave himself for the life of the world, and he will never drive you away.
Big Idea
Jesus is the bread of life. He gives himself for the life of the world, and no one who comes to him is turned away.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Luther taught that faith is how we "eat" Jesus in John 6. Trusting Jesus, who gave himself for us, is how we receive the life he gives.
In the Small Catechism, Luther explains that in the Lord's Supper, Jesus's words "given for you" and "shed for you" are the main thing. Whoever believes these words has what they say: forgiveness of sins.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. In Year B, it reads John 6 for five Sundays in a row in late summer. The feeding of the 5,000 comes first (Lectionary 17). Then John 6:24-35, 6:35-51, 6:51-58, and 6:56-69 (Lectionary 18 to 21).
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger
How did that feel?
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Lectionary 18 Year BGospel, John 6:24–35
- Lectionary 19 Year BGospel, John 6:35, 41–51
- Lectionary 20 Year BGospel, John 6:51–58
- Lectionary 21 Year BGospel, John 6:56–69
For a newsletter or sermon notes
The Bread of Life, explained in plain words. The crowd wants more bread. Jesus offers them himself. About 12 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/the-bread-of-life/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church