Study Desk

The next day came. Some people had stayed on the other side of the lake. They knew that Jesus did not go with his followers in the boat. They knew that the followers had left in the boat alone. And they knew it was the only boat that was there.

The people saw that Jesus and his followers were not there now. So they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to find Jesus.

They said, "This is Jesus. We know his father and mother. He is only Joseph's son. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven'?"

Then the Jews began to argue among themselves. They said, "How can this man give us his body to eat?"

Jesus said, "Believe me when I say that you must eat the body of the Son of Man, and you must drink his blood. If you don't do this, you have no real life.

Jesus already knew that his followers were complaining about this. So he said, "Is this teaching a problem for you?

But some of you don't believe." (Jesus knew the people who did not believe. He knew this from the beginning. And he knew the one who would hand him over to his enemies.)

After Jesus said these things, many of his followers left and stopped following him.

He was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the twelve apostles, but later he would hand Jesus over to his enemies.

So his brothers said to him, "You should leave here and go to the festival in Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles you do.

So his brothers left to go to the festival. After they left, Jesus went too, but he did not let people see him.

They were saying this to trick Jesus. They wanted to catch him saying something wrong so that they could have a charge against him. But Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger.

Jesus' followers asked him, "Teacher, why was this man born blind? Whose sin made it happen? Was it his own sin or that of his parents?"

Jesus answered, "It was not any sin of this man or his parents that caused him to be blind. He was born blind so that he could be used to show what great things God can do.

His neighbors and some others who had seen him begging said, "Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?"

The Jewish leaders still did not believe that this really happened to the man—that he was blind and was now healed. But later they sent for his parents.

His parents answered, "We know that this man is our son. And we know that he was born blind.

But we don't know why he can see now. We don't know who healed his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to answer for himself."

That is why his parents said, "He is old enough. Ask him."

He answered, "I have already told you that. But you would not listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to be his followers too?"