51 I'm the living bread that comes down from heaven. If you eat this bread, you'll live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews said, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
59 When they heard Jesus say this, they began to gather stones to stone him to death.
But Jesus hid and left the temple.
A few more words about this episode
Most of the material in the gospel of John is different from the other gospels. But some stories told in previous episodes from the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and will be left out here. Among these are:
The next day, people came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. (6:22)
This is after Jesus fed 5000 people and walked on water - stories that were told in previous episodes.
This is a hard saying. Who can believe it? (6:60)
Jesus says that if you want to live forever, you must eat his flesh and drink his blood. It's clear that his disciples took that literally, since many of his disciples left because of it. Jesus never said he meant that literally - which he could and probably would have if he meant it symbolically.
The feast of tabernacles was approaching (7:2)
The feast of tabernacles (or booths) was a fall harvest festival where various ceremonies were performed in the temple in Jerusalem. Many Jews came from surrounding areas to participate. (Lev 23:34-43, Dt 16:13-17)
His brothers said to him. (7:2)
Jesus's brothers are named in Matthew 13:55 as James, Joses, Simon, and Judas.
His brothers didn't believe in him. (7:5)
Once again we see that those who knew Jesus best - his family - didn't believe in him. In fact, according to Mark's gospel, his family thought he was crazy. (See Mark 3:20-21, Episode 250)
How does he know how to read, since he is uneducated? (7:15)
There is only one passage in the New Testament that indicates that Jesus could read: Luke 4:16-21, Episode 257
Like the scripture says (7:38)
Jesus says that those who believe in him will, as the scripture says, have living waters flowing out of their bellies. Well that sounds like fun, but there is no such scripture in the Bible.
The woman caught in adultery (8:1-11)
The oldest manuscripts of John's gospel lacks this story. The New Revised Version Updated Version puts these verses in brackets to indicate that.