King James Bible
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
Jesus contrasts spiritual reality with physical understanding, declaring that only the Spirit gives life ('quickeneth' means 'makes alive'). This follows the crowd's struggle to accept his teaching about eating his flesh, clarifying that he speaks of spiritual nourishment rather than literal cannibalism. Jesus identifies his teachings as the true source of understanding, not the physical interpretation his hearers were fixated on. This personalizes the message, emphasizing direct communication between Christ and his listeners. Christ's words themselves embody the life-giving Spirit he just described, making them vehicles of eternal life rather than mere human wisdom. This transforms his teaching from information to spiritual sustenance that accomplishes what flesh cannot.