31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:31-40 KJV)
The Bread from Heaven
They made too much of the manna in the wilderness. “Our fathers ate manna,” they said, quoting Psalm 78:24: “He gave them bread from heaven.” This story could have glorified God, but they used it to minimize Christ’s miracle. Christ had told them not to work for food that perishes (John 6:27), yet they responded, “God gave our fathers food—shouldn’t we expect the same?” They reasoned: “Christ fed a crowd once, but Moses fed a nation for forty years. Christ gave earthly food; Moses gave heavenly bread.” They exaggerated Moses’ miracle and ignored their ancestors’ complaints about the manna (Numbers 11:6).
Even if Moses’ miracle seemed greater, Christ’s message was greater still. Miracles vary according to what is needed; their purpose is to affirm divine truth. The gospel of Christ far surpasses the law of Moses.
Christ corrected their misunderstanding: “Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32). The manna came from the sky, not the highest heaven, and didn’t nourish the soul. Moses was only God’s instrument. Misinterpreting Scripture often leads to confusion.
Christ revealed the true manna: himself. The bread symbolized in manna was now being offered to them. Just as heaven is higher than the clouds, the bread Christ offers is far greater. Calling God his Father, he showed himself to be greater than Moses, who was only a servant (Hebrews 3:5-6).
Using the metaphor of bread, Christ described himself and faith in him as eating and drinking (John 6:35). As bread sustains the body, Christ sustains the soul. His teachings—his role as mediator, redeemer, and giver of peace—are spiritual nourishment. Bread is crushed to become food; so was Christ, born in Bethlehem (“house of bread”), foreshadowed by the showbread in the temple (Leviticus 24:5-9).
He is the bread of God—divine food from the Father for the soul’s nourishment. He is the bread of life, like the tree of life in Eden (Genesis 2:9). Unlike manna, which spoiled, Christ is the living bread who gives eternal life (John 6:51).
He gives life not just to the world in general but to those dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). Manna preserved life temporarily; Christ restores and sustains it forever. He empowers us to do God’s will (Philippians 2:13).
He is the bread that came down from heaven (John 6:38), proving his divine origin. As God, he existed in heaven before taking on human flesh (John 1:14). He continually comes down, like manna came daily, bringing light and life from God.
Just as Israelites gathered manna daily, believers must seek Christ often. Manna was sweet and satisfying; so is Christ to those who believe. Manna sustained them until they reached Canaan; Christ is our sustenance until we reach heaven. The manna was kept in the ark; Christ is remembered in the Lord’s Supper (Exodus 16:33; Luke 22:19).
Laying aside the metaphor, Christ said plainly, “I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). He came not for personal gain, but as God’s ambassador and the world’s redeemer. Even in Gethsemane, he submitted: “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
The Father’s will is that Christ should lose none of those given to him, but raise them up at the last day (John 6:39). His mission includes both soul and body, preserved until resurrection. This will be complete when he presents them to the Father: “Here am I, and the children you have given me” (Isaiah 8:18; Hebrews 2:13).
This is part of the covenant of grace: instructions were given on how humanity might obtain salvation through Christ. The individuals given to Christ are known only to God (2 Timothy 2:19), but their character is evident. Life is offered on gospel terms so that those drawn to Christ may believe, and others are left without excuse.
John 6:40 gives this promise: “Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up.” This is good news.
- Eternal life is now offered. Whereas the way to the tree of life was once blocked (Genesis 3:24), it is now opened again through Christ, the second Adam (Romans 5:17).
- Everyone is invited. The gospel is to be preached to all. No one can say, “It’s not for me” (Revelation 22:17).
- This eternal life is guaranteed only to those who believe. To “see” the Son is to believe in him with the eye of faith—like the Israelites looking at the bronze serpent (John 3:14-15). Faith isn’t blind; it comes through understanding and conviction: “Now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5).
- Believers will be raised up at the last day. Christ has this charge from the Father (John 6:39), and makes it his personal promise: “I will raise him up.”
Now Christ, talking about himself as the bread of life from heaven, let’s see how his listeners responded.
1. When they heard about the bread of God that gives life, they earnestly prayed for it, John 6:34: “Lord, always give us this bread.” I don’t believe this was said sarcastically, as many interpreters suggest. Rather, I see it as sincere, though naive. They called him Lord and wanted what he offered, whatever it meant. Vague ideas of divine things often stir in unspiritual hearts a kind of desire for them, like Balaam wishing to die the death of the righteous.
People who barely understand spiritual things still make imperfect prayers for blessings. They may see heaven as a good place and want God’s favor, though they don’t yet value the holiness needed for either. Let this be our desire: if we’ve tasted God’s grace, been nourished by his Word, let us say, “Lord, always give us this bread—let it be our daily sustenance, our constant feast, and may we never be without it.”
2. But when they realized Jesus meant himself by the bread of life, they rejected it. Whether these were the same people who had just prayed for it isn’t clear—it seems to be others, called Jews. John 6:41 says, “They murmured at him.” This reaction followed right after one of Christ’s clearest declarations about God’s will and his own role in salvation (John 6:39-40)—some of the most powerful and gracious words ever spoken. One would expect them to respond with worship, but instead, they murmured, quietly complaining and planting seeds of doubt among each other. Many won’t openly reject Christ’s teaching but still reject it in their hearts.