Home • Bible Studies • The Feeding of the Five Thousand & the Sufficiency of Christ: A Study of John 6
Manna from Heaven and Jesus
By Jake Hanson
VIII. Manna from Heaven and Jesus (vv 28-34)
Read with me the text through verse 31:
"Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." So they said to Him, "What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.'"
The crowd was clearly interested in what Jesus was doing, and the miracles He was performing, but they were not quite ready to accept Him as the Messiah. There had been traditions about the Messiah (whether or not the people are playing off this is uncertain) that the Messiah, like Moses, would rain manna once again down from heaven to provide for His people.
Now, Jesus had done an amazing thing. He had fed five thousand people with meager resources in a miraculous way. There was no natural explanation that could be given for it. But as the people considered the miracle, they thought about Moses.
When Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea in the Exodus, the people remained in the wilderness for 40 years before they could enter into the Promised Land. The forty years there was a punishment for Moses' (and the people's) lack of faith and obedience to the Lord's commands (see Numbers 20:8ff). But even though they were in the wilderness, the Lord made provisions for them with Manna (meaning 'what is it?') that fell daily from heaven. It was similar to bread, but had a honey-like sweetness to it. And for forty years, the people were fed by this miraculous provision.
As the crowd began to compare Jesus with Moses, they began to think, "That was pretty cool what Jesus did, but Moses! Moses fed hundreds of thousands more people for thousands of meals over forty years. If we are going to follow Jesus, this possible, promised prophet, then He better prove He is worthy to be in succession to Moses!" So they goaded Jesus on to perform more miracles of provision. And then read in verse 32-34:
"Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread."
Jesus straightens their thinking out with the truth. It was not Moses who provided Manna in the wilderness—it was God Himself. And this God, was sending more bread—better bread. For Manna was bread that perished (see verse 49). But this new Bread, the Lord Jesus Christ would bring life forevermore.