A Study of John's Gospel. Pt. 32 Christ, the True Bread of Heaven!

Good Morning,

I am praying that you all are being blessed as we work our way through the gospel of John. The message from God to us through this apostle of Christ is very much needed today. 

There are many wrong views and false teachings about Jesus Christ floating around. The only way to know what is true is by studying the Word of God to read what He has said rather than listening to man's endless speculation.

As the Jews reached Capernaum where Jesus was, we read later in this chapter that they where assembled or in the synagogue of that community. It is helpful to remember that the same Old Testament scripture that spoke clearly about Jesus were read in the synagogue each Sabbath day. 

They demanded a sign from Jesus.

John 6:30-31  They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31) Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 

The multitude had been rebuked by Christ for having a materialistic view of things where they focused on food, clothing and shelter as the most important things in life. When Jesus challenged them, the people responded by wanting to know how they could do the works of God. 

Jesus showed them that they were seeking their own righteousness instead of God's righteousness. How can any person seek the righteousness provided by God? By believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Now, the people changed course a bit and demanded a sign from Jesus. Recall that we previously learned that "seeing is not believing"because many people witnessed the miracles that Jesus worked but they did not believe or put their trust in Him for salvation.

Essentially Jesus was asked "What are you going to show us that we might see and believe?" I think there is an important point here because these people saw one of the greatest miracles Jesus did in feeding 5,000. Many theologians believe this miracle is the greatest in terms of the number of people impacted.

God is not manipulated by man. He is sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe. We are creatures who have no right to demand anything from our Creator. Yet, these people are demanding a sign from Christ. It is as if they are blinded to the power of a miracle the Father used to certify that Jesus is His Son.

How are we in our prayer life? Do we try to bargain with God, saying "Lord if you do this for me, I will do this for you?" Then, we are not praying as we ought to pray. For this main purpose   in praying is that we pray according to knowledge. We should pray for that which we know is in the will of God, that which pleases Him. 

In order to pray in this manner we need to know what God says about His character and His will in His word.  When we truly begin to understand who God is and that He wants a living relationship with each one of us, and that He made a way through Christ for us to have that relationship, then we will be overwhelmed by His grace and mercy. We will not have any thoughts about making demands of God.

The people specifically pointed out the miracle of manna from heaven that God faithfully supplied for the Hebrews during 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. It is of interest that the people pointed to a miracle involving daily food right after Jesus Christ fed 5,000 men in addition to women and children. Why did they not see that the miracle worked by Christ was as much a sign of God at work as the manna was? They were blinded to the truth and focused on fleshy things. 

Jesus Christ is the true bread from heaven.

John 6:32-33  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. 

In this text we read the second of four times Jesus said "verily, verily" in this chapter. It means that Christ spoke truth that the people needed to hear and heed. The Jews revered Moses because he gave them manna from heaven but Jesus corrected their wrong view. Manna was given to them every day by the Father in heaven. It was a temporary supply that needed to be eaten right away or it would spoil. It was a daily physical provision necessary to sustain them in the wilderness. But it could not give them eternal life.

Jesus made a point to contrast that manna with Himself. Christ is the true bread from heaven because the true bread of God is a person. The text says that the bread of God is he which came down from heaven, namely, Jesus Christ the Son of God. 

We also have the answer as to why the bread of God came from heaven to earth. It was for the express purpose of giving life to the world. God used manna to feed His people every day for 40 years. Physical food that gave energy to physical bodies. 

As the true bread of heaven, Jesus offers eternal life for the souls of all who will believe. He taught the people that He offered spiritual food necessary for spiritual life and the eternal life that comes from the new birth in John 3. 

As we shall see Jesus made it clear to the Jews that eternal life is secured by His agonizing death on the cross, His burial and His resurrection from the dead. 

There are some interesting comparisons & contrasts between the manna from the Old Testament and Christ as the true bread of heaven. 

• Both Manna and Jesus Christ came down from heaven in a supernatural act of God.

• Both Manna and Jesus Christ were a gift of God to His people. 

• Both Manna and Jesus Christ were an expression of the grace of God.

• Both Manna and Jesus Christ were given to the nation or the world but each individual person had to come and accept the gift. 

• After a while the Hebrews grew to despise the manna that God gave them.

• After a while, the Jews grew to despise Jesus Christ whom God gave them.

• Manna was a temporary food to sustain the people physically.

• Christ is the permanent true bread from heaven who, through His sinless life, death, burial and resurrection, offers eternal life to all who believe.

We cannot fully develop the thoughts of manna as a type of Christ but I hope to revisit this topic at a future time.

Thoughts to Ponder...

We need to remember that God in heaven created us, infused life into us and that we are fallen creatures who have no right to demand anything from the Holy God we have sinned against.

May we be stirred by God's Spirit in our prayer time to think aright about God and to pray in the manner that He shows us in His Word. 

May we be enabled by God's Spirit to see His Son, Jesus Christ for who He truly is. A singular infinite gift of God's grace to the whole world who will save all who turn in repentant faith and believe on Jesus Christ. 

May we honor God with our response to His word and may His Spirit work to transform us to be more like Christ.

Bob