"Me, I am the bread of life"

"Jesus said to them : Verily, verily, I say unto you, It is not Moses that hath given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread that comes from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to him, "Lord, always give us this bread." Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh unto me shall never hunger ; And he that believeth in me shall never thirst. "John 6: 32-35

 

Everything had begun with the miracle of the multiplication of loaves. This miracle should have made the crowds who followed Jesus understand that he was not only "the Prophet" (John 6:14), but also the Son of man, on whom the Father, His seal "(v. 27), the only one capable of giving them eternal life.

Some challenge Jesus to renew the miracle of manna given daily to the people of Israel for many years. Jesus will show them that he himself is a food far superior to the manna. The name of this bread comes from the exclamation of surprise of the Israelites when they saw one morning as dew spread on the surface of the desert. They said to each other : "Man hou," that is to say, "What is this ?" "(Exodus 16. 15).

- Jesus is "the true bread" : the manna was given only during the crossing of the desert and it nourished only the body. Jesus is the spiritual food that every man needs to keep his life alive every day.

It is "the bread that comes from heaven" : the manna was also called "the corn of heaven" (Ps 78:24), but it was only to recall the origin of the donor. The gift of the manna was miraculous but remained material of nature; But Jesus is "he who came down from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven" (John 3:13), a divine person.

- He is "the bread of God" : he is the bread that God gives himself. Its nature and origin are celestial.

- He is "the bread of life" : the manna did not prevent a whole generation of Israelites from dying in the desert. But Jesus, the true bread, the one who comes down from heaven, gives eternal life, not only to the Jews, but to all who believe in Him in the whole world.

Source (Please the Lord)