True bread

Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.”                                                                                                                      John 6.32

The crowd had pursued Jesus to Capernaum looking for more of the miracle they had experienced the day before. Jesus cautioned them about not looking for food that perishes but for that food that endures for eternal life. In feeding them the day before, He had given them a sign, an indication that they need never hunger so long as they looked for, and followed, the true signs that were given to them.

They questioned him further, asking for a sign and citing the example of the manna in the wilderness, given to their forefathers.

I discern from Jesus’ words to them that His reply is in further substantiation to his earlier caution of perishable food against that which lasts for ever. The manna was a temporary fix. It certainly kept them alive, but only for the simple purpose of getting them through the wilderness. Manna, in itself, held no promise for eternity. The true bread, however, has lasting effect. It feeds now, and also into all time, and beyond. Jesus is urging them to go for this bread, a sign of provision for all time.

I note also the verb tenses that Jesus uses in this verse. The giving of manna is a past tense. It was an action that happened, and was finished. But the true bread is given in the present tense. It is given now, and continues to be given.

Yes, I seek the bread that lasts, the bread of life that feeds me into all eternity. I look for it now, and always!

Gracious God,

I thank You for the manna of old, and I thank You for those more modern times when I need, and receive, manna from You – sustenance to keep me going in the here and now.

But I seek true bread. I hunger for that which will give me eternal life and relationship with You. Only this will satisfy my appetite. This I clamour for.                                                                                                                        Amen.

My book “God Talk” is available through major Internet booksellers.

A taste of the book's content can be seen in the You Tube clip

(Search: Peter Francis - "God Talk").