I’ve eaten lots of different types of bread in my life (and enjoyed most of them), but I’ve never eaten bread from Heaven. To my knowledge, that privilege has only been extended to the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt.
It’s a well-loved story. The Israelites didn’t have the supplies necessary for their journey after leaving Egypt, and they let Moses know about it:
If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death. — Exodus 16:3
Had I been there, I’m sure I would have been part of that chorus of complaining.
God stepped in by providing huge masses of quail for the Israelites to catch and eat that evening. The next morning, they found an even more spectacular miracle: bread just lying on the ground. Lots of bread. Tons of bread. And they found the same thing morning after morning throughout their entire journey to the promised land.
Fast-forward to Jesus’ day, and you’ll remember that Jesus accomplished a similar miracle by feeding five thousand men (plus women and children) by exponentially expanding five little barley loaves and two fish into a fantastic feast. Obviously, this was a big hit with the people. They were thrilled not just to see something miraculous but to receive a quality meal as part of the bargain.
Unfortunately, they weren’t able to get past that specific miracle. When they encountered Jesus again, He tried to point them toward realities more important than hunger and bread. “Do not work for food that spoils,” He said, “but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:27).
Not getting the point, the people reminded Jesus of how Moses had given his followers manna, bread from Heaven. “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?” they asked. “What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness” (John 6:30–31). Hint, hint.
Don’t miss the truth here: The people wanted Jesus to fill their bellies while He was trying to nourish their souls. More than that, Jesus was trying to help them see their hunger not for food but for eternal life.
