Manna – What Is It
Or
Jesus – The True Bread From Heaven
Sunday August 9, 2020
Scripture To Consider:
“The Jews then complained about Jesus, because He said, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven.’ And they said, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, “I came down from heaven.”?’”
“Jesus therefore answered and said to them, ‘Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him [or her]: and I will raise him [or her] up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.’”
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he [or she] who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.” John 6.41-50
Something To Consider:
These Jewish leaders listened to Moses. They listened to the prophets. And they listened to Jesus. But in all their listening they did not learn the truth. Rather, they rejected the truth. They rejected the true bread of heaven because they were thinking strictly on a physical level. They were thinking of Jesus as a son of a carpenter and as the son of Joseph and Mary. They rejected the truth of the prophets which spoke of His coming in order to share in and to enhance the human experience by way of the forgiveness of sin.
The Old Testament prophets spoke of the Christ, and none more so than the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah, in chapter 52 of his prophecy beginning in verse 14, stated; “So His visage [bodily appearance] was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of man; so shall He sprinkle [or startle] many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him, for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider.”
As then, even now, if a person will search the Scriptures they will find the good news of Jesus’ first coming woven throughout the Old Testament. And as anyone studies the New Testament they will find the good and bad news of Jesus’ coming again to be proclaimed from Matthew to Revelation. And yet, all that Jesus taught and declared as the truth is either not being proclaimed or is not being rightly proclaimed. And therefore, many are being misled and deceived.
Speaking of Christ, Isaiah continued in chapter 53, and in verse 2, by stating; “For He [the Christ, Jesus] shall grow up before Him [God the Father] as a tender plant [as a child from birth], and as a root out of dry ground.” And in verse 3 we are told more concerning Jesus well before He was born, by Isaiah proclaiming; “He is despised and rejected [forsaken] by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”
The entire 53rd chapter of Isaiah clearly and graphically describes the life and earthly ministry of Jesus Christ well in advance. And in Isaiah 55, it is explained that the Word of God is likened to bread, while John chapter 1 proclaimed Jesus as the Word of God who came in the flesh, it also described Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And He does that one person at a time.
Something Else To Consider:
Because of the children of Israel complaining in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses, God promised to rain down bread from heaven in Exodus 16.4. As He promised, when the early morning dew lifted over the floor of the wilderness there was a small round substance as fine as frost left on the ground to be gathered by the children of God, as was promised and provided.
And when they saw it they said to one another, “What is it?” What is it, later came to be known as manna. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which God has given you to eat.” Every morning manna was gathered except on the Sabbath. The day before the Sabbath they were allowed to gather two days’ supply for each household.
Last week in our Scripture to consider, Jesus proclaimed in John 6.32-33; “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread [manna] from heaven, but My Father gives [present tense gives] you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life [new life and abundant life] to the world.”
As the people heard these life altering words, they responded by requesting, “Lord, give us this bread always.” Jesus then professed, “I am the bread of life. He [or she] who comes to Me shall never hunger [spiritually speaking], and he [or she] who believes in Me [in Jesus] shall never thirst.” Do we truly believe the words of Jesus? Or are they just words we repeat to sound religious at times?
Something More To Consider:
Jesus declared in our text, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him [or her]; and I will raise him [or her] up at the last day.” This reveals the secret and true reason why people of every generation are found coming to Jesus. It is not an inner desire or our pursuing God. It is by way of God the Father, because of His loving mercy and divine desire to draw us to His Son Jesus.
Therefore, as we are instructed by Paul in Ephesians 6.18, to be praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit for all saints; let us add to our prayer lists the names of those outside the family of faith. Let us pray for God the Father to draw them to Jesus, the true bread from heaven.
So, are we indulging in our fair share of the bread of life on a daily basis? Are we feasting on the bread that has come down from heaven in the form of a babe in a manger who grew in stature and in the nurture and wisdom of His heavenly Father? Are we partaking of the true bread from heaven? Or are we allowing the deceptive thoughts and demonic doctrines of false prophets and hireling-style shepherds to direct our attention away from the true bread of heaven? God forbid!
Are we neglecting, or worse, are we rejecting the bread of life? Are we in essence rejecting the Word of God, and therefore, rejecting Jesus, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world? Are we as guilty as Isaiah predicted of others in his prophetic writings? I truly hope and pray that we are not!
A Few Final Words:
How much time are we setting aside for the study, reading, hearing, and or meditating on the bread of life? Is what we are studying, reading, listening to, or meditating on the true bread of life or a man-made imitation of that which no longer resembles the true biblical bread of the Word of God?
Next week we will continue and complete Jesus’ teaching concerning the bread of life. But for now, what is our response to this lesson of a lifetime regarding Jesus, the true bread of life from heaven? Will we believe or will we reject the lessons to be learned?
Physical bread sustains physical life, and spiritual bread sustains spiritual life. Therefore, let us feast on Jesus, the living eternal Word of God, who is the bread of life. According to Jesus, “This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.” Have we had our fair share today?
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, teach us to believe in and learn from Jesus the bread of life from heaven. May others taste and see that He is good. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 