27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”

28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”

30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.

1) What is the “true bread from heaven?” Is it the same as the “bread of God” and “bread of life?”
All three of these phrases point directly to Jesus as the source of life for all mankind. As opposed to physical bread which momentarily sustains our physical hunger, Jesus promises to sustain us for eternity. But we must believe in Him. “These metaphors affirm the fact of eternal security for those who believe in Him. At the very moment of faith, eternal life becomes the secure and irrevocable possession of the believer.” (from The Grace New Testament Commentary, copyright 2010, page 395.)

2) What are the people wanting in verses 30-31?
Firstly, the people wanted to see another miraculous sign from Jesus to prove His authority. “At this point, the people were simply considering whether or not Jesus’ words were true.” (Moody Gospel Commentary: John, copyright 1992, by J. Carl Laney, page 127)
Secondly, they want to be fed. So, the sign they want is for Jesus to provide bread for them again! “They reason that if Jesus is the Messiah, He ought to be able to provide an ongoing supply of free bread just as Moses did for forty years with the manna.” (from The Grace New Testament Commentary, copyright 2010, page 395.) In the book of Exodus, while the nation of Israel was wandering in the desert on their journey to the Promised Land, they complained that they had no food to eat. So, God provided “manna” for them each morning, just enough for that day (a double portion on the day before Sabbath so they wouldn’t have to work on Sabbath). The Jews of Jesus’ day aren’t so much dependent on Him for their provision (as the Israelite nation was), they are simply testing His authority.

3) How does verse 29 correspond with Ephesians 2:8-9?
Believing in Jesus is a work in the sense that it is an act. But it is a passive work…Believing in Jesus is not a work in the Pauline sense (Ephesians 2:9), for Paul has in mind active works (plural) of obedience to God’s commands. (from The Grace New Testament Commentary, copyright 2010, page 395.)
There is something within the fallen nature of human beings that makes working for eternal life more attractive than receiving it as a gift. (Thomas Constable’s commentary, found at studylight.org) This group of people were thinking only in a physical, earthly sense. They thought they had to do something. “Work for the food that perishes” requires physical labor to plow the ground, plant the seed, and harvest…and it must be done repeatedly and consistently throughout our earthly lives. But the work of God – to believe – is a decision, not a physical act, and it must only be done once to receive the sustaining life that Jesus gives.

1) What is the “true bread from heaven?” Is it the same as the “bread of God” and “bread of life?”
Food is necessary for life. We all need regular, daily intake of food in order to survive. Likewise, we must have Christ, or we will die in our own sins. He is the Savior that meets the needs of every person, no matter their class, race, or gender. Our bodies function best with consistent, regular, every morning, every evening meals. And we function best with Christ in our lives every day. We need His blood, His righteousness, His intercession, and His grace. Praise Jesus for being our spiritual provision to keep us alive and thriving! Ladies, let’s keep this metaphor in our minds today and every day…we need food, but we need Jesus – the “bread of life” – even more!

2) What are the people wanting in verses 30-31?
I don’t know about you ladies, but sometimes I am just plain TIRED. I don’t want to have to work for the necessary provisions that sustain this earthly life. You know, a home, food, clothing. I just want a handout sometimes! I’ve worked hard and I deserve a freebie every now and then! Maybe this was part of the motivation behind the peoples’ demand for the sign of food. Maybe they figured that, since they were descendants of Abraham and God’s chosen people, they should be given special treatment. I’m pretty sure that’s how I would have felt! But we know for sure that they were testing Jesus’ authority. Heart check: do you (or I) ever test Him in our own ways? OUCH! “I’ll do this if you do…” Yep, turns out we’re not so different from those first-century Jews after all, huh?

3) How does verse 29 correspond with Ephesians 2:8-9?
Jesus tells us to “work… for the food that lasts for eternal life.” He would have us take pains to find food and satisfaction for our souls. That food is provided in rich abundance in Him, but it must be sought after diligently!
In our culture, the reading of our Bibles and wrestling in prayer, the worshiping of God with our whole heart and the daily fighting against sin are most commonly referred to as developing our relationship with Jesus. As we saw, the work of God is belief in Jesus – at that point we have eternal life. We do not get “more eternal life” by reading our Bibles or spending time in prayer. But we do get a greater intimacy with Jesus…we know Him better the more time we spend with Him. David knew God well and trusted Him for “Green Pastures.” We can also trust in His providence when we daily access the Bread of Life and allow Him to shepherd us to our own Green Pastures.
Do you, like me, find it difficult to make time for distraction-free, concentrated time with God? I can’t tell you there is any secret to doing it…just do it! Some people read the Bible cover-to-cover, some read the Psalms and Proverbs each day. Studying with us at Gracefully Truthful is a simple option to keep God’s Word daily stirring in your heart. (If you haven’t signed up, you can here!) There are a multitude of tools to use, but the decision to do it comes from you, dear sister! I pray for you – and for myself – that we will commit to growth in Christ through regular, consistent time spent with Him.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join the friends at the GT Facebook Community!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Shepherd!