John 6:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’"

NIV: Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ "

NASB: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’?'

CSB: Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat."

NLT: After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ '

KJV: Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

NKJV: Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

This verse continues the crowd's angry reaction to Jesus' claims. After seeking Him out in Capernaum, the people who witnessed Jesus' miraculous feeding the day before have been spiritually challenged. Jesus pointed out that their real interest was free food, not truth. Jesus also clarified that His mission was meant to offer a heavenly gift, not an earthly one. To be saved, people need to believe on the Son of Man, not perform good works (John 6:29). In response, the people demand Jesus perform a miracle—despite having just witnessed one—to prove His legitimacy (John 6:30).

The people also point out their opinion that God has already provided bread for them: through Moses, in the wilderness (Exodus 16). Jesus' miraculous provision the prior day reminded many of Moses' promise of another great prophetic leader (Deuteronomy 18:15). rabbinic tradition of the time said the Messiah would duplicate this miracle. However, when Jesus' teaching contradicts their traditions, the people expect Jesus to do something bigger, grander, and more spectacular than that. Their quotation is from Psalm 78:24.

Jesus will once again respond by pointing out that it is God, not men, who provide spiritual blessings, and that it is the "bread of God" which people need to seek, rather than earthly foods (John 6:32–33).

John 6:22–40 describes the initial aftermath of Jesus' feeding of thousands the previous day. The crowd's actual desire is for another supernatural spectacle and more free food. In this passage, Christ begins to explain the true meaning behind His miracle and His ministry. This includes the first of seven ''I am'' statements in the gospel of John—moments where Jesus declares His own divinity. Jesus clarifies that physical things such as bread are symbols of a spiritual truth. In the following segment, the crowd will stop seeking and start complaining.

In chapter 6, Jesus feeds thousands of people who had been following Him. He does this by miraculously dividing the contents of a small meal, leaving more left over than He had to begin with. At first, the crowd is amazed and they enthusiastically praise Jesus. After sending the disciples across the Sea of Galilee and rescuing them from a storm by walking on the water, Jesus once again addresses the crowd. This time, He emphasizes the spiritual lesson behind His prior miracle. In response, most of those who had been praising Jesus turn away in disappointment.

John chapter 6 occurs some months after the events of chapter 5, bringing the narrative to about one year prior to Jesus' crucifixion. As with the rest of the gospel of John, the purpose is not to repeat information from the other three Gospels, but to focus on Jesus' status as God incarnate. This chapter continues to expand the list of Jesus' miraculous signs and the witnesses to His divine nature. Here, Jesus also gives the first of seven ''I am'' statements found in this gospel. Chapter 7 will once again skip ahead to a major public step in Jesus' path to the cross.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.