John 6:30-40 CSB
"What sign, then, are you going to do so that 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. [36] But as I told you, you've seen me, and yet you do not believe. [37] Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out. [38] For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. [39] This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day. [40] For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Hebrews 3:2-3 CSB
He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God's household. [3] For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house.
Jesus is Greater than Moses
I remember when I was taking math classes at the university, there was one girl who repeatedly received a higher score than I did. I know, it is a character defect I have—I just wanted to have one test score higher than hers. I do not know what happened in life that made me this way, or if it is a flaw in my nature that God is working to remove, but I like to be the best. First place gets the recognition, while many people don’t even remember who came in second. This is life. I look back today and feel a little shame for being that way. Why not cheer her on, take glory in what she was accomplishing, and be happy that even though I was in second place, I still passed? The folly of youth.
This is similar to what is happening in our reading today. The crowd was surrounding Jesus and demanding a sign. It was a common belief that the Messiah would perform miracles as great as, or greater than, those of Moses. Jesus had just fed five thousand people with loaves and fish, but the people were comparing Him to Moses, who they believed called down manna from heaven to feed an entire nation for forty years. Of course, it was not Moses, but the Father who provided for His people. Still, the people wanted a “greater” sign to prove Jesus was the “first place” Messiah.
Jesus responded that the greater miracle was standing right in front of them: “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Their response was much like the Samaritan woman at the well: “Give us this bread… continuously.” Their eyes could only see their earthly needs, failing to recognize the deeper, heavenly necessity that stood before them. They were looking for a provider who would continually supply them with earthly food and drink, seeking a king who would satisfy their physical appetites day after day. They wanted the comfort of a full stomach and a life free from the toil of survival, but Jesus was offering them something much greater—He was offering them a Savior.
The Apostle Paul and the writer of Hebrews both wrote about Moses. Moses was great—he led a nation out of slavery, though it was the work of the loving Father through him. Moses was a faithful servant in God’s house, but he was only a part of the house. Jesus is the builder of the house. As the builder, Jesus is considered worthy of far more glory than the house itself.
The bread provided in the wilderness was temporal. It did not last. No one sees manna today; we only have the description of it in the Bible. But the True Bread—the Bread given for the life of the world—is everlasting. All who come to Jesus will no longer be thirsty or hungry; they will be filled spiritually, leading to eternal life.
Eternal life is a permanent possession for those who believe in Jesus. Those who ate manna in the wilderness have passed through the “smoke of time,” and we remember them only through the biblical record. But those who have Jesus have the True Bread that leads to eternal life. Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him has this life. Jesus has destroyed physical death, standing victoriously over this beaten foe of all creation.
Reflection Questions
- Is there a “Moses” in your life—a past blessing, a tradition, or a person—that you are focusing on so much that you are missing the “Greater than Moses” standing in front of you?
- Like the author’s math class story, do you find yourself competing with others or even with God’s past miracles, instead of resting in His current provision?
- Jesus promises that He will “lose none” of those given to Him. How does that promise of security change the way you face your fears today?
Prayer
Father,
Thank You for the giants of faith like Moses who pointed the way to You. But most of all, thank You for Jesus, the Builder and the Bread of Life. Forgive us for our “character defects” that make us seek our own glory or compare our blessings to others. Help us to stop looking for temporary “manna” and start feasting on the True Bread that never perishes. Thank You for the promise that You will never cast us out and that our eternal life is secure in Your hands.
Amen.
