What is "the bread of life"?

[armiyya]

A discussion of the difference between 'manna' and 'true bread' from heaven.

Please explain the following:

1. Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"
John 6:68-69
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

2. Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"
John 6:63-65
“It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe. […] This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."

3. The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
John 6:57-58
“As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."

4. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven. Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
a.) John 6:44
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
b.) John 6:49
“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.”
c.) John 6:51
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

5. So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

a.) John 6:32-33
"Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world."
b.) John 6:37-40
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me; that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father; that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

6. John 6:27
"Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you. For on him has God the Father set His seal."

I attach particular importance to an explanation of the phrases in bold, and what they are figuratively representing.

Armiyya

[nr]

God is using the manna to lead the Israelites into the promise
land. The manna is like the calf who is slaughtered and its
blood sprinked onto the ground. The calf and the manna was and
is not, but the word of God is still with us.

"the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being."
All of mankind have the breath of truth in them
when they are born. Those who reject truth have
died.

"man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3-5).
Jesus quotes this in response to Satan tempting him to turn
rocks into bread. Truth shall come out of man who
has the voice and spirit of God in him. Satan is the father
of all lies.

John
"1 2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2
He was in the beginning with God.
3
3 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be
4
through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;
5
4 the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6
5 A man named John was sent from God.
7
He came for testimony, 6 to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8
He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
9
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10
He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
11
He came to what was his own, but his own people 7 did not accept him.
12
But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,
13
8 who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God.
14
And the Word became flesh 9 and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth."
Adam rejected the word of God as did the Israelites in the Desert.
Jesus has the word of life and we must come to him and eat his
full presence in the Eucharist. For those who cling to the
flesh like the garments that we wear, they will not be resurrected.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

But I am a worm and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. I am poured out like water and all my bones are our of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within me.

My strength has dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue clings to my jaws; You have brought me to the dust of death For dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and feet; I can count all my bones. They look and stare at me. They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."

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