October 14, 2026
Wednesday, October 14
In John 6, we see the astonishing fickleness of a crowd. One moment, twenty thousand people are ready to storm Caesarea, depose Pontius Pilate, and enthrone Jesus as their rightful king. A few minutes later, after He has failed to follow their orders, they turn on Him. They mock Him for only providing them with bread once, whereas Moses gave their forefathers manna every morning for forty years. Jesus responds:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world… “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:32-33, 35)
There are three points to His response. First, He points out that Moses didn’t give them bread, God did. Whereas Jesus is able to give them bread anytime.” He claimed power that Moses didn’t have. This is significant. Moses in many ways was seen as the founder of Judaism. He’s the one who led them out of slavery. He met with God on Mt Sinai, and came back with the Law that became the basis for their religion and their way of life. But Jesus claims, “I’m better than Moses, because I have power to give you not just bread, but life itself.” In Greek, there are two words for “life.” Bios was the word that meant existence. But zoe meant quality of life. As long as you’re breathing, you have bios. But not everyone has zoe. Bios makes you no different than a plant. But zoe means, “I’ve found the secret. Now I’m really living.” The crowd was looking for something that would sustain bios for them, but Jesus wanted to give them zoe, real life.
Jesus’s second point is, The bread your forefathers ate in the desert didn’t last. The bread Jesus can give you lasts forever. God sent manna every day, because it was only a temporary solution. It sustained their fathers for 24 hours, then fresh manna had to be sent. But Jesus was offering a permanent solution to a greater hunger.
Aside from Jesus Christ, my Grandpa Williams believed in Dr. Pepper above all else. He was a dairy farmer and a rancher, so he worked hard. And he swore by the powers of that dark, carbonated liquid to keep him going until quitting time. And it worked. It gave him a surge of life. But it went away. Remember the old Dr Pepper bottle logo? It said “10, 2, and 4,” meaning that’s how often one should take a Dr Pepper break to get through the day. But Jesus said, “The surge of life I give you never goes away.”
His third point is a little harder to see. Look again at v. 33: “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” He’s saying that manna, just like the miracles He was performing, was a sign of something deeper. God provided that bread, but someday He would provide something far greater: His own Son. When Moses gave them manna, he was sharing a gift from God. But when Jesus came into the world, He was sharing Himself.
So to sum up, Jesus says, “I have more power than Moses. I have greater endurance than Moses, because what I offer lasts forever. And I have greater love than Moses, because I am giving myself away for you.”
“Lord Jesus, I believe everything the Word says about you. I praise you for the power you have to save me, for the endurance of your provision (you really are all I need), and the love that motivated you to give your life for me. In your holy name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
