Manna that Lead to Death - John 6:49

The apostle John wrote how Jesus told the people looking for Him, “No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes unto me. Not that any man has seen the Father, save he which is of God, he has seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me has everlasting life. I am that bread of life”, and in chapter six and verse forty-nine of his book, John shared how Jesus told the people, “your fathers did eat manna … and are dead” where we read:

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

The verse reads, “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, ...”. John began with the words, “your fathers” or “the forefathers, progenitors and male ancestors of Jewish people by birth, origin and religion” “did eat manna” which means “ate food that nourished the Israelites for forty years” “in the wilderness” or “within the solitary, lonely, desolate and uninhabited place through which the Israelites traveled after they left Egypt”. John shared how Jesus referred to the way the forefathers of the “Jewish people” ate “manna” in the “desert” after they left Egypt.

The verse continues, “and are dead.” John added the words, “and are dead” which means “and do not exist, have life, are inanimate and suffered from mortal death”. Jesus said the Jewish ancestors of the people who questioned Him were now “dead” after eating “manna in the wilderness”.

When we think through John's words in this verse, we see how Jesus referred to the “temporary” “manna” or “physical food” which was supplied to the Israelites after they left Egypt. They wandered in the wilderness for “forty years”, and God fed them with “physical bread” from “heaven”. This “bread” was only sufficient to supply nourishment for life in the “physical” world, and eventually, every person who ate of that temporary “manna” died. Jesus came as the “living bread” that will last for all eternity. Anyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” will be granted everlasting life with God. God loves people, and He wants every one of them to “eat” of His spiritual “manna” from Heaven and enjoy a personal relationship with His Son Jesus.

Next time John shares how Jesus tells the people, “this is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat … and not die”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".