John 6:49

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. YOUR FATHERS - of whom ye spake (). Observe, He does not say 'Our fathers'-by which, as Bengel remarks, He would hint that He had a higher descent of which they dreamt not. DID EAT MANNA IN THE WILDERNESS, AND ARE DEAD - recurring to their own point about the manna, as one of the noblest of the ordained preparatory illustrations of His own office: 'Your fathers, ye say, ate manna in the wilderness, and ye say well, for so they did; but they are dead-even they whose carcasses fell in the wilderness did eat of that bread: the Bread whereof I speak cometh down from heaven, which the manna never did, that men, eating of it, may live forever.'...

49._Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. _He says that the _manna _was a perishing food to _their fathers, _for it did not free them from death. It follows, therefore, that souls do not find anywhere else than in him that food by which they are fed to spiritual life. Besides, we must keep in remembrance what I formerly stated, that what is here said does not relate to the _manna, _so far as it was a secret figure of Christ; for in that respect Paul calls it _spiritual food_, (1 Corinthians 10:3.) But we have said that Christ here accommodates his discourse to the hearers, who, caring only about feeding the belly, looked for nothing higher in the _manna. _Justly, therefore does he declare that _their fathers are dead, _that is, those who in the same manner, were devoted to the belly, or, in other words, who thought of nothing higher tha

47-51 The advantage of the manna was small, it only referred to this life; but the living Bread is so excellent, that the man who feedeth on it shall never die. This bread is Christ's human nature, which he took to present to the Father, as a sacrifice for the sins of the world; to purchase all things pertaining to life and godliness, for sinners of every nation, who repent and believe in him....

Verse 49. _YOUR FATHERS DID EAT MANNA - AND ARE DEAD._] That bread neither preserved their bodies alive, nor entitled them to life eternal; but those who receive my salvation, shall not only be raised again in the last day, but shall inherit eternal life. It was an opinion of the Jews themselves that their fathers, who perished in the wilderness, should never have a resurrection. Our Lord takes them on their own ground: Ye acknowledge that your fathers who fell in the wilderness shall never have a resurrection; and yet they ate of the manna: therefore that manna is not the bread that preserves to everlasting life, according even to your own concession....

YOUR FATHERS DID EAT MANNA - There was a real miracle performed in their behalf; there was a perpetual interposition of God which showed that they were his chosen people. AND ARE DEAD - The bread which they ate could not save them from death. Though God interfered in their behalf, yet they died. We may learn, * That that is not the most valuable of God’s gifts which merely satisfies the temporal wants. * That the most distinguished temporal blessings will not save from death. Wealth, friends, food, raiment, will not preserve life. * There is need of something better than mere earthly blessings; there is need of that bread which cometh down from heaven, and which giveth life to the world....

EXPOSITION JOHN 6:1 2. _Christ declares himself to be the Sustainer and Protector of the life of which he is the Source_. JOHN 6:1 (1) _The supply of human wants illustrated by a well known _"_sign_" _of power_. Chronological difficulties beset our treatment of this miraculous narrative with its varied consequences and results. Many curious and even violent measures have been resorted to with a view to solve them. Some have supposed that John 5:1. and 6. have been inverted in order, and that thus the presence of our Lord in Galilee, mentioned in...

YOUR FATHERS DID EAT MANNA IN THE WILDERNESS,.... All the while they were in the wilderness, for the space of forty years, till they came to the borders of the land of Canaan; this was their only food on which they lived, during their travels through the wilderness. It is observable, that Christ says, not "our fathers", but "your fathers"; for though Christ, as concerning the flesh, came of these fathers, yet in every sense they were rather theirs than his; because regard may be had to such of them more especially who ate the manna as common food, and not as spiritual meat, as typical of the Messiah, as others did; and whom these, their offspring, did very much resemble. Though perhaps the reason of the use of this phrase may be, because the Jews themselves had used it in John 6:31, and Christ takes it up from them. AND ARE DEAD. This food, though it supported them in life for a

John 6:22. _The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that the disciples were gone away alone: (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:) When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither the disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus._ Everything looked very favorable, did it not? These people put themselves to considerable trouble in order to get where the Saviour was; they were not satisfied to be away from him; they were «seeking for Jesus.» John 6:25. And when th

CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The Feeding of the Five Thousand Men. (John 6:1 .)_ 2. The Attempt to Make Him King, (John 6:15 .) 3. The Stormy Sea. “It is I, be not afraid.” (John 6:16 .) 4. The Discourse on the Bread of Life. The Food of the Believer. (John 6:22 .) 5. The Falling Away of Disciples. (John 6:60) 6. Peter's Confession. (John 6:67 .) The events which are recorded in this chapter happened at the Sea of Galilee, the sea of Tiberias. John exclusively uses t

THE MURMURING OF THE JEWS. The changes of persons here (_cf._ John 6:22, the multitude), and of place in John 6:59, show that this chapter is not intended to record a continuous conversation, but to give specimens of Christ's teaching as the author has come to see its meaning, of objections raised and how they were answered. Jesus-' claims are challenged on the ground of His lowly origin (_cf._ Luke 4:22; Mark 6:3). The answer takes up the thought of John 6:37. Those alone will accept such an one to whom the Father gives the grace to hear the teaching promised in the prophets ...