The True and Better Manna
The story of the Exodus provides a powerful framework for understanding Jesus as the bread of life. Just as God provided manna to sustain Israel in the wilderness, Jesus offers eternal spiritual sustenance.
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Understanding the Exodus as God's Great Redemptive Act of the Old Testament
The Exodus is the major redemptive event of the Old Testament, referenced throughout Scripture. It's an epic story of deliverance where God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt at the height of Egyptian power.
God raised up Moses as an intercessor, and through ten plagues, He demonstrated His power over the Egyptian pantheon. The Israelites were protected by the blood of a lamb on their doorposts—the origin of Passover—before God parted the Red Sea, leading them from death to life.
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Slavery in Egypt
Israel under the yoke of Egyptian power
2
The Ten Plagues
God topples the Egyptian pantheon
3
Passover
Blood on doorposts protects from God's wrath
4
Red Sea Crossing
God makes a way through waters of death to life
Grace Before Law: God's Order of Redemption
A common misconception is that the law made people right with God in the Old Testament. However, God delivered Israel before giving the law at Mount Sinai. Grace came before law.
God's deliverance brought Israel into His presence, and then He gave them the law so they might know how to walk with Him. This order is significant—God's grace precedes our obedience.

Deliverance by Grace
God rescues His people from slavery
Law at Sinai
Instructions for living in God's presence
Wilderness Testing
God proves His faithfulness through provision
Jesus Reveals Himself as the Bread of Life
When the crowd follows Jesus seeking more bread, He challenges their motives: "You are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves." They wanted physical satisfaction, but Jesus offers something greater.
The Test of a True Follower
True disciples hunger not for what God gives, but for God Himself. Many follow Jesus for temporal benefits rather than eternal life.
God's Work is That You Believe
When asked "What must we do?", Jesus answers: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." Salvation is God's work, not ours.
Jesus is the Better Manna
Jesus declares "I am the bread of life" - revealing Himself as the true manna from heaven who gives eternal life to all who believe.
The False Promise vs. The True Gospel
Many false teachers promise that following Jesus will bring earthly comforts, success, health, and prosperity. They focus on satisfying earthly appetites rather than spiritual needs.
The true gospel promises something far greater: reconciliation with God through Christ's sacrifice, deliverance from God's wrath, and eternal life with Him. Jesus offers not temporal satisfaction but eternal riches.
The False Gospel Promises
  • Earthly riches and comfort
  • Health and prosperity
  • Satisfaction of physical appetites
  • Temporal benefits
The True Gospel Offers
  • Reconciliation with God
  • Deliverance from God's wrath
  • Christ's righteousness
  • Eternal life with God
The Father Gives and the Son Receives
When people refuse to believe, does God's redemptive plan fail? Jesus answers this question in John 6:37: "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."
The redeemed are gifts of love between persons of the Trinity. The Father gives, the Son receives and redeems, the Spirit seals, and the Son returns them to the Father for His glory. God's plan cannot be thwarted.
The Father Gives
God chooses and gives to his Son
The Son Receives
Jesus welcomes all who the Father gives
The Son Redeems
Christ's sacrifice redeems those who have come to Him
The Spirit Seals
The redeemed in Christ are secured by the Holy Spirit
Wrestling with God's Providence in Salvation
Why does God not lift the curse of sin for everyone? A better question might be: Why does He do it for anyone?
The Bible affirms both God's sovereignty in salvation and human responsibility to believe. God enables us to believe, and all who look to the Son will have eternal life. This tension should be approached with humility and grace.
Looking to Jesus: Our Eternal Hope
Just as those bitten by snakes in the wilderness were healed by looking at the bronze serpent Moses lifted up, everyone who looks to Jesus—who became a curse for us—receives life. He is the true and better manna who alone brings salvation.
Tragically, many still grumble like the Israelites in the wilderness. We're easily blinded by our appetites and quick to think we contribute to our salvation. The call remains: believe in the Son while He may be found, and feast daily on this bread from heaven.
Look to Jesus
Believe in Him who became a curse for us
Feed on His Truth
Nourish yourself daily with His Word
Journey Through the Wilderness
Trust Him to sustain you in life in the desert
Reach the Promised Land
He will bring all believers safely home