The figure which Christ used was a familiar one to the Jews. Moses, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had said, "Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord." And the prophet Jeremiah had written, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart." Deut. 8:3; Jer. 15:16. The rabbis themselves had a saying, that the eating of bread, in its spiritual significance, was the study of the law and the practice of good works; and it was often said that at the Messiah's coming all Israel would be fed. The teaching of the prophets made plain the deep spiritual lesson in the miracle of the loaves. This lesson Christ was seeking to open to His hearers in the synagogue. Had they understood the Scriptures, they would have understood His words when He said, "I am the bread of life." Only the day before, the great multitude, when faint and weary, had been fed by the bread which He had given. As from that bread they had received physical strength and refreshment, so from Christ they might receive spiritual strength unto eternal life. "He that cometh to Me," He said, "shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst." But He added, "Ye also have seen Me, and believe not."

Det billede, Jesus brugte, var velkendt for jøderne. Moses havde inspireret af Helligånden sagt: "Mennesket lever ikke af brød alene, men ved alt, hvad der udgår af Herrens mund, lever mennesket." Og profeten Jeremias havde skrevet: "Dine ord blev fundet, og jeg åd dem. Men mig blev dit ord til fryd og til hjertens glæde." 5Mos. 8,3; Jer. 15,16. De skriftkloge havde selv et ordsprog, som sagde, at det at spise brød i dets åndelige betydning var at granske loven og gøre gode gerninger; og man sagde tit, at når Messias kom, ville hele Israel blive mættet. Profeternes lære forklarede tydeligt den dybe åndelige lærdom i miraklet med brødene. Denne lærdom søgte Kristus at gøre forståelig for sine tilhørere i synagogen. Hvis de havde forstået Skrifterne, ville de også have forstået hans ord, da han sagde: "Jeg er livets brød!" Det var kun en dag, siden den store skare, da de var trætte og udmattede af sult, var blevet mættede med det brød, som han havde givet dem. Ligesom de ved at spise dette brød havde fået legemlige kræfter og havde følt sig forfriskede, sådan kunne de fra Kristus få åndelig kraft til evigt liv. "Den, som kommer til mig," sagde han, "skal ikke hungre, og den, som tror på mig, skal aldrig tørste." Men han tilføjede: "I har set og dog tror I ikke."