They had referred him to the manna which their fathers ate in the wilderness, as if the furnishing of that food was a greater miracle than Jesus had wrought; but he now declared unto them that the temporal food then given from Heaven was but a meager gift compared with the blessing of eternal life which he now offered them. The food eaten then sustained the strength, but did not prevent the approach of death, nor insure immortal life. The bread that the Son of God offered to man was death-destroying, giving in the end immortal life to the body. Said he, “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from Heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from Heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” {2SP 281.1}

De havde henvist ham til det manna, som deres fædre spiste i ørknen, som om det var et større mirakel end det, som Jesus havde udført. Men han erklærede nu for dem, at den legemlige mad, som den gang blev givet dem af himlen, var en lille gave, sammenlignet med det evige livs velsignelser, som han nu tilbød dem. Den mad, som de den gang fik, gav deres styrke, men bevarede dem ikke fra døden eller skaffede dem evigt liv; men fra døden og til sidst skaffede dem evigt liv. Han sagde: "Jeres fædre spiste manna i ørknen og døde. Men dette er det brød, som kommer ned fra Himmelen, for at man skal spise af det og ikke dø. Jeg er det levende brød, som er kommet ned fra Himmelen; om nogen spiser af det brød, han skal leve til evig tid. Og det brød, jeg vil give, er mig kød, til liv for verden." (49.-51.vers)