Homilies on the Gospel of John

“Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.”

Why said He not, “It was not Moses that gave it to you, but I”; but puts God in the place of Moses, and Himself instead of manna? Because the infirmity of His hearers was great. As is seen from what follows. For not even when He had spoken thus did He secure their attention, although He said at first, “You seek Me, not because ye saw the miracle, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” Now because they sought these (carnal) things, He would have corrected them by His succeeding words, yet not even so did they desist. When He promised the Samaritan woman that He would give her “the water,” He made no mention of the Father. What says He? “If you knew who it is that says unto you, Give Me to drink, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given unto you living water”; and again, “The water which I shall give.” He referrs her not to The Father. But here He makes mention of The Father, that you may understand how great was the faith of the Samaritan woman, and how great the infirmity of the Jews.

Was then the manna not from heaven? How then is it said to be from heaven? In the same manner as Scripture speaks of “fowls of heaven”; and again, “The Lord thundered from heaven.” And He calls that other the “true bread,” not because the miracle of the manna was false, but because it was a type, and not the very truth. But in mentioning Moses, He does not compare Himself to him, for the Jews did not as yet prefer Him to Moses, of whom they still had a higher opinion. So that after saying, “Moses gave not,” He adds not that “I give,” but says that The Father, and not Moses, gives. They, when they heard this, replied, “Give us this bread to eat”; for they yet thought that it was something material, they yet expected to gratify their appetites, and so hastily ran to Him. What does Christ? Leading them on little by little, He says,