The Bread of Life Discourse is an episode in the life of Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John 6:22-59.[1]
The title Bread of Life for Jesus is based on this Biblical episode which takes place in the Gospel of John shortly after the Feeding the multitude episode (in which Jesus feeds the crowds with five loaves of bread and two fish) after which the crowds follow Jesus.[2]
In the Gospel of John:
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."[3]
The Gospel of John does not include an account of the blessing of the bread during the Last Supper, e.g. as in the Gospel of Luke 22:19. However, this discourse does communicate teachings regarding the Eucharist that have been very influential in the Christian tradition.[4]
In the Christological context, the use of the Bread of Life title in similar to the Light of the World title in John 8:12 where Jesus states: "I am the light of the world: he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."[5] These assertions build on the Christological theme of John 5:26 where Jesus claims to possess life Just as the Father does and provide it to those who follow him.[5][6]
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