For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Chrysostom observed that the manna gave nourishment (trophê), but not life (zôê).” (RWP)
Jesus points out 3 attributes of the true bread of God:
- it comes from heaven
- it gives life
- it is for the whole world
“he who” can also be “that which.” The latter translation is the way the Jews took it as we can see in the following verse, but the former is the way Jesus understood it to be. Jesus knew himself to be the true bread of God. He didn’t come to bring manna or to satisfy any other earthly, materialistic expectations of the people; He came to bring them life.