“I am” = Jesus states simply and yet emphatically the overwhelming truth to which the manna and the feeding of the 5000 pointed, again with overtones of deity.

This is the third symbol of Jesus from the Old Testament listed in the book of John. The first was Jacob’s ladder (1:51), which showed Christ as the intermediary between heaven and earth, or between God and man. The second was the bronze snake (3:14), which showed Jesus as the healer of those bitten with the poison of sin. Now Jesus shows Himself as the true food for a starving world.

Joh 1:51  He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Joh 3:14  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

First Jesus gave them the bread and now He tells them that He is the bread. You can’t separate what Christ gives from who He is. You can always, always trust Him because He cannot help but be true to his nature.