Bread From Heaven 

     While teaching His disciples how to pray, Jesus made up a new word not used anywhere else in the Bible.  The new word coined by Jesus is the Greek word epiousios.  Bible translators have had a very difficult time figuring out what this word means.  Because of their lack of understanding, the King James translators decided to use the word daily.

     “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

     The correct meaning of these words of Jesus Christ is of paramount importance.  Most of “ Christianity” believes that this is a simple request for daily physical food.  On the surface, this explanation certainly seems plausible.  Luke records it in a similar fashion.

     “Give us day by day our daily bread.”   (Luke 11:3)

     The disciples had asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  Did He respond by teaching them to be sure and ask for food each day?    Or, was Jesus pointing them to an indispensable truth that is lost on the world?  When this is fully understood, it will be absolutely clear that “Give us day by day our daily bread” is not primarily about asking for food.    

     What new concept was Jesus teaching His disciples that they needed to learn in order to pray effectively?  Most people who read “Give us day by day our daily bread” assume the meaning to be a request for the physical nourishment that is required each and every day.  We need to understand that it is much more.  This request to the Father is one of the most misunderstood sayings in the entire Bible.  Remember that this is  not a prayer to be memorized and recited, but a collection of major areas of consideration for developing a prayerful relationship with our Father.  Just how important is this relationship that Jesus would die in order to reconcile us to the Father?

     The Bible is specifically inspired so that the world cannot see God’s truth in it.  The deeper truths contained in the Word of God appear to be foolishness to the unconverted mind.  The Holy Scriptures are revealed only to those whom God calls and opens their minds.  Luke gives an example of the very select audience for whom Jesus intended His message.

     “Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, ‘I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.’…Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.’” (Luke 10:21-24)

      Jesus was saying in effect, “There is more here than meets the eye.”  This phrase “Give us this day our daily bread” holds a greater meaning for us. 

     Just as soon as Jesus gave the disciples guidelines on how to pray, He immediately gave them the principle that places spiritual matters ahead of fundamental necessities.  He told them to choose the spiritual over the physical.  Jesus taught them, right before and right after these instructions, that the Father knew their needs before they asked – and would supply them! 

     “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” (Matthew 6:31)

     Jesus was not sending a contradictory signal to His men - saying on the one hand ask for daily bread, and on the other hand do not worry about daily bread.   These verses must agree with one another and with the remainder of scripture.  That is what we mean when we say, “Let the Bible interpret the Bible.”  How can we solve this dilemma facing the disciples? 

     Keep in mind that these bold concepts of Christianity were so new and hard to grasp that it was impossible for the disciples to fully embrace them until convicted by God’s Holy Spirit after Christ had ascended up into heaven.  We are blessed to have the benefit of their hindsight in that the Scriptures contain their final understanding of these lessons.

     What are we to understand from this difficult verse “Give us day by day our daily bread?” (Matthew 6:11)   The main problem centers on the unique word epiousios, which was coined by Jesus and used by Him only once.  Matthew and Luke each record this verse.  Bible translators are not in agreement as to what this word means.

     Let’s look at various translations for an appreciation of the difficulty facing the Bible translators.  There is obviously a great deal of confusion surrounding this word epiousios, translated “daily” by the King James translators.

     Moffat:

Matthew: “Give us to-day our bread for the morrow.”

Luke: “Give us our bread for the morrow day-by-day.”

     Weymouth:

Matthew: “… our bread for the day.”

Luke: “ …day after day our bread for the day.”

     Lamsa:

Matthew: “Give us bread for our needs from day to day.”

Luke: “Give us bread for our needs every day.”
    
     Luther:

Matthew: “Our daily bread give us today.”

Luke: “Our daily bread give us day-by- day.”

     Elberfelder:

Matthew: “Our daily bread (Annotation: that is,

the bread needed for today and tomorrow) give us today.”

Luke: “Our bread that we need give us day-by-day.”

     Menge:

Matthew: “Our bread that is sufficient for us give us today.”
Luke:  “Our bread that is sufficient for us give us day-by-day.”

     The New Bible Commentary, ed. 1975, p. 825: Daily (epiousion) is a very unusual word, with several possible derivations. The most likely meaning is “for tomorrow.”

     The Greek Interlinear has it this way, translating the word epiousios with “needed.”

     E.V. Rieu’s translation is different and better: 

Matthew: “Give us the bread of life today.”

     E.V. Rieu saw something the other translators missed!  E.W. Bullinger was also able to apply his Biblical knowledge and come to a better understanding of this Scripture.

     E.W. Bullinger believed that the word epiousios is a reference to Jesus Christ Himself.  In the E.W. Bullinger Companion Bible, we find this explanation for epiousios: “daily  Greek epiousios.  A word coined by our Lord, and used only here and Luke 11:3, by Him.  Compounded from epi = upon, and ousios = coming…Therefore, it means coming or descending upon, as did the manna, with which it is contrasted in John 6:32-33.  It is the True Bread from heaven, by which alone man can live – The Word of God, which is prayed for here.” 

     The world has rejected this vital truth which E.W. Bullinger was able to see!  Jesus is that Bread of Life that descends from heaven!  This definition of daily answers the apparent contradiction of whether or not we should be concerned about our food and drink, as it points to the higher spiritual understanding of our need for Jesus Christ in our lives.

     References in the Old Testament with regard to the bread from heaven were inspired for the purpose of pointing to Jesus.  Indeed, their first application had to do with the physical bread from heaven that God provided for their survival.  Jesus would apply the deeper meaning to bread from heaven – Jesus is the Savior who brings everlasting life.

     “And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.”  (Nehemiah 9:15)

      Jesus spent three and a half years with His disciples - expounding on this very difficult spiritual concept.  Even at the end of the first era of the church, Jesus would reiterate to John that He was the “hidden manna.” 

     “To him who overcomes I will give of the hidden manna to eat.”  (Revelation 2:17)

     At the beginning of His ministry, He was only presenting the prelude to the greater meaning of bread from heaven. He would show the disciples more and more up to His last Passover with them the night before He died.

     The Apostle Paul, who was taught directly by Christ Himself, summed up our need for Jesus, the spiritual sustenance, over physical needs in one verse.

      “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”  (Romans 13:14)

     The King James translators, without understanding what it means to “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” completely missed the point when they translated the Greek word epiousios as “daily.” The following words of Christ will show that this verse is not about the physical food our bodies need. 

     When Jesus Christ taught His disciples to pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” it was not a “give me” prayer, asking for breakfast, lunch and supper, or for the physical necessities of life.  Rather, Jesus was pointing His disciples to the most important higher spiritual need.  The disciples knew how Christ, the Word of God, had answered Satan according to Deuteronomy 8:3.  “Man shall not live by [physical] bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4:4)

     The Apostle John wrote very late compared to the other New Testament writers.  Those intervening years allowed him to grow in understanding the deep significance of Jesus’ words.  John recorded how Jesus Christ often used the analogy of manna and bread when explaining the difference between our physical needs and our spiritual needs.  (John 6:31-35)

      “[The people said,] ‘Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father 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.’   Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life.’”

     Jesus continued to explain to the disciples that it was He Who is the true spiritual sustenance that they must partake of, if they are to have eternal life.

     “I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” (John 6:48-49)

     “This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.” (John 6:50)

     The next words that Christ would say were so difficult for the disciples to grasp that some could not handle it.

     “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

     The incredible idea of eating Christ’s flesh, even after three years of miracles and instruction by Jesus, was too coarse for the disciples’ sensibilities.  Jesus knew that it was such a hard saying that, if He had spoken this plainly to the disciples when He first began to instruct them, they could not have accepted it.  Even now, many abandoned Christ as their Rabbi or teacher.

     “The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?   Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”  (John 6:52-58)

     The disciples had a very hard time grasping the spiritual concept that Christ was teaching them.  In a strictly carnal sense it sounded cannibalistic - making the concept too difficult to accept. From that time many of His disciples walked no more with Him.

     Why did Jesus say this so bluntly?  “You have to eat my flesh and drink my blood?”  He knew how difficult that would be to accept.  Why did Jesus not mitigate this saying in order to make it more palatable for His disciples – or as we would say today, “make it easier for the disciples to swallow?”  Jesus could have said, “You are going to have to really, really try hard to embrace My principles in everything you do – really, really make them a part of you.”

     Because of the extreme importance of this concept – Jesus Christ in us – Jesus said it in the strongest way possible. 

     We desire for Christ to come into us and make His abode in us.  Our bodies are His temple – He lives His perfect life in us. There is an old saying, “You are what you eat.”  Paul talked about “putting on Christ.”

      “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)

     The world does not understand what it means to put on Christ.  They say that they love Jesus, that they gave their hearts to Jesus – but they do not put on Jesus and become like Him.  Paul stresses the importance of this concept in 2 Corinthians 13:5.  “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless indeed you are disqualified.”  The King James Version reads, “…how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

     How ironic it is that Satan has deceived the world into believing that “give us this day our daily bread” is only about food – when it means so much more!

     We are to be seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.  Therefore, when we read the mistranslated “daily bread,” we need to remember that Jesus is speaking of  Himself – the true spiritual bread.  He supplies our needs – physical and spiritual.

     “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  (Matthew 6:33)

     In conclusion, it is most important to understand what Jesus was really saying to the disciples.  When He said “Give us this day our daily bread, the “Give” did not constitute a request for personal wants or even physical necessities.  Instead, the words, “Give us this day our daily bread,” are a request to our Father to have Christ live His perfect life in us and provide all things necessary for salvation.  Jesus Christ is the True Bread from heaven.

     Jesus began to teach the disciples how to pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” at the very beginning of His ministry, yet it was not until more than three years later on the very night before He died that He gave them the ability to partake of the symbols that truly represent Him.

     “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’”  (Matthew 26:26)

     “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’” (Luke 22:19)

     When we pray, Jesus Christ is the daily bread that we ask the Father to give us.  The best meaning and translation, using the spiritual understanding provided by these verses is, “Father… Give us this day our spiritual heavenly bread - Jesus Christ.”

Chapter 9 - Understanding God's Forgiveness