At times Jesus buries truth in a familiar metaphor or situation, relying on the Holy Spirit to interpret for those who have ears to hear. Bread is a handy metaphor with an audience thoroughly familiar with the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:17), the tabernacle showbread (Exodus 25:30) and manna in the desert. Here Jesus appropriates the symbol of manna by claiming to be “the bread that had come down from heaven.”