Foreshadowings of the Eucharist aren't just mentioned in John 6 and the last supper accounts, but all through the Old Testament as well.

 

"You shall eat bread till you return to the ground." (Genesis 3:19)

This verse in Genesis shows that bread was an essential part of the Old Testament people's appetite from the beginning. Bread is one of the basics of meals and wasn't seen as a treat or something special. This verse, even though small, highlights the foretelling of how God will bring Humanity together. 

 

"And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21)

We see God providing Adam and Eve with animal skins to cover up their shame and sin through this verse. This foreshadows what Jesus does in the Eucharist, He gives us His body to cover our guilt and sin.

 

"And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High." (Genesis 14:18)

Melchizedek is both priest and King, which foreshadows Christ, both a High Priest and King. Melchizedek offers Abraham bread and wine and blesses him. Likewise, Jesus also uses bread and wine to bless us by transforming it into His Body and Blood. 

 

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day." (Exodus 16:4)

As we read through the book of Exodus and Numbers, we notice the Israelites complain a lot. The Lord tells Moses He will provide food to sustain the Israelites. In John 6, Jesus uses the story of the Exodus as a foreshadowing of Himself as the bread of life, who came down from Heaven to be food to sustain us. During their 40 years in the desert, God makes bread come down from Heaven to feed the Israelites. Let's look at this passage closely: "rain bread from Heaven". We can often overlook the word "Heaven" as we've probably read this text many times. However let's remember that the bread was from Heaven, the most perfect and holy place - the place where Trinity and all the angels dwell. 

We all live in the desert throughout our lives, a place where we are searching for God and learning about Him, while we are journeying to the one real holy land, Heaven. Jesus gives us himself, the true bread from Heaven, to nourish our souls and bring us closer to Him. 

 

"You shall present your burnt offerings, both the meat and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; the blood of your other sacrifices shall be poured out beside the altar of the Lord your God, but the meat you may eat." (Deuteronomy 12:27)

 

In the Old Testament, it was the priest that sacrificed the animals. The animal's blood was "poured out" onto the altar. As we are aware, Jesus is the new High Priest. However, when He came down to earth, He didn't abolish the Old Covenant, He transformed it. When Jesus institutes the Eucharist at the last supper, He also uses the term "poured out" in regards to His blood being poured out for the forgiveness of sins. But Jesus also says "do this" making it clear that these disciples there with Him and their successors will be the new priests of the New Covenant, under the High Priest, Jesus Christ, remembering Jesus’ blood sacrifice in every Eucharist. 

 

'Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world." (John 6:4-14)

 

The feeding of the 5,000 was a supernatural event. It foreshadowed the bread of life discourse, (immediately after this miracle), and the last supper in a profound way. It reminds us of the manna in the wilderness that there was just enough to sustain the Israelites. Christ is physically showing that God can provide for their needs and that supernatural food will feed people spiritually. At the Last Supper, they shared one loaf; In the Eucharist, we partake in one bread. We are all partaking in the same bread.

 

John 6:11 and Matthew 15:36 are the same words we hear at the last supper. John 6 shows that the people present at the miracle of the 5,000 became eager to listen to him; they got in their boats and went looking for him. Christ says that it wasn't because of the miracle, but because they ate the bread given to them by God and were fulfilled. Through this, they opened their eyes to learning the truth. It's similar to Luke 24:30 - 31 when Jesus took bread, gave thanks, that the disciple's eyes were opened and they recognised him.