The Bread of Life Is a Gift from God

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; John 6:24-35

Today’s Old Testament and Gospel readings both refer to a miraculous gift of food. The Exodus reading is a story from the lives of the Israelites just a short time after they have escaped from slavery in Egypt and crossed the Red Sea – or the Sea of Reeds, as the Hebrew is often translated lately. God has shown the folks sign after sign of divine power and provision for the Israelites – but they seem to have already forgotten.

Now they are stuck out in the wilderness and they are hungry. They must have run out of the food they took with them, and haven’t had time to gather or grow more, and so it seems they will die of hunger. But God hears their cries and provides. There were quails, birds, which settled on the ground every evening – so they had meat.

And they had a mysterious substance they called manna. It is a delicious, sugary derivative of the tamarisk bush, native to the Sinai peninsula. Manna is a crystallized form of tamarisk sap, processed and excreted in drops by insects. It falls from the bushes in the morning, and is a round, white, and flaky substance which has the appearance of hoarfrost. They had never seen it before, so without God saying “I have given you this manna to eat,” the Israelites would not have known it was good food.

The manna could be used in many ways: ground in mortars, boiled in pots, and made into cakes. They ate manna for a long time: for the 40 years of wilderness wandering, so it’s a good thing they could be creative with it.

In last week’s gospel reading, Jesus fed the whole crowd of 5,000 people gathered around him with the bread and fish from a boy’s lunch basket. For today and the next several Sundays, we will read portions of what we call a discourse, a sermon or explanation of what the feeding means for God’s people.

The crowd was attracted to Jesus by the healings he did. They watched and followed him to see what else he could do – what other tricks he would perform. So, this feeding of the crowd made a major impression on them. They remembered when God gave their ancestors manna every day in the wilderness with Moses, and wondered if Jesus could do the same for them: provide bread and fish for the rest of their lives.

If the folks gathered were poor – and most probably were – they often were hungry. It was a treat to be able to eat their fill their bellies. They worked hard just to feed and house their families. Imagine never having to work again for food, or to even have extra money for some discretionary spending on new clothes or new tools.

But Jesus quickly corrects their focus. They are thinking about the magical appearance of a lot of food. Jesus wants them to focus on the source of the food – God. They still don’t get it. They don’t care where it comes from, but if it comes from God, that is an added bonus. They want to have it every day.

You might remember the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus offers her living water– and she thinks he intends to put a well in her back yard. Give me that water every day, she asks.

But the living water and the bread of life are not things to be consumed. They are spiritual gifts from God – the gift of grace. Grace is undeserved love and acceptance and forgiveness. Because God loves us and cares deeply for us, God wants us to have whatever we need. Yes, we need food and water and housing and especially in our rural area – transportation, and in our present time – telephones and maybe even computers. But if we don’t have God, we have nothing. God knows that in addition to the basic necessities, we also need a relationship with God in our lives. We maintain a relationship with God by worshiping frequently, studying scripture to learn more about God, and a prayer life which includes listening as well as talking to God.

One aspect of our relationship with God is founded on remembering that everything we have comes from God, which is Jesus’ message to the crowd. Yes, we like to think we worked to earn what we have, but that is how God provides for us. I’d like you to do something.

I invite you to take your bulletin and a pencil, or you can just do this in your head. I’ll give you several topics and I’d like you to make an accounting of all that you have or have had. Of course, some of our lives are longer than others.

First, write down your income for a year, in approximate numbers, $20,000, $40,000, $60,000, or whatever. Before or after taxes – it doesn’t matter. If that number is less than last year, make a note: has it still been enough to live on, even though you may have had to make some adjustments to your lifestyle?

Next topic: Do you have a car or some form of transportation? Are you able to get to the grocery store and to the doctor and to church? It may be that your form of transportation is in a friend’s car. Write down the type of transportation you have.

Next topic: Think about your family. How many sisters and brothers do you have? Are you married, or in a significant relationship with someone? How many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren do you have? Write down something about your family.

Next: How do you communicate? Do you have a phone of some sort in your house? You may also have a cell phone and a computer. Write down how many phones and computers you have.

Now: think about your job – the one you have now, or the one you had before you retired. Your job may have been raising children and taking care of your spouse. Don’t discount it! Did your job provide meaning to your life? Were you able to use your God-given gifts? If it was “just a job” did you have meaningful relationships with your coworkers? Did your job provide you with income so you could support your family? Write down something which says how important your job was to you.

Next, how is your health? While it may not be what you had as a child, are you still able to get up and function? Are you able to take care of yourself? Make a note that you still have decent if not perfect health.

We could include lots of other topics. In the explanation of the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed, Luther includes favorable weather, good government, and protection from danger and evil. But we don’t have all day, so I’ll make this next topic the last one.

In many places in the world it is dangerous to be a Christian and to openly go to church. We don’t have that problem here. Write down how many times in an average month you worship at church – include worship at places other than Hope. Add to that the number of times you are at church for an activity. This could be Bible study, choir rehearsal, quilting, meeting, or eating. These are all ways in which you connect with God and with God’s people.

We like to think that what we have … is what we earned or what we deserve. We like to pretend it came to us because of our own efforts. But none of it is because of us. We have what we have because of God’s love for us. The Israelites ate manna and quail in the wilderness because God cared for them. The crowd with Jesus ate bread and fish because of God’s love for them. This is what Jesus wanted them to understand: Not that he could work miracles, but that God cares for us humans and wants to provide for us all that we need, and then some.

Jesus is the Bread of Life – which means that through him, we are provided with everything we need each day, including God’s love and forgiveness. Your challenge this week is to pay attention to everything you have and everyone you encounter, and to remember that everything and everyone in your life is a gift from God. Give thanks for all that you have, and be ready to share God’s love and forgiveness with everyone as freely as Jesus did.

Please pray with me: Lord of all, you freely give us what we need and then some. Help us to remember it all comes from you, and encourage us to freely give your love and care to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen