August 4, 2024 Rev. Rob Jones
John 6:24-35
So, when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves.27 Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us, then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the Manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Today's lesson takes place after the feeding of a crowd of 5,000. Late in the evening, Jesus traveled across the Sea of Galilee, and the next morning, some of the crowd followed him. Jesus spoke with those who had followed him, and during their conversation, they mentioned a significant event in Jewish history. In their discussion about perishable and imperishable sustenance, the people brought up the story of the “Manna from Heaven,” saying, "Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness" (v. 31). All good Sunday school kids should remember this story.
Exodus 16 describes the Israelites' journey from Elim to the wilderness of Sin, where they complained to Moses and Aaron about being brought into the wilderness. In response, God promised to provide them with food and tested their obedience. God rained bread from heaven for them to fulfill their hunger. (It also mentions quail, but I’ll touch on that later.) The Israelites were instructed to gather only what they needed each day, but some disobeyed and hoarded the bread, which led to it becoming wormy and rotten. On the sixth day, they were instructed to gather double the amount for the Sabbath, and the extra portions they kept did not spoil. This bread was called Manna and sustained the Israelites for forty years until they reached the land of Canaan. It’s a good story, and Jesus took the opportunity to continue teaching by expanding the story.
He said to them, “I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Without hesitation or fully understanding what Jesus was saying, the crowd requested, “Sir, give us this bread always.” (vv. 32-34). To me, questions arise about whether the crowd fully understood what Jesus was offering them at this point. It seems that they may just be looking for the literal Manna from Exodus. After all, how easy would life be if we never had to worry about our next meal? We could focus on the bigger things in life, right? Well, I doubt it. When we study the story closer, we learn that we are too much like Israel in the desert; even when we have everything we need, we soon become unsatisfied. If we read chapter 11 of the Book of Numbers, we see the rest of this story.
In Numbers 11, the people complain about what they consider their (inconsequential) misfortunes, which angers the Lord and leads to a fire in the camp. The people continue to complain and cry out for meat as they express longing for the food they had in Egypt, even though God had provided them with Manna, which is described as “like the taste of cakes baked with oil.” (Numbers 11:8). (I am no pastry chef, but I would think that would taste pretty good.) Honestly, their complaints sound like those of spoiled teenagers. They had everything they needed, but they wanted more. They had food and shelter but missed the romanticized comforts of their life as enslaved people. In short, they were ungrateful to God for the blessing of freedom, safety, shelter, and food. Sounds like a teenager to me.
Moses, too, falls prey to complaining about his situation. He becomes frustrated with the people and questions the burden placed upon him by the Lord. In response, the Lord instructed Moses to gather seventy elders to share the burden of the people and then promised to provide meat for them. The elders prophesy, and the Lord sends quails for the people to eat. However, when the people indulge in the meat, the Lord strikes them with a great plague. One moral of the story could be to be careful what you pray for. Our actions have consequences.
This story reminds me of when I was a child, and I would complain about stupid things like not having a particular name-brand shoe. My mom bought me good, sturdy shoes, but I wanted the “right brand.” Now, I’m not sure if kids still tease other kids about their shoes, but I sure was teased about mine. At first, I thought I didn’t receive the shoes I wanted because we were poor, but I soon learned the wisdom of my Mother when I got a summer job and bought my own shoes. The rest of the story went something like this:
I bought the name-brand shoes that I wanted in a High-Top design. I soon learned that because I walked to school across the wet baseball field every morning, unlike the cheaper, more sturdy shoes, my name-brand high-tops fell apart quickly when continuously exposed to the morning dew on the grass. They lasted about six weeks. That was hard-earned summer job money down the drain. Mom knew what walking through the wet grass every morning did to my shoes; she had to replace them enough, usually about three times a year. She also knew that I had to learn for myself that my new shoes, which I had saved to get, would suffer such a fate no matter what they cost. I could not be content with what I had, and I suffered for wanting. I had to walk to school that semester with torn-up shoes. Thankfully, I learned a valuable lesson even though it cost me $50 in 1980s summer job money.
The crowd Jesus was teaching that morning only thought about the instant gratification of Manna and not the everlasting freedom offered with the bread from heaven. Christ goes on to tell the crowd that the bread he is speaking of is more than Manna. It is himself he is referring to. “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (v.35) In the story, the crowd perceives the Manna as only a metaphor, like a teenager who fails to understand the significance of what their parents offer them. We understand this because, in the story, Jesus has yet to institute the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, and he has yet to be hung on the cross for our sins. But we, the readers, studying the story, we, the ones who have read the ending and understand the consequences of asking for the Manna, asking for Christ to live in our hearts, we understand the significance of what Jesus is saying on that morning after the miracle of the feeding of the 5000.
We often remind ourselves of the passage in Luke 22 (Jesus blessing the Bread) when we partake in the Lord’s Supper. When we participate in the sacrament, we consume bread we consider similar to the Manna given in the wilderness. But we often forget the significance of this action. We teach our little ones that this bread symbolizes Jesus, who is the embodiment of the Bread of Life. This Mana, this Bread of Life, do we understand it exactly? Was it literal bread, metaphorical bread, or something in between? What does it mean never to be hungry or thirsty again? Could it represent freedom from the hardships of life, sustenance in the desolation of life, grace in the suffering of life, or God's presence in the solitude of life? Or maybe it is rest from life's requirements, tranquility during life's disturbances, possibly togetherness in life's solitude, or safety in life's unpredictability? It is all of the above and so much more. It is proper safety, freedom, and sustenance. It's not a metaphor but authentic.
The story of the Manna that descends from the sky in Exodus is the nourishing bread for the people of Israel, body and spirit. The story reassures us that God was and is in control of creation. The story reminds us that for those who believe and submit to God’s will, all things are possible. The story also reminds us that the Manna taught the people that God will give us what we need when we need it. There is no need to be greedy, impatient, or worried. With the new day comes the new Manna. It’s a story worth remembering, celebrating, and associating with our savior, Jesus Christ.
Christ, the authentic Bread from Heaven, will sustain you, comfort you, and save you from whatever life has given you. To believe and surrender to Christ is more than asking for Manna. One must fully submit to God’s will, knowing that in full faith, God will sustain you; God, through Christ, will deliver you a peace like no other peace. Will you receive all the comforts of the world? No, this story reminds us that salvation is not about the comforts of this world. Christ is salvation from this world. In Christ, we are fed the bread from heaven, and because of what He has done for us, we will never be hungry again. Praise God!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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