Mercy in the Manna
Scripture References
Exodus 16:2-15
Bread from Heaven
2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” 13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Unity in the Body of Christ
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[5] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
John 6:22-35
I Am the Bread of Life
22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking 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, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking 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 to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing 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, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who 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 shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
What’s for Dinner?
What’s for dinner? In one way or another we find the answer to that question each day. Whether you are buying it, preparing it, or being served, a fine dinner will make you think well, love well, and sleep well. Now that I got you started thinking about food, you might be wondering what the answer to that question is. There are some days however, that asking “what’s for dinner” will have guarded reactions, depending on when, how and who is asking.
I found this out in my early learning stages of being a husband. I walked by a new appliance that was sitting on the kitchen counter… a wonderful aroma was coming out of it… Being the bright young lad that I was and knowing it was for dinner, I opened the lid and asked, “what is it?” Well, it just so happened it was a bread machine. That loaf of bread dropped just as fast as my new bride’s jaw. I’m sure at that moment the question was asked of me, “now what’s for dinner?”
What is it?
These are the questions the Israelites were asking shortly after their exit out of Egypt. They too had a long learning process in store. It didn’t take long after crossing the Red Sea before they were asking “what’s for dinner?”
And when the Lord provided food for them with a fine flake-like thing on the ground… like silly me, they also asked, “What is it?” Which literally is the Hebrew meaning for the word Manna.
Hungry and Thirsty
That is where we turn our focus today as we explore the significance of the Old Testament lesson in Exodus 16. Moses has led the people of Israel out of Egypt into one of the harshest deserts in the world. They were afraid, very hungry, and thirsty. And boy did they ever grumble about it. Then the Lord provides them with something to eat. Okay, that pretty much sums it up.
Now hold on, before you get to thinking I am going to cut this sermon short so you can get to lunch, we must keep in mind that these people did not have a refrigerator to open. They did not have a freezer downstairs full of options. They did not have the abundance of food service places to choose from like we are accustomed to…
It is easy for us to criticize the Israelites for their grumbling, yet amid all our conveniences, do we still find ourselves complaining when our food is not cooked to our liking, too cold, or doesn’t get to the table fast enough? Are we, like the grumbling Israelites, justified in our moaning’s? It goes to show, that rationale will be weakened when hunger strikes.
Mercy In The Manna
Moses tells his people straight up, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” Sort of like telling the kids, this is what we are having for dinner, take it or leave it …
There are a lot of things that can be skipped in life, but if you are like me, eating is not one of them. I like to eat. Not only is food important for us to nourish our bodies, but it also gives us energy and makes life possible. Without it we will not survive…Food gives us joy, makes our potlucks festive, and our funeral luncheons comforting. But more importantly, we must not lose sight of the fact that in one way or another, all the food we enjoy is a gift that the Lord has given us to eat…
It is easy to overlook the fact that there is mercy in the Manna.
The Lord will provide
Moses was struggling to get the Israelites to see this. He realizes they are just focused on their growling tummies. He identifies this grumbling as a lack of a relationship with God that seems to be an ongoing problem with these guys. A weakness in their faith. They don’t trust that Moses knows what he is talking about.
Now, if you think about it, Moses is really asking for a great deal of trust here. He tells them that they can only gather enough Manna to feed themselves for one day.
They don’t have the option like we do of having a full pantry, or weeks on end of frozen food readily available. I would probably grumble as well if I couldn’t go to the fridge or to the convenience store and get a snack when I wanted it.
I try to imagine what that would be like to trust that the next day there would be more food provided. Even if it was the same thing day after day… It is only fair to ask…
Fear, love, and trust in God above all things
Do I live my life in trust that God will take care of me? Or do I live my life out of a sense that I need to take care of myself because no one else is going to do it? Do I trust that my bank account, home, or my pension plan will be adequate? Or do I spend a lot of time fretting about it? Where do I place my trust?
Is it in God who has given me all that I have? Who loves me and gives me an eternal promise? Or does my trust remain in something material?
Moses is asking these people to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. That is why they are fed this daily bread and that is why they must get up every morning to find that more Manna has been provided to them… The following is a message given by the Lord through Moses, “You shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” God wants them to know that within Him, and only Him, they will find mercy in the Manna.
In a world of tight schedules and eating on the go, I often wonder. Do we get complacent about this as well? If life were a bread machine, would we trust that God is looking out for our best interest in there? Or would we have to open the lid to find out?
The Bread King
In the Gospel lesson in John 6 today we are assured that our daily bread will come to us through Jesus. He declares that He is better than Manna. He is the bread from heaven, sent by the Father. Yes, Jesus is the one who will feed us today, tomorrow, and the day after that. Each and every day.
A couple weeks ago our lesson from the first part of John 6 was about Jesus feeding the 5000. This hungry crowd were fed with five loaves of bread and two fish with plenty of leftovers… Comparing that to the lesson we have today, the Lord supplied the Israelites with the bread they need in the wilderness.
In both cases, God, out of His mercy, does this to meet the people’s needs and to show them He is the one and only Lord Almighty. Yet in each case, they still look to Him as if He is a bread machine.
That is why the people chase Jesus down at Capernaum and ask for a sign. They are looking for the bread king, not the King of the Jews. Jesus tells them “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
Distracted by their physical hunger like the forefathers before them, the people were unable to see the mighty things God is really trying to do for them. To feed their spiritual hunger. To get them to fear, love, and trust in Him above all things.
Relationship with Jesus
The world is full of people who desperately hunger for the bread of eternal life… but not willing to look for the blessings in the Manna. Many times, the people that hunger for the Bread of Life, are distracted by other hungers prodding at their belly. Hungers of wants and desires.
Hungers of physical gain, emotional satisfaction, or many other cravings of enjoyment. Not that we should avoid seeking these things, but there is a temptation to start believing that Jesus’ main purpose in our life is to satisfy these hungers. We start to believe that our feelings come first.
However, Jesus, thorough His gracious gifts of bread, is trying to teach us to keep the main thing the main thing… Which is? Having a personal relationship with Him. Trusting in His perfect timing. Placing hope in His eternal promise.
Looking for us to give thanks for the mercy found in the Manna. All these things are where our appetite must dwell. Jesus did not come to meet our every need the way we want it met. Jesus come to meet our important need.
This message did not please the people in our lessons today. This message does not please many people today that are looking for quick bread instead of the Bread of Life. Seeking fulfillment from the express lane. Wanting Jesus to feed me quickly, instead of taking the time for a sit-down meal.
$3 worth of Jesus
This reminds me of a skit I saw at a retreat earlier this year, called $3 worth of Jesus. It went something like this…
I would like to buy $3 worth of Jesus please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a nice warm cup of coffee or a quiet walk in the park. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love my neighbor or to help a homeless man. I want elation, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want just enough of the Eternal to fit in my back pocket. Could you please just give me $3 worth of Jesus.
This is what we run into in a world that wants to be fed with fast food. But Jesus has so much more than that to give… That is… for those willing to receive His gifts.
Jesus, the Bread of Life
Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who gave 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.”
Jesus then goes on to say, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Jesus gives us the bread of life with His own body and blood through the sacraments… the true bread from heaven through forgiveness. We get Christ Himself when He lovingly feeds us with the eternal bread of life in our relationship with Him. A relationship that will give us enough faith to fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. This bread will never collapse when you open the lid, but rather will keep rising for an eternity.
Full Meal Deal
Brothers and sisters in Christ… This is the mercy in the Manna. The Bread of Life found through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was sent into this world to give His life so we can live. Eternal life to starving sinners like you and me. Jesus satisfies our deepest hunger, which is the forgiveness of our sins.
This is the true bread from heaven. This is how Jesus can feed our soul and strengthen our faith. With this bread of life, we will never hunger. Never thirst again. Grumbling subsides and gratitude arises… Now that is a full meal deal.
A meal worth much more than $3. As a matter of fact, it is priceless. And Jesus provides this day after day for life everlasting. That is why Jesus taught us to pray, Lord, give us this day our daily bread…
This is the bread that gives us the nourishment and strength, through faith to love with humility, gentleness, and patience that the Apostle Paul mentions. This is the Manna that will daily draw us ever so close to Jesus… Now… invite Jesus to be your guest and let these gifts to you be blessed.
Jesus…. The bread of life… it’s what’s for dinner!