Lectionary Readings:
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 Psalm 78:23-29 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35
This year I spent my holiday on the North coast of Cornwall with my daughter, and if you have ever been to Cornwall, you will know that delicious pasties and cream teas are on offer in every settlement along the coast. (And fish and chips and monumental Sunday lunches … it is not a place to experience hunger unless you have nothing.) So when we are confronted with the story of the Israelites in the wilderness in both Exodus and the Psalm, we face the unimaginable horror of not only not knowing where the next meal will come from, but whether or not there will even be another meal on the journey. It certainly makes for uncomfortable viewing when we see modern-day refugees fleeing and suffering all kinds of dangers.
Mortals ate the bread of heaven
The scripture recounts the abundance of food that God provided in the Wilderness for the children of Israel. Having cried out to God to be rescued from Pharaoh’s power, these former slaves fled out of Egypt to be confronted by what seemed to be an insurmountable barrier: The Red Sea. Notwithstanding the amazing miracle of divine power, they had witnessed, a few rumbles in the tummy turned into a full-scale complaint against Moses and Aaron. Apparently, their memories of having begged God for deliverance, were very short and they longed once more to be in their former miserable state.
What is particularly surprising in this story, is that they are not struck by thunderbolts from heaven for daring to complain; instead God provides. And the divine gifts are adequate to their needs.
Yet quail need catching and Manna requires gathering and preparation. And as the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud, God spoke and promised food, so that the whole people would know that this was their God. (Exodus 16:12) There is a connection between the gracious gifts of God and the faithfulness and obedience of the people, and I love this quote from Victoria Garvey:
Ankle deep in quail and mystified by manna, the people’s first act after liberation from slavery is cooperation. In order to eat their fill, they must work together to gather provisions, and the manna requires special care. Embryonic freedom apparently implies accountability … a people responsible to themselves, to each other, to their God.
Victoria Lynn Garvey, https://mailchi.mp/christiancentury.org/god-comes-through-348487?e=815ac9f11a
We need both the constant reminders of God’s grace and to experience the mysterious presence of God in our lives. So, when Jesus addressed the people clamouring, he probably spoke in words that were both direct and plain. They hadn’t really followed looking for signs and teaching, but because their stomachs had been filled. They were satiated (v 12); a rare luxury for most of the world’s poorest people even today.
The bread of life
But then Jesus moves the emphasis: away from physical hunger to spiritual hunger. Many people today claimed to be spiritual, but not religious, and I am sometimes baffled by what they mean. Because one of the dictionary’s descriptions of ‘spiritual’ is: not concerned with material values or pursuits; which is exactly what Jesus teaches his disciples here. The emphasis is on working for the ‘food that endures for eternal life’ (v27) which is nothing less than believing in Jesus Christ.
The Jewish scripture had already proclaimed that we do not live by bread alone in Deuteronomy 8:1-3. Interestingly, I think the writer was using the story to teach a lesson that we should not to forget God in prosperity. And Jesus, redirecting their statement away from a gift from Moses, and reminds people that it was actually a gift from God; and that God continues to supply their needs.
And still the people demand a sign, like the manna of old, which would be a sign of God’s gracious mercy towards a very ungracious people! A sign of deliverance or redemption. There is an old story of a drowning man who cries out for rescue, someone throws a life belt, a passing boat offers to pick him up and eventually an air-sea helicopter is despatched. On each occasion, the man refuses help stating that the Lord God would rescue him. The man died and went to heaven, and challenged God, ‘Lord, you did not save me’. The Almighty replied, ‘I sent a life belt, a boat and a helicopter. What more did you want?’
And so, when people ask Jesus for a sign, he said, you are looking at him. What are they really seeking? What they are looking for could well obscure what is right before their eyes, for Jesus says, ‘I am the bread of life’.
The Golden Age
What they were really looking for was perhaps a golden age, the time of the Exodus and the wilderness journeys. Isn’t it a strange thing with human perception, the people who heard Jesus would know the faith stories preserved and handed down from generation to generation. They would realise that life is Egypt wasn’t that good and life in the desert was harsh. But rose-tinted spectacles always improve the view!
I suspect we also look back to golden days of lively Sunday schools and full churches, failing to recognise that there was precious little other entertainment permitted on Sunday, or that our memories may be short! Or maybe some see redemption in the latest things: contemporary hymns with bands and TV screens instead of hymnbooks. Such signs and wonders don’t always bring people through our doors.
No, sometimes it is the ordinary, straightforward sharing of bread that is important. The gathering together around Christ’s table where we find contentment, peace and joy. Where we hunger and thirst for a deeper faith, but also to see righteousness made available to all.
God provided food in the Wilderness according to each person’s need. And we are invited today to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good…For those who seek the Lord lack no good thing’. Psalm 34:8, 10
Worship at home 