I Need | He Provides: The Bread
When I started reading Matthew 6:25-34, I kept thinking about the manna mentioned in a story in the Old Testament.
Midway through the book of Exodus, the Israelites were headed to the land that God ordained them to inherit — a land that overflowed with milk and honey. On this journey, they often complained to Moses and Aaron about their unhappiness in their circumstance. At a certain point in their exodus, the Israelites complained about their hunger and how “everything was better for them in Egypt” — mind you, they were slaves and faced gross oppression and suffering when they lived there. They were so angry in their hunger that they expressed, “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt. There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” Their focus on hunger kept them from seeing freedom. All they were concerned with was a simple question: “What will we eat?”
God heard their cries and complaints, spoke to Moses, and said, “I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you.” He provided quail in the evening and bread every morning for them to gather and fill themselves with. Some gathered more, and some gathered less, but when it was weighed, each household had all they needed — no more, no less. When they saw the food on the ground the first morning, they didn’t know what it was. By the last day, the people still didn’t know what it was, so they called it manna, which meant “what is it?” (Exodus 16)
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 “Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
The mysterious food that fell from heaven was unknown to them and their fathers, yet it filled them, satisfied their needs, and sustained them for their journey. This mysterious food was God’s nourishment for His people, and it only came by His Word.
The Word of God is defined, described, and explained in John 1:1-18. He was in the beginning, with God, and was God. All things were created through Him, and He gave life to everything that was created. He was the light that shined in the darkness, and His life brought light to everyone. He came into the world He created, and wasn’t recognized. He appeared to His own people and was rejected. He was made flesh and lived among His people. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. The law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness was given through Him. Verse 17 shares the ‘who’ in question: Jesus Christ, the One and only Son of God. Jesus, is the Bread of life, the Word of God that comes down from heaven that sustains us.
He provided the manna of the Old Testament, but He is the manna of the New Testament. (John 6:22-59)
John 6:32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger again.’
Jesus did more than minister to the hearts of those who were broken, outcast, turned down, rejected, oppressed, and suffering. He did more than give sight to the blind, turn water to wine, heal the sick, feed the hungry, and teach the gospel. He did more than live a perfect life and resist the temptation of the world. He did more than signs, miracles, and wonders. The Living Word became the perfect atonement for all of our sins by being the perfect righteousness that He was. When Jesus died on the cross, we died with him. When He was buried in the tomb, all of our transgressions were buried there with him. When He was resurrected, we were set free from bondage and raised to new life.
Embarking on this journey with God places us in a position of freedom and closer relationship to the One who loves us. Accepting Christ as our saviour is so much more than acknowledging His death and resurrection. It’s accepting Christ as the Living Word of God, being all that we need to live in the Spirit.
The Word of God is His will; it’s His righteousness; it’s His holiness. It’s His love, His kindness; His faithfulness. It’s His mercy, grace, and forgiveness. The Word of God does not change, it’s always the same, and it’s good. From generation to generation, it is good. It heals what is wounded, and mends what is broken. It instills joy and encourages hope in the hearts of those without. It gives life to what is otherwise dead.
The Living Word of God is food for the soul — soul food, and all of us can eat of this bread.
Jeremiah 15:16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Exodus 16:31 The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.
