Bread from Heaven

Psalm 78 is chosen for the lectionary readings for this coming Sunday. In the Spirit’s timing, I believe it has an important message for us during this season of unrest. The Psalm spends most of its time reminding us of the incredible acts of our generous and gracious God particularly in the wilderness before they entered the promised land. A classic listing of the mighty acts of God is found in verses 14 – 17, “He divided the sea and let them go through; he made the waters stand in a heap. In the daytime, he led them with a cloud, and all the night through with a light of fire. He split the hard rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink in abundance. He brought water out of the stony rock so that it gushed out like rivers. And his greatest act of provision is found in verse 25, “He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven.” God’s provision of bread in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses, was a great sign that authenticated the authority of Moses. So much so that Moses said to watch for a prophet like him —Deuteronomy 18:15. The sign that Jesus was that prophet was when he provided bread in the wilderness just as Moses had. This is the Gospel lesson for today. —Matthew 14:13-21 However, the real glory of God is not seen in this feeding miracle, but in God’s provision of his Son, who himself was the true bread from heaven, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” —John 6: 49-51

In short, we are reminded that God set us free from the bondage of slavery. He lit our path so that we would know how to walk. He provided water so that we would not thirst. He provided bread from heaven so that we could eat of it and live. But, beyond that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that we might not perish, but live forever.” -John 3:16 But the heart of the psalm is not rehearsing the gracious provision of God. Rather, it is a warning. We are cautioned to remember and not forget what God has done. “God made a covenant, and gave Israel a law, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, that their posterity might know it, and the children which were yet unborn; with the intent that when they came up they might show it to their children, that they might put their trust in God, and not forget his works, but keep his commandments; And not be like their forefathers, a faithless and stubborn generation, whose spirit did not cleave steadfastly to God.” —Psalm 78:5-9. In the end, that generation did not enter into the promised land nor did it find God’s rest, all because they forgot. They forgot the provision of God. They forgot his power. They forgot his love. In forgetting they turned fearful eyes toward Pharaoh and took their eyes from Moses. They looked at the water and ignored the dry ground. They longed for the “fleshpots of Egypt” and cursed the bread of angels that was sent from heaven.

In these days of testing and in this time of trial, where will we cast our eyes? Will we focus on the devastation of COVID? Will we be broken by the unrest in our streets? Or will we remember God’s provision of the true living bread from heaven, the bread of which we eat, we shall never die? Will we remember the words of Paul in this Sunday’s Epistle to the Romans, “For I am sure that neither death for life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 8:37-39  Will we remember and teach our children?

†Bishop Mark