Laetare

Today we read of the children of Israel, who came to Moses complaining that they had no bread. For forty years they wandered in the wilderness, grumbling every step of the way about what they would eat and drink. And yet during all that time not one of them starved or died of thirst. God himself fed them with bread from heaven. He gave them manna in the wilderness. He was more faithful than a shepherd, more tender than a mother, more loving than any earthly father.

We might ask: Why were the people of God in a wilderness in the first place? Because of their unbelief and sin. God intended for them to enter the Promised Land, but they refused to trust him and had to live in a desert instead. Speaking of deserts, one could rightly say that the only reason they even exist is because of sin. Remember, God originally placed his people in paradise, where they would never have known hunger or scarcity. Sin drove us out of Eden into the wilderness. Sin caused thorns and thistles to spring up and deserts to form. Sin gave birth to poverty and disease, to famine and pestilence, and ultimately, to death.

This was never what God intended. He does not desire the death of the sinner, even though it is what we deserve. God does not take delight in our suffering, even though he will allow it for our good. Sin was not God’s intention for his creation, but even so, it did not take him by surprise. Scripture tells us that the plan of restoration and redemption was in motion before the foundation of the world was laid.

When you read the history of God’s people, you will find God intervening on their behalf again and again in the most tender and yet basic ways. He provided clothes for Adam and Eve when they were driven out into the wilderness. He sheltered the Israelites from the heat of the desert with a cloud during the day and lightened the dark with a pillar of fire. For forty years he sustained them in their journey, proving food and drink in miraculous ways, ensuring that even their clothing and sandals did not wear out.

Now that we no longer live in paradise and must make our way in a broken world, God desires all the more to give us the things we need. And so he commands us to ask: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We’ve said these words thousands of times, but boy, have they found new meaning in the last few weeks. When had any of us ever needed to worry about running out of food and basic supplies? The very thought was unimaginable a month ago. We’re accustomed to our cozy lives in a time of unparalleled ease and prosperity. Why should we ask God for our daily bread when we’ll always have it anyway? But suddenly, the gifts that we have often taken for granted are in short supply. A month ago, who would have believed that the world would run out of toilet paper, or that the shelves of our grocery stores would soon stand empty? Every day of our lives, God was at work, giving us manna in the wilderness, until, perhaps like the children of Israel, we too had forgotten who gave us these things.

Most precious of all, is the gift that so many Christians have spurned and neglected: the blessing of gathering with the saints around the table of our Lord. How many times have you come only out of drudgery or duty, or perhaps not come at all? It’s true that we live in a desert, in a broken world full of sin, yet it does present us with so many glittering activities and distractions. Can you imagine the Israelites deciding to settle down permanently in the desert? What’s wrong with a little sand when we’ve got plenty of bread and entertainment? Never mind that we are bound for the Promised Land. Never mind that heaven is our true home. Let’s get busy with life here and now. And so we have.

But last week, we found out that everything is canceled. We watched in shock as the busy, busy wheels of our world slowed and stopped. And then the unthinkable happened. Believers across the world discovered for the first time that the great blessing of coming to the Lord’s house had been taken away. Some pastors are worried that if we stream the services, people won’t come back when the epidemic is over. Perhaps so. But I pray that the opposite will happen. I pray that you will return with tears of joy, thanking God for the unspeakable blessings that he gives us every time we gather. I pray that the words of the Psalmist will be on your lips and in your heart, “I was glad when they said to me: Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Ps 122:1).

Yes, we need bread to eat every day. Yes, we need soap, and Charmin, and a thousand others things. And God gives us all these things. But most of all, we need Jesus. Without him, no matter how many worldly treasures we manage to add to our stash, we are still living in the middle of a desert, a wasteland subject to the ravages of sin, disease, and old age. God fed the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness, teaching them to rely on Him alone. He is teaching us that same lesson today.

In our Gospel text, Jesus finds his people once again in a desolate wilderness. No surprise there. It’s where we sinners always end up. But Jesus sees us and has compassion. He leaves behind the majesty and beauty of heaven, and enters our broken world. He comes among us as a man, able to experience our hunger and thirst, capable of knowing our suffering and sorrow. And our Lord comes to us to give us the bread that we need above all else. Yes, he fed the crowd that day with actual loaves of bread and fish. But then he said to them, “I am the living bread from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51).

Dear saints, we are surrounded by uncertainty. No one knows how much worse things may get. Many people are panicking. This is nothing new. The Israelites did the same. Instead of trusting God to provide bread for each day, they tried to stockpile manna and it rotted and stank. Their worrying was pointless and so is yours. Your Heavenly Father always has and always will keep his promises. He will provide everything that you need in this life and the next. So let us receive our daily bread with glad and thankful hearts. And more importantly, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the living Bread of heaven. He is our true treasure. They can take everything else, but the words of Christ remain. This world can be shown for what it truly is—a barren wilderness with no lasting joy—but we rejoice because our citizenship is in heaven.

No matter what tomorrow brings, you can be certain of this: your Heavenly Father will provide. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us al things? (Rom 8:32). May almighty God continue to strengthen our trust in him, and may he bring us again to gather around the table of our crucified Lord, who is the Bread of eternal life. Amen.

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