He is the Bread

Title: He is the Bread By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text: Exodus 16:14-15  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. John 6:35  5 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.”

I. My dear friends in Christ,  This video is the necessary background for our text: [Video: Prince of Egypt – Parting of the Red Sea]

A. “Wow! God that was great.“ So, God, You've created the dry ground with the wall of water to the right and to the left for Israel to walk through. You've swept the Egyptians who pursued into the sea.

1. So, God before that You made the plagues—the blood flowing, the flies bothering, the hail destroying, the frogs inhabiting, the animals dying, the locusts devouring, the gnats pestering, the boils hurting, the darkness blinding. So, God, You’ve sent the angel of death throughout the night as the firstborn died. 2. So, God, You've caused Egypt to give their gold and silver and clothing. You’ve plundered the Egyptians for Israel.

B. So, God, what are you going to do next? The people of Israel are in the wilderness, and they’re grumbling.  It’s like they were saying, “So, God what are you going to do next? It better be good” they imply.

1. Yes, they’re not in Egypt anymore, where their faulty memories saw them having lots to eat including loaves of bread and pots of meat.

a. That’s what they say to Moses, though they conveniently leave out the part where they were slaves. They fail to mention the hard labor and the cruelty of Pharaoh. They fail to mention the part where Pharaoh decreed that their newborn sons must be murdered. b. No, they’ve conveniently forgotten all the bad parts about Egypt, and they’re focused on the food they used to eat.

2. Well, okay.  People get tired, worn out, burnt out and don’t think clearly. So after years of wandering around the desert, I can understand it if the gripe count starts to climb. But this isn’t after years of wandering in the desert.  The people aren’t worn out from years of wandering. The Red Sea is recent history—it’s weeks not years.

a. But rather than rely on the Lord, they adopt a short-sighted, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately attitude and grumble: "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt,..."  So soon after the Lord’s mighty miracle at the Red Sea, they’re convinced that He’s going to let them die. b.  We note a few things about the Israelites, because they’re uncomfortably way too much like sinners today…like us today. For one thing, they’re incredibly short-sighted—like we are. Rather than remember God’s mighty saving acts, we forget all of that as we face our current crises.

C. And then God does the next thing.  He sends the “Bread from heaven.”

1. When it first appeared they asked "What's this stuff?"  And thus came the name, manna.  Manna simply means "what is this?"  At first it was okay.  It kept their tummies from growling; it nourished their bodies.  2. But after a while they grew tired of it.  It was the same all the time. It wasn’t “big” enough. It wasn’t a spectacular miracle.  So the grumbling returned.  They had forgotten God’s mighty saving acts.

II. In our Gospel Lesson Jesus meets people with the same attitude.

A. Just the day before, Jesus had fed more than five thousand people with only five loaves and two fish.

1. But that was too plain and ordinary. Had He smacked His hands together and caused lightning to flash and through that caused a smorgasbord of food to appear before all the people, that would have grabbed their attention.  But breaking off pieces of bread and fish to have His disciples give to the people?  Even though it was a miracle, it's not that exciting to anyone.

a. But Jesus was never one to incite drama.  He healed the sick not with wild waves of His hands, but quietly.  He did not create loud thunderstorms; but He stopped the thunder and told the winds to be still.  Even the dead He raised with plain, ordinary words.  b. Let's face the fact that with Jesus, what you get is not a flashy, exciting miracle-worker, but a plain, simple, ordinary Man sent by God to save those who are lost.

2. We must realize mankind’s appetite for miracles is never satisfied. Faith based on miracles needs miracles to keep it going; and when the miracles cease then faith ceases too.

a. And Remember that because we’re infected too. Don’t think you aren’t. If you had been on the hillside and on the receiving end of Jesus’ multiplying the bread, you would have wanted a repeat performance. Or maybe something more. Something bigger. Perhaps bread isn’t enough. Or maybe a miracle just for you, your own little personal miracle. b. So you would be hooked, too. You’d look for more and greater and more glorious. Your list would become endless. Our vending machine who art in heaven. But that’s not the way of Jesus’ giving. He is not only the bread giver, He is the Bread. He is the “bread of God” that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

B. To turn them around He tells them that He is someone better than Moses and gives something better than manna.

1. God sent manna to the Israelites every day for forty years; and yet remarkable as that miracle was, it was only to point to the greater miracle of God sending His Son to earth.

a. To demonstrate His godhood, Jesus performed miracles and fed 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish; but this, too, was only to point to the greater miracle of Him being sent from God to save. b. He came to do what is required for the salvation of the world. He will live the perfect, obedient life. He will suffer God's judgment on the cross and die for the sins of the world.  As Jesus provided food for a multitude, He has won salvation for the world by His death and resurrection.

2. He’s the long-awaited Savior. He’s come to deliver them from this sinful world. Jesus tells them to forget about the bread and fish--He's not here to be the daily meal ticket.

a. He tells them that He is the Son of Man, come with God the Father's approval to give them everlasting life. He’s come to deliver them to the Promised Land of heaven. What great news! b. But they don’t like the way Jesus is going about saving them. They want Him to be different. They want the flash, the spectacular.

III  And this same Jesus speaks to you today.  Maybe as inconspicuously as this: A story is told of Sadhu Sundar Singh, a converted Sikh, who became a Christian missionary in India many years ago. Singh was distributing Gospels in India and he came to some non-Christians on the railway train and offered a man a copy of John’s Gospel. The man took it, tore it in pieces in anger and threw the pieces out of the window. That seemed to be the end of the story, but it so happened, there was a man anxiously seeking for truth walking along the line that very day. He picked up a little bit of paper as he walked along and looked at it. The words on the bit of paper were in his own language. They said simply, “the Bread of Life.” He didn’t know what that meant; but he inquired among his friends. One of them said: “I can tell you; it is out of the Christian book. You must not read it or you will be defiled.” The man thought for a moment and then said: “I want to read the book that contains that beautiful phrase, the Bread of Life.” He bought a copy of the New Testament. He was shown where the sentence, “I am the Bread of Life” was.  As he studied the gospel, light flooded into his heart. He not only became a follower of Jesus Christ, he became a preacher of the gospel in India. “That little bit of paper through God’s Spirit was indeed the Bread of life to him, satisfying his deepest need.” (3)

A. Like that He speaks to you not with flash and drama, but with words you understand; words that may not excite your senses but which put His Spirit to work within you. Like most people we are tempted to seek the dramatic.  You will not find that here.  But you will find Christ; or better said, he finds you through His ordinary means of grace--His Word and Sacraments.

1. "I forgive you all your sins," you heard Christ say earlier through the mouth of His servant.  Nothing flashy; just the plain truth that God is merciful to you.  2. He’s called you to be His own in Holy Baptism—made you His own child—nothing flashy just water and the word. 3. "Take and eat..." you will hear in a few minutes; "Take and drink for the remission of your sins..."  Not delicacies to excite the tongue, but plain, simple bread and wine for your mouth and with it, Jesus' flesh and blood for your salvation.

B. And All that we do here week after week, after years and years, may seem to be pretty mundane and boring.   But It's just like manna in the desert.  It's bread from heaven.  Nothing too exiting to the senses.  Nothing too dramatic.

1. But in and through it Jesus is here, and with Jesus, you get an ordinary Savior--one who spread out His arms and died for you; one who made you His own in the plain, simple water of baptism.  2. Likewise, the Lord tells you that the Promised Land is coming.  In the meantime, He bids you to a daily feeding of His Word. He calls you to a frequent partaking of His Supper. He calls you to these things because that is where He gives you forgiveness, life and salvation.

C. You and I will still be tempted to grumble that His Word and Sacraments are just too mundane.

1. But in spite of our grumbling Christ the Bread from heaven still comes to you, but there is no mighty rushing wind, ...nothing but the sound of the church bells ringing and the organ music playing. 2. And still God calls us to rise up in the morning and come to God’s House for Christ is here--here in the Word for your ears, here in bread and wine for your mouth. Here to give out forgiveness.

CONCLUSION: Yes, Jesus is set here before you. He is the Bread of Life. The people of old complained over and over about the manna as time went on. And so do we. It’s the same thing Sunday after Sunday. The same hymns. The same creeds. The same Scripture readings. We use the same words in church year after year. Many out there have turned away from the same food on their plate each week. But friends, God gave manna to the people then. He gives the Bread of Life to you today. It’s not steak and pie. It’s bread. Our church service will not draw in those who want excitement in their worship, but if you want Christ--if you want what God gives, --then you are in the right place.