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Manna: What is it? Exodus 16:2-15 & John 6:22-35 11th Sunday after Pentecost August 1-2, 2015 Pastor Ryan Redeemer Lutheran Church www.redeemerlutheran.us

Manna literally translates as “what is it?” God miraculously fed his people with bread from heaven. It was confusing for the Israelites when they saw the white small kernels left over from the morning dew in the wilderness. Manna was described as the size of a white coriander seed, it would appear daily for the Israelites to gather enough to help survive in the wilderness.

It lasted for 40 years and traveled with them all the way until the Israelites reached the

Promised Land.

Typology, is a way of looking for Christ’s shadows in the Old Testament. It is a form of foreshadowing that finds it fulfillment in Christ Jesus. Here is a definition I found for typology:

In Christian theology typology is a representation by one thing of another. In other words, a type, which always looks to the future, is 1) an actual historical thing or event which, at the time it occurred, was a rough draft, or glimpse, of one or more actual events yet to come, although the significance may not have been apparent at the original occurrence. 2) A type is also a person who, in some way, prefigured the Messiah, thus adding another dimension to the many more specific Old Testament Messianic prophecies The original occurrence, is called the type, while the fulfillment is called the antitype.1 Manna is a type to Jesus who is the fulfillment of the Lord’s bread from heaven.

Another connection to Manna can be made to God’s Word which points us into the arms of our

1 http://www.inplainsite.org/html/prophecy_and_typology.html P a g e | 2

Lord Jesus Christ. Even the way we have our Bibles put together they are labeled as the Old and New Testaments, or in other words the Old and New Covenants. God set up one covenant with the Israelites through Moses at Mount Sinai, a faith that looked forward to the Lord’s

Messiah. Then in Christ Jesus the long awaited Messiah, God established a new covenant which was not based off of works, but instead by grace through faith are we forgiven and accepted children of God. We also as Lutherans have a guiding principle that we read the Scriptures with, which is that we interpret Scripture with other Scriptures.

There are many times that the New Testament references to a type in the Old

Testament books that was fulfilled in Christ. Seeing the unity between the two testaments, and how they both build our faith on Christ is the real usefulness of typology. Here is an example of those in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth: ESV 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

In our reading from John 6, we have Jesus referencing this Old Testament story from the book of Exodus. He cuts straight to the point, the crowds are not approaching Him with faith, but looking for more food to eat. 26 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of

Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." P a g e | 3

We should avoid looking at the Lord for blessings like the crowds. It is incorrect to treat prayer and God like a Genie in a bottle, if we pray a certain way, do enough good things, then

God will reward us with the desires of our heart. He is so much more than a miracle worker, more than some magician to entertain and bless us in a mere physical way.

In fact prayer changes us, not All powerful, all knowing God. As believers we pray asking for God’s will to happen in our lives, to be made aware of His blessings which He pours out so that a heart of gratitude grows within us. God knows we need the basics for this life, when we pray give us this day our daily bread, we are actually asking to be made aware of God’s blessings so we can sing praises of thanksgiving.

We should pay attention to Christ’s words in verse 27 “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.

For on him God the Father has set his seal." (John 6:27) The things of this world are fleeting, we should not chase after material things as the rest of the world does. We should be focused on the food that will feed us eternal life and bring us to relationship with our Creator. We should be focused on Christ alone, and on His Word that strengthens us for our journey through life.

Jesus is the True manna from heaven. Here are some parallels of types that are shadows in the Old Testament, which are fulfilled by the antitype that is Christ Jesus our Lord. This list is not exhaustive but I believe these are some strong parallels between Manna in the Wilderness and Christ as the True Bread from heaven.

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Manna was a strange and mysterious Jesus Christ is the wonder of men and angels; and thing at first to the Israelites, they knew when he came in this world, yea, to his own, they not what it was, (Exodus 16:15) knew him not, (John 1:11-12)

Manna came down or descended from Christ is the true bread, or manna from heaven. heaven, (John 6:35)

Christ is called a gift, the choicest gift that ever God Manna was a gift, it was given to Israel bestowed, given freely for the life of the world, freely; it cost them nothing. (John 4:10)

Manna was given to all, to the poor, as Christ is sent to all, to Jews and Gentiles, to the well as to the rich; none were forbidden small as well as the great, to the poor as well as the to partake thereof. rich; no one is excluded. (James 2:1)

Whatsoever is pleasant, sweet, and delicious in a Manna was pleasant, it had all the taste spiritual sense, is found in Christ; his word is sweet and relish of sweetness in it. as honey, or the honey-comb: “O taste and see that the LORD is good,” (Psalm 34:8)

Manna was given equally to all the All believers have their equal share in Christ, a Israelites; they had all a certain whole Christ is given to every saint; they have all measure, not one more than another, one portion, one husband, one kingdom and were all fellow-commoners; every man crown, that fadeth not away. (1 Peter 2:5-9) had his part, his omer.

Manna was a small and little thing unto Christ was little, low, and contemptible in the eyes the eye, like to a coriander seed. of the world, of no reputation, (Philippians 2:7)

Christ, and the blessings of Christ, are given to us, Manna was given to Israel in the who are in the desert or wilderness of this world. wilderness: it was their only food, We have no other food for our souls, but are to live whilst they remained in that upon Christ by faith, so long as we are in this wilderness. broken world. (John 15:4)

Living by faith, and our being fed by God’s Word Manna ceased when Israel came into alone, will cease when we come to heaven. Our Canaan. faith shall be replaced with what our own eyes will behold for themselves. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Christ, and the Bread of life, is only given to Manna was only given to the Israelites. believers. (John 6:33) P a g e | 5

Those that receive the saving benefit by Christ, Those that would receive the benefit of must receive and eat him spiritually by faith. (John Manna, were to eat it. 6:35) I think there is one verse from Deuteronomy that reveals God’s plan during the Exodus wandering in the wilderness for the 40 years, as His people were on their way to the Promised

Land. ESV Deuteronomy 8:3 And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

It is a verse that our Lord Jesus quoted back to Satan, during His temptation to turn some stones into bread for Christ to eat. It is a verse that gives us hope in the midst of difficulty, it reminds us that God will provide and His word is where we can always find strength for the challenges we will face. It is upon God’s Word that we learn about Christ Jesus and we are molded into His image, and the LORD has promised to speak to us while we are still journeying home to His eternal kingdom.

There are even parallels to be seen between the Israelites in Exodus, and the crowds who were mistakenly following Jesus as a sort of Bread King who would feed them physically, while ignoring their most important need, for their faith be built upon Him as their Lord and Savior. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." (Exodus 16:2-3) P a g e | 6

And in John chapter 6: “30 So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" (John 6:30-31)

Both crowds fail to trust in the Lord through faith and therefore both are acting ungrateful and frustrated with God. The Israelites long for the days of slavery instead of being on the journey through the wilderness, and following the feeding of the 5,000 the crowd is demanding a sign, and for Jesus to rain down manna from heaven. In spite of their grumbling, in spite of their lack of faith, in spite of our own sins and doubts the Lord shows mercy and pours out His manna, Christ points to Himself as True Manna, the bread from heaven that we are invited to receive, to eat of this bread and life forever with God in His kingdom.

We see in John chapter 6 Jesus showing mercy and describing the work of God and eating from the True manna that came down from heaven. It is wonderfully simple. There is not hunting and gathering involved, the only work that is left is to trust in Christ’ work that He fulfilled for us. It answers the ancient question that God’s people asked each other in the wilderness: Manna – What is it? 28

Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

God sent from His side, His Son, so that we could know the Savior who came to set us free from the slavery to sin. He offers to the world, the very life giving bread that is to be received through faith. That is the work of God that Christ shared with the crowds. To believe in Him who the Father sent into the world. In the wilderness God showered manna from the highest heaven upon his people who grumbled against Him and His prophet Moses. Out in a desolate place Christ fed the masses of over 5,000 men plus women and children with just 5 P a g e | 7 loaves of bread and two fish. That crowd found him in John chapter 6 and He taught them the true meaning of manna- God’s salvation is a free gift given to everyone who believes in Jesus

Christ, whom the Father sent in order to redeem us.

The fact that God’s grace is not something you can earn, but has to be received as a gift confuses and frustrates people. Every other religion is based on how hard you work, how devoted you are, how well you meditate, and how much you know in order to possibly earn favor with their deity. Only in the Christian faith, the work has been done for you, you are more than a servant of God, and you have been called a child of the Almighty. God’s Word also acts as manna in this broken world, it points us to the arms of the True Bread from heaven. We look to Christ as the crowds did in John chapter 6: 34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." 35 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.

In Christ there is forgiveness, in Christ there is provision for this world and the next. His promises are something we can carry with us throughout this world that we journey together through, heading to our promised land which is Heaven itself.