Scripture Reflections

Our Gospel reading on Sunday was the feeding of the 5000 (Mk. 6:30-44). Of all the miracles Jesus performed, only this and the resurrection are recorded in all four gospels, indicating that this event is more important than we realize. This realization is strengthened when we remember that God had prepared his people for this miracle through the gift of manna in the wilderness.

Throughout the Old Testament, God acted in ways that were preparatory, so that his people would understand the Messiah when he came. We call these actions types—living pictures that lay the groundwork for a greater reality to come in Jesus Christ. Manna is one of those types, designed to help the Jews (and us!) recognize the feeding of the 5000, and in turn, the Eucharist. This means that Jesus wasn’t just echoing the story of God providing manna in the wilderness. Manna is the lesser incident, the preparatory type, and the 5000 the greater. The gift of manna should have indicated to the disciples that when Jesus fed the 5000, he was God-in-the-flesh, feeding his people miraculously as they journeyed from slavery to salvation.

But this should cause us to wonder why God is so concerned about feeding his people! Why did he give a tree of life? (Yet another type!) Why was food the place of testing for Adam and Eve? (And another!) Why manna, rather than some natural means of food in the desert? Why the feeding of the 5000? Why the Eucharist? Why is God so concerned with feeding us?

On the one hand, these incidents demonstrate to us that God is concerned with our bodily needs. On the other, they demonstrate that the needs of the body are tied to the spirit. Manna is the “bread of angels” (Psalm 78:25), and the Eucharist is more than just bread for the body; it is the presence of Christ for the spirit. In God’s economy, body, soul, and spirit are tied together in food. But these questions drive us to something deeper, because even the Eucharist points to a greater reality to come. One day, we will sit with God at a banquet table—a wedding feast, the true Passover—in the new kingdom. We will feast with him, face-to-face. Again, we are forced to ask, “Why does he want to feed us? Why does he want to eat with us?”

The answer to this question is perhaps beyond us, yet in it we can see God’s love. From the beginning of the Bible to the end, God has been painting a picture for us. A picture of provision, a picture of sustenance, but even more significantly, a picture of invitation. He wants us—he wants you and me—at his table! He wants to host us, to feed us, to show us the abundance of his goodness through food. As you go about your day today, as you traverse the complexities and difficulties of life, let the refrain that comes to your mind again and again be simple: Yet God has invited me to his table! And as you sit down to eat this evening, let the prayer that comes to your lips be equally simple: May my table be full of the presence of God!

Steven+