In chapter 14 of the book of Exodus, Moses leads the people of Israel through the Red Sea, which the Lord God parted. They escaped captivity in Egypt, and then all of Pharaoh’s army and horses and chariot drivers drowned when the sea closed again. Israel was saved, and the people believed in the Lord and in Moses.

In today’s reading from chapter 16 (2-4,9-15), it is just six weeks later, and the people are in the wilderness and are already complaining: – if only we had died back in Egypt; at least there we had our fill of bread; here we will die of hunger. The Lord God hears their complaining and rains down manna from heaven for them to eat.

There is a twin account of the people complaining about being hungry, and how they had it better back in Egypt, in chapter 11 of the Book of Numbers.

It is a year later, and Moses and the Israelites are still in the desert, where they will wander for 40 years, before finding their way to the Promised Land. We used to eat fish in Egypt; now there is nothing but this manna!

One message from these two accounts is, there is no going back to Egypt. Since God’s call to Abraham and Sarah to leave behind everything they have known and depended on, God has called his people to set out on a daunting, intimidating journey to an uncertain destination. If we feel like going back to Egypt, or staying in the wilderness, that is not God calling us.

Back to today’s reading, we get that the Lord hears his people and provides. But there is more to the story than meeting basic needs. Four chapters later in chapter 20 of Exodus, God through Moses gives his people the Ten Commandments. A year later, the Lord took some of the spirit that was on Moses, and put it on seventy of the elders.

The message is that our God cares for his people in a bilateral, both/and way. Our God is a God of love who meets the needs of both the flesh and the spirit. Our God gave us manna, and then the Ten Commandments.

We come to today’s gospel. The region of Galilee is only about 1000 square miles in area, so maybe a little smaller than Rhode Island. But if you are walking, it is a big commitment. And great crowds came by the thousands from all over the region to hear Jesus. When he and the disciples tried to get away by boat, the crowds followed.

What was it that the crowd wanted to hear that got them so motivated? Today, Jesus tells them four things. First, he says, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.” We all know about the food that perishes. Isaac Watts, in our Hymn 474, said it memorably when he called it “all the vain things that charm me most”, which is an inspired description. The stuff that perishes is what the rich young man and Nicodemus had, and knew there was more. It is why streamlining and downsizing give more satisfaction than accumulation.

Second, Jesus says, “If you believe in me, that is the work of God.” Jesus says all we have to do is believe in Him. Believe in his whole life and ministry. Immerse ourselves in all his teachings and healings and caring and self-outpouring and foot-washing and death and resurrection. If we just
get in touch with his love and connect with his grace, that will be enough.

Third, Jesus tells them, “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” For us, the bread of God that comes from heaven and gives life to the world is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came to be for us our comforter and guide and exhorter and inspiration and helper. The Holy Spirit is God at work in the world, a force field of love running through the world that connects all of us, and is why a stranger smiles at us for no apparent reason. That is the Holy Spirit at work, and the bread of God that comes down from heaven.

Fourth and last, Jesus told the crowd, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” The bread of life here is God’s peace. We might be worn down from carrying our burdens, of stress or illness or
loneliness or guilt or caregiving or separation or loss or anxiety or depression. Then comes God’s peace, the bread of life. God’s peace is that inner calm that comes from knowing God loves us, and that lets us live with poise and dignity and confidence and charity and grace.
God loves us; that is God’s peace. And the way we know that God loves us is by the gift of his Son Jesus Christ.

That is what the crowd came from all over Galilee to hear from Our Lord.

They heard it and were filled.

God be praised. Love your neighbor. Amen.