A movie called “Jungle to Jungle” came out about 25 years ago. I saw part of it again recently. This movie begins with a New York stockbroker going to Venezuela to find and divorce his wife who left him 13 years earlier. While he is there, he discovers he has a 13-year-old son who has been raised in the jungles of South America. Father and Son spend some time getting to know each other. In one scene, the boy is making dinner for his father from the day’s hunt. He takes his father’s hand and smears this dark green pasty substance on it. The father looks at it and says, “Ugh! What is this?” Naturally, the son tells him that it is a delicacy made out of lizard guts.

Did you know that is how the Children of Israel reacted to the way God provided food when they were in the wilderness?

Exodus 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.”

I always wonder what the tone was in their voices as they asked “what is it?” Was it

• disgust, like that father in the movie?
• excitement, like a child on seeing her wrapped up presents on the day before her birthday?
• somewhere in between those two, bewilderment and confusion?

I usually conclude it was the last of these options. They were not totally put off by the stuff at first, nor were they very excited about it. They didn’t know what to think of it. Picture if you can walking outside of your tent, being hungry, and seeing this white, flaky stuff everywhere. “What is it?” By the way, the name for this stuff, manna, literally means “what is it.” Moses had to point out to them that It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

A blessing from God right before their eyes and they don’t see it as such. Rather than seeing it as the answer to their hunger, God’s providence in their need and the answer to prayer, they say “What is it?” How could they be so blind?

Things were not much different in the New Testament. After Jesus fed the 5000, the people were chasing after Him because He had fed them, and they thought that was a great blessing from God. But Jesus referred back to the manna that had been given to the Israelites in the desert. He said that was a blessing from God, a bread from heaven, but He was and is the TRUE bread from heaven, the bread that gives life to the world. He was telling them to be more concerned about being fed spiritually than physically, but they just didn’t get it. They wouldn’t or couldn’t understand that Jesus had come to bring forgiveness and life to all. He would accomplish that by offering His perfect life as payment for the sins of the world. The best gift ever. But they didn’t understand what was right in front of them. Can’t you hear them asking “What is this? Who does this guy think He is?” A blessing from God right before their eyes and they don’t see it. How could they be so blind?

All of us were spiritually blind, and would have stayed that way, if the Holy Spirit had not shown us who Jesus is, what He has done, and led us to faith. We no longer have to ask, “What is this?”  We know that He is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven to give us life.