Sunrise over Water

His Word and Mine
 






Daily Bread: Matthew 6:5–13
Introduction     The Essay     Study Questions

Introduction
In Jesus' day, scrolls were expensive, and most people couldn't read anyway. Spiritual leaders doled out their knowledge according to what they believed people should know. These same spiritual leaders were the ones who wrote and enforced the laws of society. They often flaunted their importance by praying aloud in public places, using flowery language that the uneducated could not understand. Non-Jews, on the other hand, prayed to multiple gods instead of the one Living God.

Jesus wants us to know that prayer is not that complicated, not at all self-promoting, and seeks to honor our Living God. Most of The LORD's Prayer is an acknowledgment of God's authority over heaven and earth. We ask for only two things in The LORD's Prayer, daily bread and God's forgiveness. Most of us intuitively know what God's forgiveness is. But what are we asking for when we pray, Give us this day our daily bread?

Before reading “Daily Bread,” read Matthew 6:5–13.

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Daily Bread
My mother taught me please and thank you. For years, then, I fell silent at “Give us this day our daily bread” when reciting The LORD's prayer. My table had plenty of bread; demanding more without saying 'Please' felt wrong. As I learned more about the meaning of the other components of the prayer—namely God's kingdom, heaven, forgiveness, and sin—demanding bread seemed out of place.

Yet Jesus, who speaks concisely, tells us that bread is something we can ask for daily. Why would Jesus tell us to order up bread from God? Why not fruit or vegetables? For that matter, why not sunshine, water, or air?

Let's examine these options. Each is necessary for physical survival, though we can live without bread if we have other food. Sunshine, water, and air are natural elements provided directly by God. Fruits and vegetables are natural, but they require human cultivation. Only bread is comprised of several ingredients gathered and processed by people. So bread is different from the other options in this way, so let's examine bread.

Many kinds of bread exist, and the type of flour determines the type of bread. We might favor one type of flour over another only by personal taste.

A loaf of bread requires leavening, which expands the dough so it isn't flat like pita or crackers. The leavening agent requires a liquid in order to activate it, a sweetener such as sugar or honey to feed it, and salt to keep the dough from expanding too quickly.

Ingredients for the dough include the flour which is the main ingredient, eggs for texture, and fats and oils for moisture that hold the ingredients together. Other ingredients may be added to enhance flavor but are not necessary.

Past generations did not have the luxury of buying ready-made, pre-sliced bread in the bakery section of the grocery store. My mother used to buy our bread at a bakery a block from the grocery store. Her grandmother baked bread in her own oven. Every woman of that generation and before knew the process of bread making. Jesus would have been familiar with this process having watched his own mother.

Making bread requires time and patience. The leavening mixture is activated before being introduced to the flour mixture. After combining these, the dough is thoroughly kneaded, shaped into a ball, and covered by a towel. The dough slowly rises. Once risen, the dough is punched down, kneaded, shaped, covered, and allowed to rise again. This part of the process might be repeated another time or two before placing the dough in pans for baking. Once baked, loaves must cool before they can be sliced and eaten. The entire process can take the better part of a day.

Now that we know more about bread, we can see that it is a metaphor for our relationship with God. We get to choose the type of relationship (flour) we want. The Holy Spirit (water) activates our spiritual growth (leavening), which feeds on sweetness (honey or sugar), slowly (salt), so that we can learn with accuracy. After we mix in our life experience (eggs) and blessings from God (fats and oils), we are ready for spiritual growth (rising dough). Throughout our lifetime our spiritual growth is challenged (punching down and kneading the risen dough) and renewed (rising again) several times. As we reflect on our experiences (baking process), we can grow firm in our faith (finished bread loaf).

When we realize that bread represents our spiritual development, we can understand why Jesus tells us we can demand a daily dosage of it from God. God is ready to deliver as soon as we are ready to receive.

Study Questions

Know This

  1. Unlike other foods, bread is universal. In other words, every society makes some sort of bread such as ciabatta, bagel, and boule. What does this say about human spirituality?

  2. Until it is baked, dough is inedible. Baking transforms dough into something useful. How do we transform our spirituality?

  3. What characteristics do bread and spirituality share?

  4. In Jesus' time, people bought food and ingredients through vendors. Look at the list of ingredients for bread. How many different vendors might provide these ingredients?

Consider This

  1. Jesus uses the pronouns our and us as opposed to my and me throughout The LORD's Prayer. What message does this send to us?

  2. Several people are behind a loaf of bread, including farmers, a miller, poultry farmers for the eggs, plant and animal farmers for the oils and fats, someone who designs the mill, someone who builds the mill, someone who designs the oven, someone who builds the oven, people to teach each of the skills necessary, and someone who gathers the ingredients and cooks the bread. What does this say about other people's involvement in our spiritual growth?

  3. How does focusing on one specific part of Scripture enhance your understanding of the entire passage?

Personalize This

  1. When was the last time you had a spiritual revelation? Or, when was the last time you learned something new about God? Describe what you learned.

  2. Describe your current relationship with God. What part of your relationship needs the most attention today?

  3. Considering your relationship with God, what is the most important conclusion you can make about this lesson today?

  4. What will you do each day to enhance your spiritual growth this year?


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