Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven.
—Psalm 78:24

Every time I speak of Jesus’ birth as manna that came down from heaven, my spirit simply leaps inside me. There is something very wonderful and precious to the Lord in this image. Just as the manna lay on the dew in the morning while the whole people of Israel slept, so our magnificent Lord was born in the early morning.

In general, the Lord does great things while a person sleeps and is at rest. While Adam slept, the Lord created one of the most beautiful creatures on earth — woman. And when the Last Adam [Jesus] slept, an even more beautiful creation was born — the Church of Christ. While I was meditating on this, the Lord said: “If I hadn’t fallen asleep, My disciples would not have reached the other side.” This was the answer to my long-standing question: “Why did Jesus sleep in the boat?” [Mar.4:38] This story really does reveal a wonderful picture of His death, burial and resurrection.

Interestingly, in Hebrew the word manna literally means “What is it?” When Jesus got up from sleep and rebuked the storm, there was complete calm and rest, and the disciples asked: “Who is He?” [Mar.4:41] Isn’t it a wonderful likeness between the question the Israelites asked in the wilderness when they woke up and saw the manna, and the disciples’ question when He woke up?

The manna was white and was like coriander seed. [Exd.16:31] When Jesus spoke of the manna, He said: “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” [Jhn.6:31] Here He was quoting Psalm 78:24, where the word “bread” in Hebrew is dagan, which literally means grain. The Lord also said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” [Jhn.12:24] Jesus always testified of Himself. And here, when He testified of Himself as a grain of wheat, He was saying that through His death He would produce much fruit.

We cannot speak of the Saviour’s birth without remembering His death on the cross, for it was for this that the Heavenly Seed came down to earth: to fall into the ground and produce much fruit, so that we might enjoy His life, which He has given us through the Heavenly Grain. [Jhn.6:33]

A merry Christmas to all!!! May the Lord fill the heart of everyone reading this with His boundless love and inexhaustible grace! Happy holidays!