To the priestly class of Israel, commonly called the Sadducees, who did not believe in life after death, Jesus said, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” He who in the beginning breathed life into Adam when he was nothing more than a well-formed pile of dirt also provided him with what he needed to sustain that life: “Out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that was pleasant to the eye and good for food… And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.’” There is no doubt that when sin entered the world, the earth’s ability to produce food was greatly hindered due to an environment that was far less perfect than the one God originally created. Nevertheless, God still uses the earth to provide. As the Psalmist declared, “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season; you open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

From these words, it’s clear that it is not the earth itself, but our Father in heaven who works through the earth to give us what we need to sustain the life He has given. And we have no reason to doubt His ability to do this. He fed the children of Israel with manna in the morning and quail in the evening every day for forty years in the wilderness. He fed a crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children, with only five barley loaves and two small fish. And in today’s Gospel, we hear how He fed a crowd of about 4,000 with only seven loaves and a few small fish.

Of course, these were exceptions and not the norm. Generally speaking, the principle holds true that “If a man will not work, neither should he eat.” This was true even in the beginning, as God placed man in the garden “to work it.” But it is God who blesses the ground so that it produces good food, and it is God who blesses man’s labors so that he is able to obtain this food, prompting the believer to confess, “Not by my power nor by the strength of my hand have I obtained these things, but by the grace and mercy of God alone.”

For this we ought to thank and praise Him every day. Yet the earthly food that sustains our body in this life cannot keep us alive forever. Eventually, we will die, for that is “the wages of sin.” So God, who is not the God of the dead, but of the living, graciously provides food that actually can sustain life forever. In fact, He provided this food for Adam even before Adam had fallen into sin.

In addition to the trees that were pleasant to the eye and from which Adam could freely eat, God planted two special trees in the middle of the garden. From the first, called “the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” He commanded Adam to fast as an act of faith, trusting God’s word of promise that He would provide every good and perfect gift. But of the second tree, “the Tree of Life,” God invited Adam to eat, as its fruit would provide him with the nourishment he needed to live in blessed communion with God eternally. Unfortunately, because Adam sinned and ate of the first tree, God forbade him to eat the fruit of the second, lest he live in a state of sin forever. Thus, he and all his descendants would die.

But so that we would not suffer eternal death for our sins, the God of the living sent His only begotten Son into the world to suffer that death in our place, that we might be restored to life. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And therein lies the reason why the Lord God planted the Tree of Life in Eden, even though He foreknew that man would never eat of its fruit. It still serves today as an image of how He saved fallen man. As the fruit which hung on that tree promised eternal life to those who ate of it, so He who hung on the cursed tree of the cross gives that life to all who feast on Him.

Thus, on the day after He fed the crowd of more than 5,000, Jesus said to them, “Do not labor for food which perishes, but for food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you.” Then, a bit later in His sermon, He identified what that food is: “I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” The eating of which our Lord was speaking here is a spiritual eating—a feasting on Christ by faith, believing that He is our Salvation and Life. But this in no way excludes a sacramental eating of Christ, which brings us to today’s Gospel.

The Feeding of the 4,000 is in many ways similar to the Feeding of the 5,000, but there are some key differences as well. St. Mark tells us that Jesus fed these people on the third day, not the same day as the 5,000. The third day is the day Jesus rose from the dead to restore life to fallen men. The Holy Evangelist also points out that the reason Jesus miraculously fed this crowd was so that they could make it safely home. Likewise, Jesus takes simple bread and wine, which, blessed by His almighty Word, become hosts for His Body and His Blood. And He uses this even smaller amount of food—miraculously provided—to give us the nourishment we need to make it safely to our eternal home.

But only he will eat who hungers for it. Just as God planted two trees in the garden, He instituted His Service with two parts. In the Service of the Word, which coincides with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, He proclaims how Jesus redeemed us from the curse of sin by becoming a curse for us. Then, strengthened by hearing that Word, we proceed to the Service of Holy Communion, which coincides with the Tree of Life, that we may feast on Christ for life.

This Feast, dear Christian, is the climax of God’s Service—the very thing to which the Service of the Word is intended to lead you. This is why the Sacrament is properly celebrated not just on certain designated “Communion Sundays,” as is sadly the case in far too many churches today, but every Sunday, Holy Day, and whenever else it is requested—as Christians historically did and as our Lutheran Confessions rightly affirm. For he who in faith eats and drinks the Food that is Christ will live in eternal communion with Him, who is the God not of the dead, but of the living.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.