A Year-Long Exploration of the Sermon on the Mount: Week 34

Chapter 34 – Daily Bread

 

Give us today our daily bread… (Matthew 6:11)

 

A little bit of bread could be everything to someone who is hungry. It’s a staple in most households, and yet we take it for granted that that loaf of bread will always be available to us. When we pray to God for our daily bit of bread, that prayer can go a long way. Not only are we praying that our loaf of bread will continue to exist, but that all mouths will be fed. By saying “our daily bread”, we are recognizing that all mouths deserve to be fed. The prayer also extends to all the work that goes into making that loaf of bread, because it doesn’t suddenly appear in our homes.

 

Behind a single loaf of bread, there is an entire string of events that takes place, events that go mostly unseen. Seeds need to be planted, tended to, and harvested. Many people are involved in storing the grain and then, subsequently, turning that grain into bread. Then there are all the stores who are involved in the selling the bread. There is an entire line of relationships that go into making, and then consuming, bread.

 

God is all about relationship, and a relationship with God means maintaining relationship with others. As per Leonardo Boff, “When we present God with our own needs, [God] wants us to include those of our brothers and sisters. Otherwise the bonds of fellowship are severed and we live only for ourselves.” (p. 215)

 

We pray to God for our daily bread, but God doesn’t want us to keep that bread to ourselves. We are meant to share it with others so that no one is in need. If we only give crumbs, are we really taking care of our neighbour? Or would it be better to give a sandwich?