Have you ever opened a Christmas present and felt deflated by what was inside? If you’re an adult, you try to hide your disappointment. You murmur what you hope is a heartfelt “thank you” to the one who gave it. After all, you tell yourself, it’s the thought that counts, right? But the feeling of disappointment lingers. You can’t help but feel let down, not just by the gift itself but by the person who gave it.

Perhaps—if we don’t immediately relegate it to the top shelf of our storage closet or return it to the store—we’ll discover over time that the gift is amazingly useful after all, filling a spot in our lives we didn’t know we had. It proves more valuable than anything we’d have selected for ourselves.

When the children of Israel followed Moses through the desert after their deliverance from Egypt, they fretted, wondering how their daily needs would be met. Where would they find enough food or water in such a barren wasteland? They couldn’t help but wonder, Had Moses taken them from a less-than-desirable place (serving as slaves to Pharaoh) into something even worse? In Exodus 16:3 they express their darkest fear: “You have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”  

God, of course, already had a plan for feeding them. He told Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day” (v. 4). It was a gracious provision—just what they needed to sustain them throughout their wilderness journey. But most of them responded like someone opening an unwelcome Christmas gift. When they saw the manna, “They said to one another, ‘What is it?’ … Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat” (v. 15). Their skepticism only grew over time, along with their ingratitude. They peevishly complain to Moses in Numbers 21:5, “We detest this miserable food!”

The problem wasn’t with the gift itself. Manna is described in Exodus 16 as tasting like wafers made with honey. What’s not to like about that? The problem was, it didn’t appeal to their fleshly appetites. They wanted meat, leeks, and onions, the food they’d eaten in Egypt. They couldn’t see that the manna supplied by God would be of MORE benefit to them. By them having to go out and gather it daily—taking twice as much on the day before Sabbath—He was teaching them to depend on Him for their daily needs. He was training them to look to Him as their supply for everything good in their lives.  

As the younger generation prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses reminded them of what they’d been taught through their wilderness experience. “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna … to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

So how does all this tie in with Christmas and our celebration of Jesus’ birth?

When we ponder the coming of God in the person of Jesus Christ, we see striking similarities between His arrival and the appearance of manna in the wilderness. To carnal eyes, both were initially puzzling and disappointing. To whom did the announcement of Jesus’ birth come? Not to the “important” people in Israel … but to despised shepherds tending sheep and to strangers from a faraway land. Equally troubling were the underwhelming details of His life—the sketchy account of how He was conceived, His birthplace—which was nothing short of disgusting—and His working class upbringing in the inconsequential town of Nazareth. When He finally began to engage in public ministry, there was nothing about Him or His teachings that resonated with the spiritual leaders of Israel.

In every way, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy concerning Him in Isaiah 53:2-3. “He grew up … like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

Like the Israelites in the wilderness, those in power in the first century were repulsed by His appearance. “What is it?” was their reaction to Him. Their spiritual pride blinded them to His value and beauty.

It wasn’t just the Pharisees and Sadducees who found Jesus unappealing. Those who sought freedom from the tyranny of Rome were looking for a warrior like King David to lead them into battle against their oppressor. This Man was teaching them to love their enemies and turn the other cheek! How could He be their long-awaited Messiah? A prophecy concerning Jesus in Luke 2:34 is spot on. “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” He would be the litmus test—did they love God and desire to follow Him wholeheartedly, or were their lives controlled by fleshly appetites? Jesus declared in John 6:45, “Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.”       

During this Christmas season, those of us who know Him can rejoice that we have seen the King of glory for who He is. As Peter said, “To you who believe, He is precious” (1 Peter 2:7). Even though His loving ways are in opposition to our sinful nature, and we’d like at times to indulge our fleshly appetites for self-exaltation, worldly power, and revenge, we know deep down that Jesus is the best possible gift the Father could have given us. We have found Him faithful and sufficient. He is “the true bread from heaven” who “gives life to the world” (John 6:33). As Christians, we still experience our share of heartache, disappointment, and difficulty, but we have His promise: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He will not fail us in our time of need.   

So throughout this holiday season let’s remember with gratitude how blessed we are to be His. The life He calls us to is often surprising and uncomfortable. It involves suffering, self-denial, and sacrificial giving for the sake of others, which isn’t that appealing to our flesh. But over time we come to realize just how precious He is. He’s the gift we needed most. Like the manna in the wilderness, our daily “gathering” of the Bread of Life will not only meet our needs but will also humble and change us, enabling us to experience the Father’s generosity and lovingkindness. Surely that’s what God was after all along!  

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus, our living bread from heaven. What a privilege to be able to partake of His life every day and find in Him our deepest satisfaction! Help us to trust you more and not grumble when circumstances don’t look attractive, comfortable, or exciting. Thank you for the love, mercy, and grace you offer to all those who will receive the gift of your beloved Son. May He be glorified in all of us throughout the Christmas season and into the New Year. In His holy name we pray, Amen.