When people think of food, so many things come to mind. They associate it with health, vigor, even mental balance. Because of these connections, it's not surprising that the hunger for food is often used as a symbol for a deeper hunger: the yearning to understand God, or Truth. This symbolism is used in powerful, healing ways in the Bible.
For example, as the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, God sent them daily food to sustain them.See Ex., chap. 16 . This food, which tasted as though it was made with honey, they called manna, a Hebrew word that means "What is it?" To me, this question signifies something deeper than "What is this white stuff all over the ground?" Could it, in fact, be that the Hebrew people had a deep desire to understand what was sustaining them, what was supplying this bread in the wilderness? In other words, were they really asking, What is God?
Jesus spoke of hungering after righteousness, and promised that those who have this hunger will be filled.See Matt. 5:6 . If hunger in the deepest sense represents a yearning to know God, then food in its deepest sense would be the spiritual truth that satisfies this yearning, revealing God's nature to humanity. In this sense, true "bread" answers the question "What is God?"
