The Kitchen Sink
An occasional piece of paper
March 18, 2007
Vol. 10 no. 11

Everything But...
           Two stories focusing on unusual foods are on our plates this week. Joshua reports the supply of manna finally being cut off, that strange bread from heaven found daily on the floor of the wilderness, marking the weaning of the people of Israel as they entered the Promised Land. Was it a feeling of liberation for the Israelites, now able to choose their own food? Or were they afraid of being grown up without their bread?
           The nameless son of prodigality found himself wanting to eat the pig slop he was dishing out, but employees were not allowed to partake of the customers’ food. But as with the Israelites, this odd food reawakened his spirit to reinvent and resurrect his life.
           Lent is supposed to be a season of fasting, but its stories keep talking about food and eating, almost starving and finally feasting. This is not talking about spiritual food either, which does not fill up many stomachs. The manna and pig “pods” lay bare our dependency first upon God and then upon the selfish whims of people. Israel and the prodigal son realized that they could and should be eating different food, food which would mark their changed situation in life.
           In order for the Israelites and the son to eat differently they had to be willing to change their social status. The Israelites no longer could remain children fed from the parent’s table; now they were mature enough to grow and gather their own food in the land of their adulthood restored. The son was willing to demote himself from the honour and status of a son to that of a slave who would nevertheless have enough to eat. The father was overly generous, offered too much to eat that the lad did not deserve, prodigal himself, gluttonous even. But that’s the way it really works.