In both the Old and New Testaments, Christ is brought before us as our food. This was foreshadowed in the Levitical order, for the priests received the most precise instructions concerning feeding upon the sacrifices or parts of the sacrifices (see Leviticus 7). In some cases, the whole priestly family was admitted to the privilege, and it is in these that we specially see the privilege of believers now feeding upon Christ. Our Lord Himself refers to the subject during His life. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man shall eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me” (John 6:51-5751I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:51‑57)). Speaking generally, we feed upon Christ in three characters: as the Passover Lamb, as the manna, and as the old corn of the land. It need scarcely be said that all these things are types of Christ.
Feeding on the Passover
If we go back to the history of Israel, we shall find that they kept the Passover in Egypt (Ex. 12), in the wilderness (Num. 9) and in the land (Josh. 5). The question then arises, Why does Israel, after their deliverance from Egypt, keep the Passover both in the wilderness and in the land? It will be seen that we never cease to keep the Passover and, moreover, that the place in which we thus feed upon Christ depends upon our state of soul.
Every believer has known what it is to feed upon the roast lamb in Egypt. But while every believer has passed through this experience, it is to be feared that many feed upon the roast lamb in Egypt all their lives. Not knowing deliverance through the death and resurrection of Christ or even peace with God as the result of the sheltering blood, they feed upon Christ only as the One who, by His death, bars the way to God as a Judge; consequently they do not know God as their God and Father in Christ Jesus.
Passing now from Egypt, the next place in which Israel kept the Passover was the wilderness, and they were told to keep it there “according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof” (Num. 9:33In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. (Numbers 9:3)). The wilderness is the place of every believer when viewed as a pilgrim. In the wilderness we feed upon the Passover as the memorial of our deliverance from Egypt. We feed upon the Passover Lamb as pilgrims and strangers — knowing deliverance, but not as yet come to the land of which the Lord has spoken. Hence, in this character, we not only value the precious blood, but we also feed upon the death of Christ as such, because of our death (and resurrection) in Him, by which we have been brought out into a new place, where we can look back upon death and judgment as being forever behind us.
In the land of Canaan the Passover assumed another character still — one which also has a corresponding character in the believer today. It is now the memorial, not simply of deliverance from Egypt, but of accomplished salvation. The Israelites’ position in the land was the consequence of the shed blood. In other words, the blood of the Passover lamb laid the foundation for the accomplishment of God’s purposes. To those whose eyes were opened, the blood would have a far greater value when over the Jordan than when in the wilderness.
Our Heavenly Position
We too have a position which agrees entirely with being in the land, for not only have we been quickened together with Christ, but we are also raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:66And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6)). This is the place before God of every believer, but whether we are occupying it depends upon whether we know death and resurrection with, as well as through, Christ — whether we have crossed the Jordan as well as the Red Sea. It is our privilege to do so; indeed, we ought never to be content until, by the grace of God, we know what it is to be seated in spirit in the heavenly places. But if we are there, we cannot dispense with the Passover. On the other hand, the more the riches of the grace of God are unfolded to us, the more we shall look back to the cross and feast upon the death of Him whose precious blood alone has made our place in the heavenlies possible for us. But our feeding upon Him now will partake more of the character of communion with God in the death of His Son. Our eyes will then be opened to discover, not so much the blessings which have thereby been secured to us, as that God in every attribute of His character has been fully glorified in that death. We shall thus feast with God when we keep the Passover in the heavenly places, and the effect on our souls will be adoration and praise. Worship of the highest character will be the result of our feeding upon the slain Lamb when seated in the heavenlies, for we are seated there in peace before God, already in possession of our place in His presence. It is only then that we can have communion with His own thoughts and with His own joy in the death of His Son.
We see, therefore, that we feed upon Christ as the Passover Lamb in every stage of our experience, but the place in which we do so — Egypt, the wilderness or the land — will depend upon our states of soul. And no doubt, when we are gathered together to show the Lord’s death until He come, there are often side by side those who are in the wilderness and those who are in the land. Still they feed alike upon the death of Christ, remember Him as dead, whatever the difference in their apprehensions or in their experiences or attainments. In heaven itself, indeed, we shall contemplate that death with ever-increasing adoration, for the blood of the Lamb will be the theme of glorified saints throughout eternity.
Christ As the Manna
Christ as the manna is also the food of His people. The manna differs from the roast lamb in that it was confined to the wilderness. It was not until Israel had been brought through the Red Sea that the manna was given (see Ex. 16), and it “ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna anymore, but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year” (Josh. 5:1212And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. (Joshua 5:12)). It was therefore the wilderness food of Israel; in like manner Christ, as the manna, is the wilderness food for the believer. But a distinction has to be made. Inasmuch as the history of Israel, passing through the desert, crossing the Jordan, and occupying the land, is typical, they could only be in one place at a time. The believer is at the same moment in the wilderness and in the heavenlies. For service, for the expression of Christ down here, viewed as a pilgrim, waiting for the return of the Lord, he is in the desert while his position before God, as united to a glorified Christ, is ever in the heavenly places. Whether he occupies it is another question. Hence, supposing him to know his place, he needs the manna and the old corn at the same time. In other words, he needs to feed upon Christ in both aspects. It is as being in the wilderness that he feeds upon Christ as the manna.
Christ As the Old Corn
of the Land
If the manna is Christ in incarnation, the old corn, inasmuch as the land typifies the heavenly places, of necessity points to Christ in glory. We shall find that He is so presented to us in the epistles — as the sustenance and strength of our souls and as our proper nourishment, for believers may be regarded as united to Him where He is.
In Colossians we are told to “seek the things which are above, where the Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:11If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1) JND), and it is evident that by this term is meant the whole sphere of blessing, of which Christ in glory is the center — the spiritual blessings in heavenly places. In Philippians 3 we have the same truth brought before us, as also in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit” (JND). It attracts us to the person of the glorified Christ, engages our hearts with Him, and fills our souls with longing desires for that time when we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:22The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. (John 3:2)).
All these passages, and many more of a kindred character, direct us to Christ in glory as the old corn of the land, but this is food with which we cannot dispense: No other will so nourish or impart such strength to the saint. It is heavenly food for heavenly people, and it is only when we are feeding upon it that we can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, that we can make war with the enemy for the possession of our inheritance, and that we are made willing to undergo fellowship with the sufferings of Christ, being made conformable unto His death.
It should be remarked, too, that there is no power to express Christ in our walk down here excepting as we are occupied with Him in glory. Thus He should be ever before us in this character, and He will be when, taught of the Spirit, we can say to Him, “All our springs — all the sources of our joy — are in Thee.” He Himself desires this, for He said to His disciples, when speaking of the coming Spirit of truth, “He shall glorify Me; for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you” (John 16:14-1514He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. (John 16:14‑15)).
E. Dennett, adapted