Manna

There is a wonderful miracle of provision in scripture dealing with the feeding of God's people while they were in the wilderness. In Ex. 16, the LORD miraculously feeds the children of Israel quail in the evenings, and a miracle bread in the mornings after the people complained about missing the food they had while they were slaves in Egypt. The LORD promised, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you." (Ex. 16:4). The bread which appeared as the morning dew lifted was called "manna"(exclamatory question of how, why, by what means,), because the people asked "What is it?" It looked like white coriander seeds, and tasted like wafers made with honey (Ex. 16:31). It is also revealed to be the food of angels (Ps. 78:25). Israel included the manna as one of the items placed in the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies (Ex. 16:33-34, Heb. 9:3-4). The Israelites were provided manna to eat for forty years until they came to the border of the promised land (Ex. 16:35).
The miracle of the manna from heaven was very precious in the memory of Israel. It is referred to in other scriptures as Israel encouraged itself remembering the love and care of God for His people:
"The people asked, and He brought quail, and satisfied them with the bread from heaven."
                                                                                                     Ps. 105:40
"You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, and told them to go in to possess the land which You had sworn to give them."     Neh. 9:15
It is important to remember here, however, that the people who were eating the manna, complained about it, desiring instead the sweet treats of Egypt. They said:
"...but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!"   Num. 11:6
When Moses heard these complaints against the miraculous provision and deliverance of God, he was heavily burdened and discouraged with the people.
As precious and miraculous as this manna was to Israel, a greater manna would come. Jesus revealed that this miracle bread from heaven also had a prophetic significance which He had come to fulfill. The people challenged Jesus to perform a sign to prove who He was, and to prove that what He was telling them was true. Jesus had just performed the miracle multiplication of the fish and loaves feeding thousands, but evidently this didn't count! They mentioned the sign of the manna from heaven given to Israel in the wilderness. Jesus answered:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread (root: to raise up, lift up, elevate; to remove, to carry away, such as sin) from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world...I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger... Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;  and the bread which I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." 
                                                                                        Jn. 6:32-51 (excerpt)
Jesus went on to say that they must eat His flesh, and drink His blood or they will have no life in them. They must feed on Him. Many turned away in great offense and distaste at hearing that (Jn. 6:51-57). This is manna. Many believers today would turn away also.
I don't think that the "manna" of the New Testament is the same as the gospel message which is to be given to all. Manna is for those who believe, for those who come to Christ. This is "the children's (child/son) bread" (Mt. 15:21-28), and not necessarily meant for anyone else's, or a stranger's, consumption. An exception might be if the stranger is specifically seeking out Christ, and then they can handle perhaps a crumb of the bread. This is the power in the purpose of manna.
In another place in scripture, the resurrected Christ fed His disciples fish and bread that were provided miraculously for breakfast, which He prepared Himself (Jn. 21:9-14). Jesus then had a conversation with Peter in which He asked Peter three times if Peter loved Him. After each time that Peter answered affirmatively, Jesus commanded, "Feed (to supply the requisites for the soul's need) My lambs", "Feed My sheep", and "Feed My sheep" (v. 15-17). Jesus was not speaking of natural food for the hungry, but the Bread of Life that if one eats of it, he will not die. 
Jesus said that only those who have been drawn by the Father, have the opportunity to eat of the Living Bread of Christ:
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God". Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  Jn. 6:44-45
This post came about because I dreamed that I was visiting a church for breakfast.  The church workers were carrying out large steam trays of food for those who came. Some of the workers were elderly and frail looking, and I felt sorry to see them working so long and hard to prepare our food. The church workers were dressed in the white kitchen outfits with hair coverings, like one might expect to see in professional food preparation. It was obvious that they had experience and efficiency in preparing this quantity of food for others. I got up and walked to the steamer trays of food that had been put out, but I could not find anything healthy to eat. Instead of seeing eggs and toast as expected, the foods in the trays were various sugary desserts. Even what was supposed to pass for bread was really fried dough covered in sugar. I walked from tray to tray, but there was nothing I felt I could eat. My plate remained almost empty.
Why was the church I visited in the dream serving all of that sugar? My guess is that rather than offering the authentic Manna of Christ to the people, they were trying to counterfeit the  honey taste of the Manna that comes from heaven with the sugar. However, only the heavenly Manna gives everlasting life. Sadly, that church probably didn't have any of the authentic Manna to offer.
We have been given the opportunity to eat of this Manna, learning from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and God has entrusted us with this same Bread to feed to others so that they might live also: "Feed My sheep, feed My lambs". This is the food for the sheep. Why would we feed them anything less? Our natural bodies have begun to suffer various serious illnesses because of the diet that we have been fed and have chosen. As in the case with our natural bodies, many who have been called to Christ by the Father still crave sugary spiritual food that will not bring life. If this sugary diet continues in the church, the church will begin to see, and is seeing now, the spiritual diseases that result. However, we must bring them the Bread of Life in spite of that unhealthy preference. Feed the children what they need to live, not necessarily what they crave. We must "feed the sheep" the food for which Christ gave Himself, and commanded His disciples to provide.
Like the children of Israel in the past, some may complain over the Manna, and look instead for the sugary food they crave, but eventually they will understand that this Living Bread, created from Jesus' own flesh, has brought them everlasting (olam: from the most ancient times, antiquity, continuous existence, unending future, hidden time. Root meaning- hidden, secret, veiled from sight) life (Jn. 6:40). As we can see, the eternal life we have in Christ has a "hidden" quality to it. Manna, also, may be hidden, and is given by Christ Himself:
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."
                                                                                                        Rev. 2:17
Let us be thankful if we have someone in our lives who has been given to us, the sheep of His pasture, to point us to the manna of Christ, someone who takes the responsibility of feeding the Lord's sheep seriously. These are those who edify the church (Eph. 4:11-13). Let us also seek and treasure the hidden manna given to us by Christ, through His Spirit.
Give us this day, Lord, our daily bread.

Our Father has rained Living Bread from heaven.