St. John's Bread

John’s clothing was a rough coat of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Matthew 3:4 (New English Bible) 

He would have been glad to fill his belly with the pods that the pigs were eating and no one gave him anything.  Luke 15:16 (New English Bible)

Years ago, I enjoyed reading about the plants in the Bible. There are so many interesting stories about biblical plants, but often there are controversies about exactly which plant is referred to in a particular scriptural verse. Whatever the story might be, it always amazes me to learn that many of these plants have been growing for thousands of years. 

During a warm summer evening a few years ago as I closed the windows in my sunroom, I heard the throbbing sound of the cicadas in the trees and thought it might be similar to the sound of locusts in the trees. It was a monotonous and somewhat irritating noise, but it started me thinking about one of the more interesting controversies regarding a biblical plant: the carob (or locust) tree. 

Botanists seem to be in agreement that the pods of the carob tree were the husks of Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, but what did John the Baptist eat? Was it insects or did he pluck pods from the locust tree? What exactly was St. John’s bread? Evidence is available to support both the plant and insect theories, but no clear conclusion has been drawn.

As I listened to the night sounds of the cicadas and felt the pulsing rhythm as if it were a human heartbeat, I wondered what Our Lord provided as St. John’s bread.

The singing cicadas were reminding me that for thousands of years God has been providing our daily bread, and we can rejoice in His steadfast love. 

This is what the Lord God says: I, myself, will search for my sheep and take care of them. Ezekiel 34:11

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for touching us with the sights and sounds of Your presence and with the blessed assurance that You will always be there to provide for our needs. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen

Judy Welch