Mark 8:14-21

Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10

Psalm 29:1a, 2, 3ac-4, 3b & 9c-10

Mark 8:14-21

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,

and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out,

guard against the leaven of the Pharisees

and the leaven of Herod.” 

They concluded among themselves that

it was because they had no bread.

When he became aware of this he said to them,

“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?

Do you not yet understand or comprehend?

Are your hearts hardened?

Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?

And do you not remember,

when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,

how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”

They answered him, “Twelve.”

“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,

how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”

They answered him, “Seven.”

He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I pray today that my heart has not been hardened. Soften my heart. Replace my stubborn heart of stone with a heart of flesh that is filled with your sanctifying Spirit.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Leaven of the Pharisees: In the Gospel, Jesus has just multiplied the bread for the crowds in Gentile territory and confronted the Pharisees, who demanded a sign from heaven to test him. Jesus is now in the boat with his disciples and wants to review the recent events with them. He begins by putting his disciples on guard against the pride and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He alludes to this with the image of leaven. Leaven is the ingredient in bread that puffs it up. Leaven, then, can at times symbolize sin or evil. In fact, the people of Israel had to remove all the leaven and yeast within their house before the Passover. Just as leaven puffs up bread dough, so also pride can puff us up and become an obstacle to a filial relationship with God.

2. Where is the Bread? The disciples of Jesus are slow to understand and comprehend the identity of Jesus. Throughout the Bread Section of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus has been inviting his disciples to deepen their faith in him. When they realize they only brought one loaf of bread, Jesus asks them questions about the two miracles in an attempt to get them to realize who he is and that he can provide them with the Bread of Life. While they have very little natural bread in the boat – just one loaf for many people, they also have the supernatural and eternal Bread of Life with them. When Jesus asks them about the two miracles, he wants them to ponder how he fed not only the people in Israel with five loaves but also the people in Gentile territory with seven loaves. This alludes to the mission of the disciples, who will extend the Kingdom and its blessings and preach the Gospel not just to Israel but to all nations. It also alludes to the mystery of the Eucharist which will be given not just to the children of Israel but to all nations. 

3. 40 Days and Nights of Testing: In the First Reading, it is good to recall that the account of the flood in Genesis differs from the accounts in other ancient Mesopotamian myths. In the pagan myths, the great primordial flood was an attempt of the gods to destroy humanity because they feared the growing power of humanity. In Genesis, by contrast, the flood was permitted by God to eradicate sin. Genesis 4-6 narrates the proliferation of sin. It reaches the point when a new beginning with the righteous Noah and his family is necessary. The forty days and nights represent a time of testing. The greatness of Noah is found in his faith through this time of testing. Noah obeyed the call of the Lord to build the ark, to gather the animals and his family into the ark, and to continue in hope during the forty days and nights of the flood. Just as Jesus persevered during the forty days and nights of testing in the desert, so Noah persevered with his family in the ark. Because of his faithfulness, Noah was granted a renewal of the covenant of creation.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, accompany me when I am tested and alone in the desert. When I see evil around me, help me to renew my trust in the Father’s care. When I see evil in my own life, help me to not be discouraged, but to hear the call to repentance and change of heart.

Living the Word of God: In just three weeks, we will begin the season of Lent and our forty-day preparation for the celebration of Easter. What habits of sin do I need to break this Lenten season? Fasting: What good things do I need to abstain from to strengthen my will? Prayer: How is God asking me this upcoming Lent to become more prayerful? Almsgiving: How can I alleviate some of the material sufferings of those in my community this upcoming Lent?