I see men like trees, walking

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  but He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And o you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

Then they came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

- Mark 8:11-26

In yesterday's reading, we read about a second feeding in the wilderness of great crowds by Jesus.  In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them, and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  but He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  Once again, Mark's gospel makes us aware that the religious leadership is also aware of Jesus and His ministry, but they are looking for ways to accuse Him.  Already they have asked why His disciples do not follow the tradition of the elders, and received a deep criticism and accusation of hypocrisy from Jesus in His teaching to them about the laws of God and the laws of men.  He accused them of being worthy of the words of the prophet Isaiah.  Here those in leadership seek a sign, a proof from Jesus of the identity they can clearly discern in His ministry and popularity.  My study bible tells us:  "A sign from heaven is an indisputable, spectacular act, the kind Jesus rejected in His temptations [Matt. 4:6,7, Luke 4:9].   Jesus has given countless signs by this time:  causing the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, and the dead to rise.  But these are not good enough for the Pharisees.  Jesus sighed deeply, for they seek a sign out of hardness of heart, daring Jesus to force them to faith."

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  Now we are on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, not far from Bethsaida, says my study bible.  All along Mark's gospel Jesus has been traveling back and forth across this sea, and some powerful incidents have occurred in this place on the sea.  Jesus has been going back and forth, across and up and down, to different regions consisting of different populations, some Gentile, others native Jewish territory and headquarters for His ministry, some mixed regions such as the Decapolis.  My study bible says about Jesus' words here:  "Leaven is frequently (but not always) a negative image in Scripture, symbolizing evil.  Here it represents the erroneous understanding and evil intent of the Pharisees and Herod Antipas.  Though they completely misunderstand the revelation of God in Christ, the Pharisees influence the people.  Their teaching is like leaven; it permeates the whole.  Their blatant legalism and hypocritical actions damage those who listen to them."

But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And o you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  My study bible notes here:  "Jesus is concerned about His disciples.  Men who do not yet understand the Lord's provision for them in the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand are men whose hearts are still hardened.  Discipleship without an understanding of Christ is unthinkable."  What I find remarkable about this passage is first of all its humor:  the disciples mix up His reference to the "leaven of the Pharisees" with an anger that they forgot to bring bread!  It teaches us something about ourselves.  How is it that the Pharisees are faulted for failing to understand, yet also we find the disciples don't understand as well, and Jesus says their hearts are hardened?  There is a depth to faith that perhaps we can't touch the roots of; this is a place in us that God understands and requires God's discernment and judgment.  Although they are not perfect, they are the ones He has chosen to carry His message, and enlightenment will come to them.  It teaches us about ourselves and our own faith.  What He criticizes in the leadership is their hypocrisy.

Then they came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study bible says here:  "Jesus leads the man out of the town, to a private place once again, for another special healing.  [See the healing of the deaf and mute man in Monday's reading.]  This man is healed in stages, just as our ability to know God grows gradually.  Again, He wishes His messianic secret not to be revealed)."

Today we learn about "learning" and about "understanding."  Why are the Pharisees and Herod criticized for their "leaven" or seeking a sign to convince them about Jesus when His own disciples do not understand Him, misunderstand His words, and cannot even remember the spectacular works of feeding thousands in the wilderness?  It is a kind of paradox that is posed in the Gospels, but one that captures our attention and asks us to think about it.  As followers of Christ, we liken ourselves to the disciples, we like to think of ourselves as disciples.  So what is this difference between those who seek a sign and the ones who've witnessed but still don't understand?  I can think of a few differences for myself.  First of all the Pharisees are those trained in Scripture; they are aware, as the disciples who are mostly unlearned men are not, of the things that Jesus does that are reflected in Scripture and in prophecy.  Feeding thousands in the wilderness is an answer to a question posed in Scripture and quoted in my study bible in yesterday's commentary.  The disciples asked, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  Psalm 78, recounting the experience of Israel, the people of God, asks, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?"   The experts in Scripture, the Pharisees, have a particular responsibility for what they know, and yet they are criticized deeply by Jesus for their hypocrisy, and here in their demand for a sign.  This Messiah will spread His ministry in the way that He is called to by the Father, not by those who tempt Him to give them proofs, a sign.  Faith works differently, and it is there we go for the difference.  Although Jesus criticizes His disciples for failing to understand that which has been obviously revealed to them, and He asks about their hardened hearts which do not open the capacity for understanding, He knows them better than they know themselves.  He is aware of the depth of the place from which real faith comes, the place where "His sheep hear His voice."  It is this place in us that responds to His ministry, whether it be then at the time of His Incarnation or now, and that is the place He knows better than we do.  I can't trace the depth of faith in myself nor where it comes from; I only know it is there, a kind of love that abides and grows.  So what is the difference between faith that isn't perfect in its understanding, and seeking a sign?  The analogy is right here in today's reading, given to us by Mark, as pointed out in the notes of my study bible.  The formerly blind man says, "I see men like trees, walking."  This puts me in mind of the stick figures that children draw before they become more aware of form and figure and shape, and capable of drawing in more sophisticated ways.  So we are like children, and we grow in understanding in our faith.  In the miracles of healing of sight in today's reading, and hearing in a previous reading, we see some similarities.  Jesus takes both apart, and both are touched by Him in ways and for reasons we perhaps can't understand.  But it is the connection of faith we see in that touch, that comes in private and in the heart, to open our eyes and ears of spiritual understanding and power.  The leaven He warns us about demands visible proofs and signs.  Where is the understanding of your heart in the place of love and recognition of His voice?