Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

 

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

- Matthew 16:1–12 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus departed from the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

  Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times".  My study Bible comments that a sign from heaven means a spectacular display of power.  The time of the Messiah, it notes, was expected among the Jews to be accompanied by signs.  However, these hypocrites have not recognized (and do not recognize) the signs which Christ has already performed.  This is because their hearts were hardened, and they ignored the works happening all around them.  

"A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  An adulterous generation is one that is not loyal to their God.  This term echoes the illustration used for Israel by the prophets when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).  We note Jesus' clear refusal to prove Himself in a spectacular way.  My study Bible comments that a sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God.  See also Matthew 4:5-7, and the devil's temptations to Christ to prove Himself.  The sign of the prophet Jonah, on the other hand, is a veiled prediction of Christ's death and Resurrection (Matthew 12:40), which my study Bible calls the ultimate sign that Jesus is the Christ.  

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  My study Bible says that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  The reason, it explains, that the disciples are painfully slow to understand is that they have such little faith that they would not completely grasp the teachings of Christ until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given.

What are the signs of the times?  I wonder how often this phrase has been used, and I imagine has been used by quite a lot of people lately.  For some in the world, the signs of the times denote something quite different today from that which our faith preaches.  If we're worried about war and violence, we have only to turn to Christ's words about the whole of the age in which we live, which began at His coming into the world the first time, and will end with His return.  In the language of the Church, the whole of this age is considered "end times."  Jesus said, among many other prophesies, "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6).  Certainly wars and rumors of wars are things with which this age is familiar, even if technologically and through telecommunications the full experience of such has changed and morphed to include some elements that are very old, and others that are very new.  But the signs of the times that Christ speaks about here are not signs of violence and earthly tribulation.  The signs of the times of which Jesus speaks are those miraculous signs which accompany His ministry, to which the Pharisees and Sadducees have made themselves blind.  There was much to read in prophesy about the signs that would accompany the time of the Messiah, and Jesus' miraculous healings echo those prophesies.  Today there are many who dismiss out of hand any possibility of the miraculous, considering that science has now banished such a concept from our conception of reality.   But if we're going to begin with an assumption that some "factual" elements of the Bible cannot be literally true, and take that to mean that none of it can be true (including the existence of the God the Bible guides us to), then that is a kind of willful blindness that can preemptively gainsay anything.  And this is akin to the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.   It is a way of rendering oneself blind in order to erect and preserve a  comfortable conclusion.   The Sadducees and Pharisees have a foregone conclusion, that the Messiah is going to be One of whom they must approve as ruling authorities, and this simply does not fit Jesus.  It is clearly a lesson to us of how blind we can be when we choose our own blindness, and we are desperate to continue in that bubble of our own comfortable restrictions (even when that includes an ignorance of how to read Scripture in the first place).  In a recent reading, Jesus said of the Pharisees (to His disciples),  "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  We should consider, then, what kinds of blindness we might find as our own potential stumbling blocks.  If our blindness is meant to keep out the deeper, wider, greater truths that God wants us to embrace, then we also will not be true to the One who planted us.  And this is the meaning of the Cross, that we must follow where it leads, and give up our own willful restrictions upon the growth God calls us to embrace, the uncomfortable things which God's light might shine upon.  We are here to follow our faith, to follow God, not to impose our own walls and restrictions upon the work of God, the activities of the Holy Spirit.  It is to this end we pray, we practice the historical teachings and disciplines of the Church, we participate in worship and sacraments, we study Scripture, the teachings of the saints and all that tradition might hold in its treasure for us.  For new light and illumination can come even from old treasure.  As we prepare to enter into Advent, let us think about that light, and how we make ourselves open to receive it, to live it, to let it illumine our lives, and shine in us for the glory of God. 

 

 

 

Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees

 

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed. 

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

- Matthew 16:1-12 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus departed from the region of Tyre and Sidon, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."  My study Bible explains that a sign from heaven means a spectacular display of power.   It says that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but these hypocrites have not recognized the signs which are already being performed by Jesus, because their hearts were hardened, and they ignore the works happening all around them.   

 

"A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.    Jesus refuses to prove Himself in a spectacular way, for a sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God (see Matthew 4:5-7).  My study Bible also comments that the sign of the prophet Jonah is a veiled prediction of Christ's death and Resurrection (Matthew 12:40), the ultimate sign that Jesus is the Christ.  The term adulterous generation is an echo of the illustration used for Israel by the prophets when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13; see also Matthew 12:39).

 

 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  My study Bible comments here that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  It says that the reason the disciples are painfully slow to understand is that they have such little faith; they would not fully grasp the teachings of Christ until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given.

Jesus speaks in important metaphors, using the term "leaven" for the doctrine and hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  Leaven is a natural kind of yeast, fermented grain added to a mixture of dough which eventually spreads to the whole mixture, and making bread more digestible for human beings and making loaves rise.  It's often used negatively as something undesirable added which changes the whole as a bad influence, as in the way Jesus uses the term here.  See also, for example, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8.  Jesus also uses "leaven" in a positive way, to illustrate the kingdom of heaven, in Matthew 13:33.  But what He questions in today's reading is why the disciples fail to understand that He's illustrating to them a picture of the influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and He's not talking to them about bread!  It's important that we understand this, also, given that yesterday's reading was all about the second feeding miracle Jesus speaks of here (see above).  In yesterday's commentary we remarked on the idea of food and consumption, that Christ's feeding miracles, and also the Eucharist and His sacrifice, remind us to consider what it is we "take in," what we consume.  We want to be sure that what it is we feed ourselves is for the good, and its influence within us is for our good -- and this is precisely Jesus' point in today's reading about the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.   These who demand a sign from Christ are not acting in good faith.  They are not coming to Him with honest questions, nor are they truly interested in what He has to teach.  They are hypocrites, and their doctrine is self-serving.  Jesus will say of them that "they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers" and that "all their works they do to be seen by men" (Matthew 23:4-5).  Virtually the whole of chapter 23 is Jesus' grand critique of their doctrine and hypocrisy.  But our concern today, as indicated by Jesus, is His surprise at the disciples' failure to grasp what He's getting at, to understand what He means by speaking of "the leaven of the Pharisees."  It is with ears of faith that we are opened to the meanings in Christ's illustrations; it is through discernment that we come to understand that there are influences that aren't good for us, that change us and change our ways of thinking, change how we see things.  In Christ's illustration of the kingdom of heaven, the leaven is a good influences that changes and permeates the whole.  But leaven is also an illustration of influences we don't want, as St. Paul will more than once warn that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (1 Corinthians 5:6, Galatians 5:9).  So, once again, let us allow Jesus' words to sink in and remind us that what we must be discerning about what we choose to consume -- be it on social media, or in newspapers or television, or gossip from our friends, a political slogan, or various doctrines that cut down what we know is good for others' self-serving purposes behind the scenes, or someone's phony mask of virtue.  All of it has an influence; this is the message of Christ and the message of St. Paul.  Let us not discount the effects both ways:  when we pay attention and nourish ourselves with what is good, or when we "take in" what is not good for us.

 

 

 

A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah

Jonah raised up from the belly of the whale, fresco, 15th cent.  Meteora, Kastraki, Greece

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

- Matthew 16:1-12

Yesterday we read that Jesus departed from Tyre and Sidon (to which He had withdrawn from the influence of the Pharisees), skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Adulterous generation is a term used by Christ once before, in 12:39.  It is an illustration used for Israel by the prophets when Israel was unfaithful to God (see Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).   My study bible comments that Jesus refuses to prove Himself in a spectacular way, as a sign is never given to those whose motive is simply to test God.  (See also 4:5-7.)  The sign of the prophet Jonah is an allusion to and prediction of Christ's death and Resurrection (12:40), which will be the ultimate sign that Jesus is the Christ. 

 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  My study bible says that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  It explains that the reason the disciples are painfully slow to understand is that they have such little faith.  They will not fully grasp Christ's teachings until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given.

The disciples seem rather slow to understand Jesus in today's reading.  Perhaps it is simply that what He is saying to them is so hard to accept.  How is it possible that the leadership of the Pharisees and Sadducees is so corrupt that their entire approach to questions about Christ is simply evil, and their influence entirely bad?  Jesus speaks of leaven in a manner of speaking common to Scripture, in which leaven figures in a negative sense.  (The exception to this depiction is in one of Jesus' parables, when He likens the kingdom of heaven to leaven; see this reading.)  Its enzymatic action in this particular case doesn't lead to the good of the whole, but to the detriment of the whole.  The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees is both hypocrisy and their doctrine, according to my study bible.  It is something that poisons a way of thinking and being, especially how one practices one's faith.  It is based on selfishness, the hidden agenda of protecting position at all costs, the fear of having to give up a system of gain and privilege to a higher truth, a greater good that is present.  Their challenge to Jesus to present a sign -- at a time when there is an abundance of signs present (see yesterday's reading, above) -- is mere hypocrisy, a coverup, a form of a lie.  Jesus' abundance of signs all point to the presence of the Messiah, as they well know.  Their demand for a sign is similar to what He's condemned before, that they call the work of the Spirit evil; what Jesus called the blasphemy against the Spirit in 12:31.  But in this case, they simply pretend that they see no work of the Spirit, that the signs which are being produced are not signs of God at work.  It is the same blindness to the miracles of Christ that Jesus taxes His disciples with, when they fail to understand His saying about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Are they blind, as well, that they've forgotten that He has twice fed thousands in the wilderness?  Is their blindness to the presence of something far "greater than Solomon" (12:42) a sign of the influence of the leadership,  a leaven that denies the work of God in their midst?  Perhaps what is unfolding is at once such a great and overwhelming reality, and, as well, a devastating tragedy of denial, that they are not quite ready to grasp where this ministry is heading.  The events in which they now play a part are far more than a simple ministry of an itinerant preacher.  Now there is something far greater that is involved, even apocalyptic, a presence which suggests judgment for those who refuse to recognize it, whose blindness is deliberate and malicious.  But perhaps what we are to take away from this lack of understanding on the part of the disciples is just how commonplace these things really are, how much they are a part even of our own contemporary lives.  Do we always want to recognize God in our midst?  Isn't it much easier to ignore a profound spiritual injustice rather than take a look at what we might dismiss?  To perceive this kind of injustice asks of us as deep a choice as it asks of the disciples.  Oftentimes, we don't want to look at how someone in our midst is slighted or treated unfairly, especially when it involves our own social circle or our own family.  That is because such events demand of us to make a stark choice, outside the norm, perhaps to depart or change habitual relationships.  Christ comes into the world shaking things up, telling the truth, even presenting the beauty of God to the world in His astonishing signs of healing.  But there are those who will deliberately persuade others this is not really happening, or that they need a better proof, or even that He's simply malicious and must be gotten rid of.  But Jesus will not fall for their bait, and no sign will be given to this "wicked and adulterous generation" except the sign of the prophet Jonah, because this is what God the Father ordains for Christ's ministry, and Jesus will obey His mission in faith to the end.  These things still call each of us to make a choice about Christ for ourselves.  What do we believe?  And if we believe Him, then what must we follow in our own lives?  We, like the disciples, will choose to participate in His Cross one way and another.  Sometimes it will be mean acknowledging and living an uncomfortable truth -- and it will also mean a fulfillment of joy in its transcendence and acceptance.

You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is is you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

- Matthew 16:1-12

 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  That both Pharisees and Sadducees are here together, demanding a sign from heaven, is important.  It shows the growing influence of Christ's ministry.  The fact that members of both groups are here tells us notice of Him is important enough that they have come to see and to confront.  A sign from heaven would be a spectacular display of power -- supposedly requested so that He prove He's the Messiah, a holy one sent by God.  The time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, prophesied in Scripture.  But clearly there are an abundance of these signs all around.  In yesterday's reading, we were told of the multitudes marveling, when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  These are clear signs named by the prophets, so this question is one made in hypocrisy, demanding proofs so they recognize authority in Him.  It's not the first time we've heard this demand.   In chapter 12, Jesus was asked by some Pharisees and scribes, in response to His criticism, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  (See By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.)  Their deliberate dullness of perception serves as example of hardened hearts.

He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  How is it they can discern the weather, but they can't "see" what is happening in His ministry, or recognize the works He's already done as signs?   In chapter 12, when He was previously requested to show a sign, He also referred to an evil and adulterous generation that asked for a sign.  Evil is ill-willed, adulterous refers to the relationship to the God of Israel.  They have no loyalty, no fidelity to God.  And again, this is the same response He gave in chapter 12, to refer to the sign of the prophet Jonah.   He has not performed any great work without the presence of faith first, and He won't do it now.  Only His death and Resurrection will be a sign for the whole world.  To test God isn't a motive worthy of His response; their faith would lack anyway.  Love isn't compelled, it's voluntary.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is is you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  My study bible tells us that the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees is their doctrine and hypocrisy.  This demand for a sign from heaven is just a way of drawing a line in the sand, setting themselves up as judges of the ways that God "must" be at work in the world.  It doesn't come from the faith in God that allows perception of the heart in the first place.  They're too enamored of their own authority in the first place.  That kind of leaven, testing for a sign, is a way of hardening the heart rather than having it open to spiritual illumination, to God who is always surprising and always revealing things we don't already know or understand.  Leaven has been used by Christ as a positive metaphor in the parable of the leaven "hid in three measures of meal" (see this reading).  But generally speaking is used throughout Scripture as a negative, something mixed into and tainting what would otherwise be good, or pure.  In terms of faith, we have to ask why the disciples don't understand Him.  The answer is that at this point, they're painfully slow as they have little faith, as Jesus tells them.  It teaches us about the importance of the Spirit to our own comprehension and capability for faith.  They won't fully grasp His teachings until Pentecost, the time when the Holy Spirit was given.

Sometimes it seems like our own authority interferes with the authority of God.  It's hard -- maybe impossible on some level -- for human beings to grasp the concept or reality of a being much greater than ourselves.  Try understanding a concept that requires knowledge greater than one already possesses.  It requires a constant change of assumptions, as new information comes to light.  In science, this happens all the time.  Physics, for example, particularly in advanced fields of research like theoretical nuclear physics, must change all the time, in terms of scientific beliefs.  A new particle is discovered, or not, and it changes all of the assumptions upon which the science and its theories have already been based.  In fact, there was recently the "discovery" of what was called the "God-particle."  What was so revolutionary about this news?  It actually confirmed theories already formed, held, and taught.  That was news.  In that light, it's strange that some people claim science precludes the possibility of the existence of God or even signs by Christ; it does no such thing, not even in theory.  Being on a journey with God is something akin to that process of discovery, where what is so much greater than we are leads us into new things, new ways of thinking, a bigger picture than we already have.  Just as the New Testament is revealed through Christ, magnifying the picture already given in the Old, but defying expectations at the same time, so is the individual journey of faith.  Our expectations just can't measure up to the immeasurable God.  So it is with these men who demand a sign.  All they're really asking for is a confirmation of their own authority, the right to judge God, rather than accepting the unfolding and greater revelation of God present in Christ's ministry.  So what does it mean that we harden our hearts?  It means that we refuse to engage with that part of ourselves that is capable of discernment, and that we lack the humility for any form of repentance or "change of mind" as the word literally means in Greek (metanoia).   There's a reason why Jesus gives us the example of the faith of a child.  Humility means we're willing to learn and to change, to cast off the things we might call "sacred," so to speak, in order to find deeper meaning, and broader understanding.  And that's the journey of prayer, the journey with Christ.  Oftentimes our own discoveries are of things we hold onto that we need to let go, opening up a space of "unknown" in order to be led by God.  If you think about it, spiritual practices that ask for sacrifice, like fasting, or giving alms by donating what we have -- such as time, money, possessions, or skills, for example -- "open up" and make room for places to be filled by God.  These men can't give up their own authority and find a greater one; their own places are too precious for them.  Let us remember what it is to have a hardened heart, and the one thing needed to really invest in and open up to in our faith.  Everything else comes second.  Sometimes the signs may be all around us, but we need to wake up to our own ability to discern them.

Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?--but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

- Matthew 16:1-12

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued in Gentile territory, after His meeting with the woman of Canaan. He went up to the mountain, and the multitude followed Him, and received all kinds of healings, so that the lame walked, the maimed were made whole, the mute spoke, the blind saw. These are all signs of the Messiah, among Gentiles. Later, as with the five thousand men before, Jesus fed four thousand men (and there were women and children in addition). But, this time, the difference is that there are also Gentiles in this crowd upon whom Jesus takes compassion. See And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave them to the multitude.

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times." In our recent readings, we've read of many signs of the Messiah. All of His healings, the feedings in the wilderness, all of these things are not merely miracles, as we might think of them, but rather they are signs that point to the Messiah and to Jesus' Messianic and divine identity. Those who are expert in scripture and in prophecy should recognize them. My study bible says, "A sign from heaven implies some spectacular evidence proving Jesus' messiahship. All acknowledge that the time of the Messiah will be a time for signs. But they do not understand the signs already performed, for their hearts are hardened in disbelief. They can predict the rain and storms, but they cannot understand the Law, which points to Christ, even though they are supposed to be experts in it." There's a kind of play on words here in what Jesus says: a sign from heaven is asked, and He points to their understanding of signs in the sky -- the word in Greek for heaven and sky is the same. But what He implies is that their minds are "worldly" -- not understanding the things of God, though they are experts in their study. Looking to the heavens, all they can see are clouds -- they recognize the face of the sky, but not that of the kingdom of heaven. In speaking of the signs of the times, there is a prophetic note here. They are unaware, when they need to watch. They are the blind leaders of the blind.

"A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed. To be wicked and adulterous is to be not of God's people, disloyal to the covenant with God. For those who fail to see, He will not provide a sign in compliance to their demands. There is only here a veiled hint to His death and Resurrection. Jonah was delivered from the belly of the great fish of the waters of the deep, and Jesus will rise from the grave of death -- a kind of baptism for all the world.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?--but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. An interesting contrast -- the Sadducees and Pharisees fail to see, but here we see that the disciples also fail to see and to understand Jesus' words. They take them quite literally and in a worldly sense, just as we can see a parallel in the understanding of the face of the sky, but not of heaven. And their conclusion about forgetting the bread comes despite the repeated feedings in the wilderness! But there is a clue here in Jesus' words, "O you of little faith." They are the same words Jesus said to Peter in the boat, just before all the disciples confessed their faith that Jesus is the Son of God. The key here is in the word "little" -- a little faith goes a long way, it opens the door, it's like the mustard seed from which great things can take root and grow. And, perhaps wonderfully poetically (as is so often the case), a little faith is like the leaven that can season the whole of the meal. (Matthew's gospel delightfully presents us with these two parables of the kingdom of heaven together here.) So much depends on what kind of leaven we're speaking about!

In recent readings, Jesus has given us teachings on the state of the heart, and the importance of guarding the heart, taking care what we nurture within ourselves. Here we have a great illustration and contrast: the Pharisees and Sadducees, leaders of the community, experts in the Law. Outwardly their faith is great, but inwardly they demand signs and fail to exercise spiritual eyes and ears. Their hearts are set a certain way, their doctrine is highly worldly, they are unaware of the signs that are already present to them. And then there are the disciples, whom Jesus calls "you of little faith." They are just that -- disciples -- they are learning from their master, so that their faith may grow, and we know that it certainly will. My study bible contrasts the two: "The leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy. The disciples are painfully slow to understand, for they have little faith. They do not fully understand Jesus' teaching until Pentecost, when the Spirit is given." So much depends on the state of the heart, where we have our minds and faces set, so to speak, what direction we're facing. Jesus' teaching was called by the earliest apostles His Way. On what way is your heart set? Do you need to turn it around? The leadership are religious experts, the disciples much more simple men. It all depends on which direction you're going, not necessarily where you are. The key here is that if we're facing the wrong way, now is time to turn around and wake up to the signs of the times, before we find ourselves unable to see at all where we're going. We may even be blind to what is right in front of us.

For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him

Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife." Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well." But after that they dared not question Him anymore.

- Luke 20:27-40

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was questioned by those who seek to trap Him. He was asked, "Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus asked to be shown a Roman coin. He then asked, "Whose image and inscription is on it?" The reply came, "Caesar's." Jesus taught, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

My study bible has a note on today's entire passage: "The Sadducees: the high priestly and landowning class which controlled the temple and the Jewish Council. In a striking difference with the Pharisees, the Sadducees rejected the resurrection of the dead and they came to Christ to dispute it. Jesus' answer is concise and irrefutable. Since God is not the God of the dead but of the living, both those who are physically alive and those who are deceased, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all live to Him (vv. 37, 38)."

I think this story is important for a number of reasons, and I'd like to focus on the glimpses it gives us of another reality which Christ brings to us through His answer. Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother." We first consider the worldly perspective and the essential importance of offspring to continue lineage, family, heritage. We understand this question to be given by those who do not believe in resurrection - so for them, this worldly perspective is all-important, the central focus of religious life.

"Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife." The central question here remains a question of property, family name, lineage and heritage. Whose wife is she? To which brother does she belong? We remember that this is a question posed by those who do not believe in resurrection -- it is a question from a worldly perspective which is challenging One who is teaching resurrection.

Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." Jesus gives us His perspective, and the perspective of the eternal kingdom. No longer are there concerns of property, lineage, inheritance - nor even the necessity for offspring stemming from these concerns. In "that age" - the nature of an eternal kingdom - no one marries or is given in marriage, all concerns of property, lineage, inheritance are gone. In fact, all understanding of the necessities of life and continuation are completely shifted: no one dies. There is eternal life. They are "equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." The implications of this statement are remarkable, and we can only ponder what it is to be equal to the angels and sons of God. But the promise is clear: not only is life altered, unimaginably, and the nature of time, but our very being is shifted into a different sort of status, with implications for what the duties and life in that kingdom will be for those who are of "that age," sons of the resurrection.

But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well." But after that they dared not question Him anymore. For the experts on the Law, Jesus turns to Moses, to explain the hints of this kingdom and "this age" of the resurrection that are already there in Scripture. "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" is an eternal, ever-present God, with an ever-present reality that is part of the life of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who are not merely deceased (our perspective) but who live in that God. Therefore Moses himself has given us glimpses of this eternal life, this communion of saints, in which all live and are eternally present. Even Moses has understood that "He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." We recall that Jesus sent out His apostles, telling them to preach, "The kingdom of heaven has come near." So, this very present glimpse of the kingdom, which Jesus preaches and embodies, is itself the presence and reality of God - and that which we must consider present to us, even "in our midst" and as we live life in our worldly perspective of "this age."

As Advent comes to us, we have a sense of the light dawning, coming into our lives. This story today is in a sense the perfect teaching for Advent, as we are to understand the reality of this kingdom breaking through "in our midst" - and its presence to us. That dawning light reminds us that something is coming to bring the kingdom and its entire reality to us, to be in our midst, among us, within us. So, how do you think of Advent at this time? If it is not to make that kingdom more real, more powerful, more present, I do not know what the purpose is. What is the nature of life itself, life abundantly, He brings? He gives us the perspective we need in order to understand more fully our lives, our natures, and the things for which we are destined and capable. We are to be "equal to the angels," "sons of God." The incredible impact of this light is its gift of life in abundance, and the brilliant honor to creation - and we human beings - that this story lifts us into. The God of the living teaches us about an eternal communion, eternal life, freeing us from the slavery of death and all it stands for in our worldly perspective. What does this light mean to you? How does it break through into your life and teach you about what you are capable of being, of living to? In the communion of saints, we have life - abundantly - to call upon to help us through. How does the kingdom's light break through to you?

O you of little faith

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him asked that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And he left them and departed.

Now when his disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?-- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

- Matthew 6:1-12

In the past couple of readings, Jesus has been traveling, preaching, teaching and healing among the Gentiles. First, he met a Canaanite woman who begged him to heal her daughter of demonic possession; she recognized him as Messiah and worshiped him. Next, he teaches on a mountain, and fed four thousand people with a second miracle of feeding in a Eucharistic picture of blessing the bread and its distribution among those who are faithful to him. So, his work and ministry have gone out among the Gentiles as well as the Jews, although he is recognized as the Jewish Messiah, with the title, "Lord, Son of David" expressed by the Canaanite woman. In today's reading, he is confronted by the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him asked that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. My study bible notes here: "A sign from heaven implies some spectacular evidence proving Jesus' messiahship. All acknowledge that the time of the Messiah will be a time for signs. But they do not understand the signs already performed, for their hearts are hardened in disbelief. They can predict the rain and storms, but they cannot understand the Law, which points to Christ, even though they are supposed to be experts in it." It's interesting to me that Jesus holds these people - among the leadership of the temple - responsible for their own discernment, or lack of it. He chastises them, that they cannot read the "signs of the times." Moreover, he calls them "hypocrites." This is always his most scathing criticism: "hypocrites" in the original Greek meant "actor," and the implication is that they "act" their parts as religious or spiritual leaders, but that inwardly they are not of the substance that God wants, that the Law and the prophets teach.

A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And he left them and departed. My study bible notes: "Jesus refuses to prove himself to a wicked and adulterous generation -- who refuse to see anyway -- except by the sign of the prophet Jonah, a veiled prediction of his death and Resurrection. Just as Jonah was delivered safely from the belly of the great fish, Jesus will rise from the grave." To be "adulterous," we remember, is to betray faith, to desert that to which one has sworn loyalty or fidelity. Jesus is saying that their hearts are far from God. As "actors" (or "hypocrites") they play the part of religious leadership, but in effect they have abandoned spiritual responsibility. The implication is that otherwise they would recognize what and who Jesus is by faith - rather than by demanding proofs or signs.

Now when his disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?-- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Another note reads: "The leaven of the Pharisees (v. 6) is their doctrine (v. 12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:2). The disciples are painfully slow to understand, for they have little faith (v. 8). They do not fully understand Jesus' teaching until Pentecost, when the Spirit is given." It's really quite interesting to understand that the disciples, also, have no idea about that to which Jesus is alluding when he speaks to them of the "leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." One must immediately contrast Jesus' scathing criticism of the religious leadership for their lack of understanding, and the disciples' own lack of understanding here. Indeed, the disciples fail even to recall the recent events of the miracles of feeding five thousand and also four thousand people in the wilderness from but a few loaves and fishes, for which Jesus takes them to task. He is teaching them that they, too, have responsibility for discernment. His words are not meant literally, but metaphorically, as he also speaks and preaches in parables to the crowds. But all will be revealed with the coming of the Spirit. For now, they are still learning by living with him, traveling with him, ministering and being his disciples.

But, what's the real difference between the religious leadership - the Pharisees and Sadducees - and the disciples? It comes down to a question of faith, in my opinion. Jesus tells his disciples, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?" He tells them that they are "of little faith." Whereas the Pharisees and Sadducees show no faith at all (at least as an official body - we know that there were faithful among the temple leadership as well), and seek a sign of proof of messiahship, the disciples are faithful but only to a certain extent. They follow him, they learn from him, they participate in his ministry, but he wishes their faith to deepen, to be stronger than it is. In both cases (of the temple leadership and his disciples), Jesus seeks discernment, wisdom, understanding -- and this discernment and understanding is linked inextricably to faith. Let us understand, then, what faith is. It is a relationship of love and trust. It is something that is alive in us, that grows and has energy and dynamic structure of its own. It is creative and powerful and forms myriad expressions in each of our lives. Faith will make of his disciples great human beings, with extraordinary courage and discipleship, each fulfilling his own duty to this gospel in his or her own way. But for now, they are this small group in a boat that "has come to the other side" (of the Sea of Galilee), and who think they are being reprimanded because they forgot to take bread. How humble and sweet is this picture! Let us not forget it, that the great beginnings of the Church are in this humble and small group, slow to understand, for whom even Jesus shows his signs of impatience! "You of little faith," he calls them. Let us remember that we have a lifetime ourselves to grow in this faith - that faith is not immediate and whole and coming at one fell swoop, but rather that it is a relationship that gives us gifts of discernment, discipleship, wisdom and growth -- and so much more.