To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 6:5-8; 7:1-5,10; Mk 8:14-21
The text of today contains a dialogue between Jesus and his
disciples and ends the long sequence, which began with Jesus teaching the
crowds from a boat (Mark 4,1-8). This is the third of the three incidents at
sea in which the disciples seem to be at sea in their attempt to discover who
Jesus really. The first was in Mark 4,35-41 when Jesus calms the storm so that
the disciples have to ask, “Who then is this?” the second in Mark 6,45-51 when
Jesus comes walking on the water and Mark comments that “the disciples were
utterly astounded for they had not understood about the loaves for they did not
understand about the loaves but their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6,51-52) and
here in the third incident in this section they also fail to understand. (Mark
8,21).
The disciples think that Jesus is rebuking them because they had
forgotten to carry food, when in fact he is rebuking them for their hardness of
heart. When Jesus questions the disciples about the feeding miracles, the focus
of his questions are not on the number of people who were fed (this would be
asked to indicate the magnanimity and abundance of the miracle) neither are
they on the smallness of their resources (which would indicate the stupendous
power of Jesus) but on the breaking and gathering. The disciples know the
answers, but are not able to perceive that Jesus is able to provide anything
his disciples’ need. They are taken up with his power, but do not really understand.
Like the disciples we tend sometimes to focus on things that are
not really necessary and so lose sight of the bigger picture. We can get caught
up in details and so not see the whole. We might have a narrow view of the world
and so lose sight of the fact that we can find God in all things and all things
in him.
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