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Gospel: 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?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today’s Gospel passage sets the stage for Ash Wednesday tomorrow, and for our journey through Lent.
Jesus is in a boat with his disciples, fresh off of another confrontation with the Pharisees. Frustrated by the Pharisees’ spiritual blindness, he warns his disciples not to become like them. “Watch out,” he says, “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
In the Old Testament, leaven was symbolic of the power of sin. Just as a pinch of leaven can permeate an entire loaf of bread, causing it to rise, so the Pharisees have allowed their pride to inflate, closing their hearts to Christ.
Sadly, the disciples miss the metaphor.
At the sound of the word, “leaven,” their minds drift off to food as they begin complaining that they only have one loaf of bread for lunch.
This is almost inconceivable given the fact that the disciples just witnessed Jesus multiply five loaves into enough bread to feed thousands of people. If he fed the crowds, then why would he let his friends go hungry?
Exasperated, the Lord sighs from the depths of his spirit.
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There is good news, however.
Unlike the Pharisees, who are unyielding in their resistance to Christ, the fact that the disciples continue their journey with the Lord implies their willingness to let go of their ignorance and change, albeit slowly.
Isn’t this what Lent is all about?
Slow spiritual growth. Intentional change. Inner renewal.
So, what’s the “leaven” in my own life? What threatens to distance my heart from Jesus?
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“Watch out,” the Lord says. “Beware of the leaven.”
Through prayer, fasting, and penance, may these forty days soften our hearts, leading us ever closer to him, who has loved us and given himself for us.
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Image credits: (1) Christian Fellowship (2) Schmaltz and Menudo (3) Etsy