and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” And they said to one
another, “He saw that we have no bread.” Aware of this, Jesus asked them, “Why are you
talking about the loaves you are short of? Do you not see or understand? Are your minds
closed? Have you eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear? And do you not remember
when I broke the five loaves among five thousand? How many baskets full of leftovers did
you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.” “And having distributed seven loaves to the four
thousand, how many wicker baskets of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.”
Then Jesus said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Reflect
“Understanding God's way.” Perhaps in our faith journey, we might have heard already
of the word metanoia, which is commonly translated as “conversion” or “change of
mind/ heart.” Metanoia may refer to what is beyond the present mind/ heart that
a person has. It may mean having a bigger mind that can understand God’s ways or
a bigger heart that can serve more people. Metanoia challenges us to shift our focus
from the narrow world of the self to a world that is definitely a lot bigger. It invites us
not to be consumed by our own concerns but rather by the things that are far more
important than our own needs. Jesus’ disciples were so much concerned about their
own needs. There was only one loaf of bread and they were thinking how the one loaf
would be enough for all of them in the boat. Jesus warned them about the yeast of the
Pharisees and the yeast of Herod – representatives of the burdens imposed on people,
as regards people’s religious and civic lives respectively. When we are too concerned with
ourselves, it is then that we fail to see the things that are far more important.
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