Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod

Sometimes Jesus relies upon a simple event to present him with the pretext for a lesson which he wishes to teach his disciples. This happens in today’s gospel from Mark 8:14-21. While crossing the lake, his disciples discover they only have one loaf with them. Jesus points to a simple element that is essential to the making of bread. Yeast. He compares yeast to the influence or control of the religious authorities, the Pharisees, and the influence of political authority, Herod. But the problem is that the disciples don’t know what he is talking about. I feel some sympathy for them because I would also have had trouble understanding. What Jesus then does is turn the image around and puts a positive spin on it. He talks about the “yeast” of the Reign of God. The symbols are still somewhat difficult to grapple with. He talks about twelve baskets full of scraps after feeding the five thousand. This is the symbol of community as represented by the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he refers to the seven baskets of scraps after feeding the four thousand. This is a symbol for completion, the completion of God’s plan of salvation. So, rather than get caught up in petty religious laws that lead to a continual feeling of shame or unfair political laws that support the privilege and wealth of a few, we need to believe in the power of community and trust in the guarantee of divine salvation. Jesus was tough on his disciples. But I suppose we are still struggling to understand the full import of Jesus’ message. In a way, we have to see it at work, like Jesus pointing at what happened when they fed large crowds or like St Paul spending a few months with the community at Antioch. Even after his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul needed to experience the power of community where people of all walks of life came together and where it was evident that God’s salvation was at work among people who believed in the power of forgiveness. May we come to a deeper understanding of Jesus’ message by witnessing the power of the faith communities among whom we live and by trusting in the power of God’s forgiveness and our willingness to forgive one another. This is a good way, by the way, to prepare for tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.