Mk 8:14-21
14[The disciples] had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15[Jesus] enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. 17When 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? 18Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember, 19when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” 20“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered [him], “Seven.” 21He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Do you not yet understand?: The Jews, including the disciples, get Jesus all wrong. They think him to be their political leader. Sorry, he is not. They take him to be their food supplier. No, he offers a different food for sharing. They want him to be king. Yet he is constantly speaking of serving and being last. They get him all wrong.
Perhaps we fare no better. No wonder we still live in hunger, find it hard to forgive, fight one another, and grope for meaning in our daily lives. We get him all wrong.
We need to trust Jesus more that he will never leave us and believe him more that we should not be afraid. We should follow him more nearly and live more freely. We should act more the truth that he is in our hearts and in our lives.