18 February 2020 - every good and perfect gift

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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.

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread into the boat. They were so distracted by this that they thought Jesus must have been referring to it when he spoke of the leaven of the Pharisees. Perhaps their own failing would make them more subject to the temptation of the leaven of the Pharisees. Lacking enough bread, perhaps they would turn to the Pharisees for their leaven. Maybe this was the temptation about which Jesus was warning them. But they were mistaken.



When he became aware of this he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?

Jesus was not calling them to account for forgetting bread. He was asking them to rely more on him. He wanted them to trust him for their daily bread enough that they could be more concerned about the life of the soul. The real risk of the Pharisees was their hypocrisy and their lack of compassion. But the disciples minds were so preoccupied with their own failure that they had a hard time understanding the spiritual meaning of the teaching of Jesus. Yet Jesus did not perpetuate a cycle of criticism that would leave them continually distracted with their own failings. Rather, he reassured them of his providential care for them.

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.”

Jesus wanted to teach the disciples the guard against in persevere in temptation so that, proven, they would receive the crown of life. On their own they would be tempted when they were lured and enticed by their desires. But this was not a trap that God set for them. He was instead the one who would provide for all they needed to respond. They wouldn't need to worry about their own forgetfulness. They wouldn't need to turn to the ways of the Pharisees. The gifts of God were enough for them.

all good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.