There seems to be some serious irony going on in the readings for today. The disciples who have seen Jesus work miracles, turning even the smallest amount of food into enough for thousands of people, are worried that they only have one loaf with them. The twist here is that the loaf they do have with them is the very bread from Heaven itself, Jesus Christ.
They let their current situation around them get in the way of seeing the blessings in their lives. Here they were in an area controlled by gentiles where the bread would be ‘unclean,’ and they’ve left behind all their supplies. They were focused only on the material and ignoring the spiritual. Jesus tries to warn them not to let that sort of thinking cloud their vision. He speaks of the Pharisees who we read yesterday demanded a sign. The Pharisees weren’t looking for a healing messiah or one who could feed them physically and spiritually. They wanted a military leader who could remove the occupying Roman forces, restoring the Israelites to their former glory. Their concern was getting back to King David’s time when they were a military power and a wealthy, independent nation.
Then we have Herod. Herod was only concerned with his political position. From the time of Jesus’ birth, Herod had sought to remove Him from the world. For Herod, the Messiah was a rival political figure who would compete with him or replace him as King of the Jews. His only concern was keeping his power and his wealth in place, and we’ve seen he would do anything and everything necessary to do that.
The world tells us to search for wealth, pleasure, power, and honor. Jesus on the cross shows us none of this. He has no wealth, not even his own clothes. He is dying one of the most painful deaths possible, with no pleasure. To the world, He is seen as powerless, nailed to the wood, and unable to free Himself. As for Honor, many of the very people He spent time feeding, teaching, and healing demanded another be released in His place and for our Lord to be crucified.
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and Jesus is reminding us through the Sacred Scriptures not to let those sorts of thoughts and attitudes cloud our minds. Lent is a time to remind us to stop allowing politics and stature to be the driving forces of our lives. A time to remember that the thoughts and ideas that do not align with the will of God and the teachings of Christ through His Church can blind us to seeing Him right in front of us. The loaf of bread we have right here, in the Eucharist, is more than we’ll ever need. Let us ask God to give us the spiritual sight necessary to see that and to let that blessing flow through our lives this Lent.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time: February 16th, 2021