Do You Still Not Understand?

Mark 8:1-21

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

No, I didn't make a mistake and repost an old story.  This is in fact another mass feeding by Jesus.  And that is where the questions begin.  Why would Mark have such similar stories in his most compact of the gospels?  Surely he would have recognized the similarity between this and the feeding of chapter 6.

But there are differences, not in the story's essentials but in their details.  The plot line is the same.  A crowd is with Jesus, and lacking anything to eat, Jesus tells the disciples to feed them.  When they express exasperation, Jesus takes a small amount of food, blesses it and breaks it with enough resulting leftovers that baskets are filled.

This time it is Jesus who notices that the crowd is hungry.  He does not ask them to give the masses something to eat, but they are quick to remind Jesus that just as before they are in a remote place and there is no food in evidence.  That the disciples have doubt at this point seems incredulous, but it may be Mark showing us that the disciples have trouble even with the Syrophnecian woman and the deaf mute behind them believing that Jesus would use his power to help gentiles.

The numbers vary significantly between the stories.  The first crowd is only with him a day, while this crowd has gone three days, perhaps without eating.  In the earlier story it is five loaves and two fish given to five thousand with twelve baskets of leftovers.  Here it is seven loaves and some fish given to four thousand with only(!) seven baskets of leftovers.

Commenters have struggled mightily over the possible significance of these numbers.  The crowd in this story has been with Jesus for three days, which is the amount of time that Jesus will spend in the grave.  Is this second telling a story intended to bring in mind communion after the resurrection?  Does the hunger of the crowd mirror the hunger of the disciples waiting for Jesus to reappear?

Many have suggested that the twelve baskets of leftovers symbolize God's abundance for the people of Israel.  The five loaves and the five thousand gathered represent the five books of the Torah and thus the nation of Israel.  Seven, on the other hand is the number of completion and seventy was believed to be the number of gentile nations.  Do the seven loaves suggest that just as Jesus has first fed the Jews, now his ministry has expanded to the gentiles.  For the more acrobatic numerologists, the crowd of four thousand represents the four gospels that have become the most important scriptures of the Christian tradition.

Jesus concern about the people collapsing on their way home is another difference.  It seems to draw attention to the fact that these are people who have come a long way.  This makes them good representatives of the foreign nations.  In addition, the two previous stories have highlighted healings that are similar to those done already in Jewish territory.  It seems clear that Mark wants us to understand that Jesus ministry extended to all peoples not just the Jews of Judea.

This time when Jesus feeds the crowd, he dismisses them and gets on the boat with the disciples rather than sending them on their own.  The focus on food/Jesus continues as the disciples despair that they have not brought the leftovers with them and their hunger pangs grow.  Jesus sensing their discomfort decides to make a point and tells them to beware the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.  Yeast/leaven, unlike today, was considered to be unclean.  It seems another reminder of Jesus expanded mission.  He has declared all foods clean (even those with yeast) and has fed and come into close contact with Gentiles.  Did the disciples not eat at the feeding of the four thousand for fear of impurity?  That might explain why they hunger now!  What leaven/yeast uncleanness should they fear?  Not that of the gentiles, but of the religious leaders and political leaders of their own land that have tried to limit God's action to people like them.

But any abstract lesson is too much for these disciples.  They can't get past their bellies and see no meaning in what Jesus says other than that they have no bread.  They are of course wrong because Mark tells us they have one loaf.  This bread is either Jesus and his abundance or a literal loaf which if it is broken by Jesus has been shown to be enough to feed hundreds with a basket or more of leftovers.  They have no cause for worry!

And so Jesus talks them through the duplicate miracles again after asking if they have hardened hearts (which is indeed the case).  He calls on them to remember the feeding of the five thousand among the Jews.  He calls on them to remember the feeding of the four thousand among the gentiles.

And his question is the same as ours.  Do you still not understand?