Wednesday after Epiphany

 Lectionary: 214

They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.

 T he Evangelist Mark tells us that Jesus fed large crowds of people with a few loaves and fishes twice, in chapters six and eight. He also tells us that these incidents were followed by adventures on the water, where the disciples' failure is compounded by unexpected trouble. 

In today's story the trouble is a violent storm which threatens to sink the boat, drown the Lord and his disciples, and effectively abort God's saving work. They were in a panic about that and shouted at Jesus, "Don't you care that we are about to drown?" In the second incident they were hungry because, "They had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat." 

Throughout the Gospel of Mark, the Lord's words and work only confound the disciples. Like his enemies and his family, they see but they do not comprehend what he is about. They follow him obediently and blindly; they are clearly attracted to his person, and that can only be the work of the Holy Spirit; but they understand nothing and would be hard pressed to explain their following him. Their obtuseness is a foil of uncomprehending darkness for the Lord's brilliance. 

These stories of his miraculous feeding of thousands of people always direct our devotion back to the Eucharist. There is no end of its wonder and no end of our incomprehension! But some theologians have suggested that the Lord's entire mission, his salvation of the world -- is directed at and completed by the Eucharist. Failing to receive his Body and Blood frustrates everything he is trying to do. 

Fortunately, the practice of frequent confession and communion offers a path toward that sorely needed understanding. It may not be obvious to skeptics, it may always defy explanation since the mysteries of God are deeper than human language. But the Eucharist -- Holy Communion with the Lord -- is clearly better than "the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Perhaps, as the Zen masters say, "Those who say do not know; those who know do not say." 

This is "the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones." (Colossians 1:26)

However, there is at least one takeaway: the daily practice of faith when times are good fortifies us for the hard times. The scripture repeatedly tell us the cyclic story of God's mercy as first, he rescues them from distress; and the people's relief; but the people's infidelity follows; which inevitably evokes God's wrath because they refuse to hear the prophets' warnings. And then they plead for mercy, God relents again, and sends a savior.

When the LORD raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge and save them from the power of their enemies as long as the judge lived. The LORD would change his mind when they groaned in their affliction under their oppressors. But when the judge died, they would again do worse than their ancestors, following other gods, serving and bowing down to them, relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn ways. Judges 2:18-19

 How long must this go on? 

Those who practice the faith regularly usually admit they have not always done so. Rather, they turned back to the Lord when they realized their lives were going nowhere and their troubles were increasing exponentially. Once committed to the Lord, their troubles did not disappear, but their distress did. They walk in the light of the Lord through dark valleys and on the water of high seas. They do not forget that, "he saved me because he loved me." (Psalm 18:20; but read the entire Psalm!)