Beware of the Yeast of the Parishes and Herod

February 15, Tuesday, 6th Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: James 1:12-18 & Mark 8:14-21

In the Gospel, Jesus warns his disciples to watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. Jesus was telling the disciples that they needed to watch out for the teaching of the Pharisees and their effect on them. Jesus knew that what the Pharisees were teaching could affect their hearts. Since the Pharisees ruled the religious world at that time, they were, in some effect, affecting how people who worshipped God thought and lived.

As the Gospel reveals, the Pharisees were people who did not believe in Jesus; thus, the Pharisees' leaven was their disbelief in God. Herod is a self-centered individual; thus, Herod's leaven is a self-centered attitude that is unconcerned about others. Yeast causes bread dough to rise, and the Pharisees' and King Herod's pretenses describe life. Their ambitions emitted a leaven that poisoned and then corrupted the Israelites.

Jesus stated that they possessed eyes but were blind and ears but were deaf. However, the disciples believed Jesus was referring to their lack of bread in conjunction with religious-political propaganda that lure in the name of prosperity to entice the hungry and suffering to selfish causes.

The wonder of bread that could feed thousands astonished the disciples. They couldn't comprehend what they were seeing. They appear spiritually blind and numb. Jesus reprimanded them for their incapacity to comprehend the grandeur of the miracles. Jesus cautioned his followers about these risks and stressed that understanding his teachings required a pure and honest heart.