Dark Brightness

Ah, bread starters. Sitting in the kitchen. If fed and healthy they allow you to make sourdough bread. In anceint times, all eaven was like this: it did not come in a nice packet.

And one of the Pesach rituals was to get rid of the leaven and start again. You did not want the stuff to go mouldy. Paul uses this as an illustration about simplifying and improving one;s life.

Jesus is talking here about bad teaching. Affecting the health of the bread, affecting the body. It’s a metaphor.

Mark 8:11-26

11The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. 12And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.

14Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out – beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16They said to one another, “It is because we have no bread.” 17And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? 19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20″And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21Then he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

via PC(USA) – Devotions – Daily readings for Wednesday, March 17, 2010.

There are bunch of people who are looking for a sign. They want miracles. There is another bunch who want their needs met — and see the institutions of this world as having a duty to do this. It may be that both are errors.