While Jesus was warning the disciples about bad teaching, the disciples were worried about their next meal.

Sometime after they sailed away from the Pharisees, someone noticed that in the rush to leave, no one brought any food. There was one loaf of bread on the boat. It became a concern for the disciples. They may have been arguing about whose fault it was. Or fretting about where they would land on the other side of the lake.

Jesus was still thinking about the Pharisees they had left on the shore. His concern always was teaching the disciples what they would need to know after they graduated.

“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod,” he said.

But they were beyond metaphor. “It’s because we have no bread,” they said to each other.

I’m guessing they did that often. Jesus would say something, and rather than asking what he meant, they would talk amongst themselves.

It sounds familiar.

This time, they were sure his deepest concern was the same as theirs.

That sounds familiar, too.

And Jesus interrupts the conversation.

“Why are you talking about bread? Don’t you understand yet?”

And just when they are feeling hurt or confused about the scolding they are getting, Jesus asked them how much food they got after he had fed the crowds each time. He doesn’t ask how many people were fed. He asks them how many baskets of food they had carried onto this boat after each of those feasts.

Twelve baskets the first time. Seven the second. And some of the baskets in those days were large.

Jesus had filled this very boat with fish and Jesus had filled this very boat with bread.

No wonder he said, “Do you still not understand?”

And no wonder Mark leaves us with the same question.