No Bread, No Faith!

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Js 1:12-18; Mk 8:14-21

Today’s Gospel highlights the disbelief of Jesus’ disciples. 

The text describes that the disciples are in the boat and have forgotten to bring enough bread for all. The big surprise is that in their anxiety over not having enough bread, they forget that Jesus is with them in the boat. 

Their anxiety over one loaf of bread meant that they had forgotten Jesus, who fed thousands of people on different occasions. They forgot that it was they who distributed bread to the crowd and collected the leftovers. It was they who witnessed Jesus miraculously turning scarcity into abundance. 

Yet, their hearts were hardened to ignore the presence of the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35). Though we might believe that their anxiety resulted from their forgetfulness of Jesus’ multiplication miracles, we cannot avoid asking if their anxiety was merely from their forgetfulness or something deeper than that. 

Moreover, we must also ask if they had been anxious in case they had enough bread. In other words, they would have felt immensely secure if they had enough bread because, for them, bread was a sign of security, safety, and survival. The fact that Jesus’ presence meant little to the apprehensive disciples means that they had quietly replaced him. The behaviour of the disciples reminds us that ‘if/when bread becomes primary, Jesus becomes secondary.’ 

Thus, the irony in the boat is not that they had just one loaf but that one loaf was more reliable than the presence of the Bread of Life. It looks as if Jesus warned them about this leaven – the leaven that corrupts the heart so that disbelief rules it. 

Faith is about the certainty that Jesus is present in our lives, and he is enough for us. 

Let us pray for that faith that removes scarcity, uncertainty, and fear. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar