3.       (To have Direction)        Note dignity of the person

4:35-41             Other side

                        calms sea - who is this

8:13 - 21           Other side

                        bread - not yet realise

 

4:35-41                     On that day, with evening having come, (Jesus) says to them.  "Let us pass over to the other side (of the sea)."  And, leaving the crowd they took him as he was, in the boat.  Other ships were with him.  And a storm came up with a great gale of wind and the waves smashed into the ship so that it was filling with water.  And he was in the stern of the boat on a pillow, sleeping.  They roused him and said to him.  "Teacher does it not matter to you that we are perishing?"  And being roused, he rebuked the wind and said to sea.  “Be quiet.  Be muzzled”.  And the wind dropped and there was a great calm.  And he said to them.  “Why are you so fearful like this?  Do you not have faith?” And then they feared greatly about this and said to one another.  Who then is this man that both the wind and the sea obey him?" 

8:13-21                    And leaving them again he went away to the other side (of the sea).  It happened they forgot to take loaves of bread on the boat except for one loaf.  He (Jesus) warned them saying.  “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod."  They reasoned with one another about this as they did not have any loaves.  And knowing about this he said to them.  "Why do you rationalise because you do not have loaves?  Do you not yet understand nor realise? Have your hearts been so hardened and cannot you see with your eyes or hear with your ears?  Do you not remember when I broke five loaves of bread and fed five thousand people? How many baskets did you fill with the fragments of bread you took after this?"  They said “Twelve”.  Then he asked.  “And when seven loaves were fed to four thousand people how many baskets did you fill with the fragments from this?" And they said “Seven  And he said to them.  "Do you not yet understand?"  

 

Note: hardness of heart as connected to sea crossing also occurs in point 10. This also fits a "cameo" of water symbols which center around the sea crossing in John and which in turn connects with finding direction.  In John the account of Jesus walking on the water is placed in the text between the miracle of the loaves and fish and Jesus' promise to give "living bread".

The storm could present a picture of the disruption and chaos that happens when a society slips into disorder.

In terms of ‘the argument’ c/f Reality Search the leaven of the Pharisees could be an extreme stress on external law (c/f society based on law or time).  The leaven of Herod could be an extreme stress on ideology /materialism (c/f society based on order or place).

 

Herod was supposed to be King of the Jews.  But he lived a Roman-type lifestyle in what was reputed to be a decadent court.  In terms of the line of logic  of Reality Search his lifestyle would have been seen to reflect that of Greek philosophy which was related to an ‘order’ or ‘place’- based society.  As discussed elsewhere this type of society has particular stress on matter and the qualities of matter.  At one end of a spectrum it can be idealistic.  Yet at another end it can be materialistic and/or decadent.