Seeing beyond the physical reality
There is a problem Jesus disciples had and many of us today have: they could not go past the surface of the immediate reality. They had a certain way of looking at things: an empirical one determined by sensory perception, what I see, touch, smell, hear and taste. They were so prone to thinking this way that when Jesus used the metaphor of “the yeast of the Pharisees” they really thought He is talking about the actual yeast, so the only connection they could make for what Jesus said was the bread they were supposed to have. I mean even discussing this among them that’s the best they could come up with (v.16). Jesus sort of being tired of their superficial way of looking at reality asks them: “Do you still not see?” (v.17), “Do you have eyes but fail to see and ears but fail to hear?” (v.18).
There is a reality beyond the physical, sensorial dimension and if we don’t train our eyes to see it we miss a whole fascinating universe. That is the realm of God after all. God is spirit i.e. is not part of the material world. We can’t touch, taste, smell or see God. We need different lenses for that. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t interact with the physical sphere. He is in fact actively involved in it sustaining its very existence. It is just to say that if you look into the sensory universe you will find pointers to God, you will see traces of His activity but you won’t find Him there.
Part of Jesus time spent with His disciples was devoted to training them to see beyond the physical reality. It is imperative. It is essential. Mark is trying to pull us into this exercise hoping this will help open our own eyes to see. There is a shift, though, that needs to take place. We have to embrace the idea of a world beyond our physical reality. We won’t find something unless we’re looking for it; we won’t find the answer unless we ask the question. We have to believe there is something out there if we are to discover it and interact with it. WE DON’T BELIEVE WHAT WE SEE, WE SEE WHAT WE BELIEVE!!!
There is a reality beyond the physical, sensorial dimension and if we don’t train our eyes to see it we miss a whole fascinating universe. That is the realm of God after all. God is spirit i.e. is not part of the material world. We can’t touch, taste, smell or see God. We need different lenses for that. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t interact with the physical sphere. He is in fact actively involved in it sustaining its very existence. It is just to say that if you look into the sensory universe you will find pointers to God, you will see traces of His activity but you won’t find Him there.
Part of Jesus time spent with His disciples was devoted to training them to see beyond the physical reality. It is imperative. It is essential. Mark is trying to pull us into this exercise hoping this will help open our own eyes to see. There is a shift, though, that needs to take place. We have to embrace the idea of a world beyond our physical reality. We won’t find something unless we’re looking for it; we won’t find the answer unless we ask the question. We have to believe there is something out there if we are to discover it and interact with it. WE DON’T BELIEVE WHAT WE SEE, WE SEE WHAT WE BELIEVE!!!
