Signs
Sometimes we have a hard time interpreting what we see and hear.
The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away. When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, "Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." They said to one another, "It is because we have brought no bread." And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, "You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. - Matthew 16:1-12
Depending on our mood or maybe our upbringing and education, what we see and hear can have a different meaning than what others hear or see.
Jesus warned his disciples about that, telling them that there are those who would color what you hear to change its meaning.
As yeast causes the dough to rise, their words and actions can cause the meaning to be overblown, and change our perceptions of what is happening around us.
When the sky gets dark, we know it is going to rain, because we have experienced that before. It is to be expected.
But when the times change on a larger scale, in a way we have never seen, how are we to interpret those things?
We often rely on experts, or authorities, and that is where we can be misled.
Look at what happened with COVID 19.
Until we have experienced something, we have no basis for comparison, and so we can be misled.
That is what Jesus warns us about. Faith, he says, is what we need to have.
More to come...