They said to one another, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? (Mark 8: 16-18)

To engage reality we must remember what has happened in the past and consider how past events are related to current events. What are the patterns? What are the aberrations? Is there a suggestion of cause and effect?

We must look and listen very attentively. Unless we are careful we will construct false patterns. We are just as ready to adopt a false connection as to exclude an unexpected cause. It takes considerable discipline to look and listen with an open and honest mind.

Jesus asks, "Do you still not perceive..." The Greek is noeo from nous. This is using the mind to discern the true from the false, the good from the bad. What is translated as understand is suniemi. This is literally to bring together. Understanding is to recognize relationships, connections, causes and effects.

We must open our mind and soul to new possibilities. A "hardened heart" was, perhaps, the most common criticism Jesus had of the Pharisees. They had closed themselves off from any new understanding. They were no longer looking, thinking, or exploring the intent of God.

We must ask the right questions. We must focus on the key issues. Jesus was not talking about bread or about literal yeast. He was making a witty - probably off the cuff - analogy. The disciples are too self-conscious to enjoy the joke and, in the process, have missed the point.