How easy it is for us to miss the point about God. This seems to be the message in both readings today. In the first reading from the Book of Genesis, human beings seem to have missed the point about God. They had become so caught up with fulfilling their desires and wants that they failed to realise that God had created them in the first place because He loved them and wanted to provide for them so that they may be pleased. God alone can provide all their needs.

In today’s Gospel passage, the disciples seem to have missed the point when Jesus warned them about the yeast of the Pharisees who had rejected Jesus and His message. Since the disciples had “forgotten to bring bread along”, they thought Jesus was speaking about food. As a result, through a series of questions, Jesus makes them realise that they had misunderstood Him as much as the Pharisees do. The disciples had been with Jesus when He had healed the dumb-mute man, yet they do not ‘hear’. They had also been with Him when He fed the multitudes with bread, yet they failed to realise that He alone could nourish them.

As Christians, we can become so focused on our desires and wants and on our plans and ambitions that we can forget the One who gives and looks at the things we want Him to give. In other words, we focus on the gifts rather than on the Giver. And in doing so, we can miss the point about God.