15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (year A)

(Mt 13:1–23)

1On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2Such a large crowd gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat down, whilst the whole crowd stood on the shore.
3He spoke to them at length in parables. He said: ‘Listen, a sower went out to sow. 4As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path; the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky ground, where there was not much soil; it sprang up quickly, because the soil was not deep, 6but when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no roots, it withered. 7Some fell amongst thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. 8Some fell on good soil and bore fruit: a hundredfold, sixtyfold, thirtyfold. 9Let anyone with ears listen.”
10Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11He replied, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13That is why I speak to them in parables: because, though they look, they do not see; though they listen, they do not hear or understand. 14Thus the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in them, which says:
‘You will hear, but you will not understand; you will look, but you will not see.’
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears have become hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes—lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn back, and I should heal them! 

“On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.” The passage begins with a temporal reference (“on that day”), followed by a spatial one (“went out of the house and sat by the sea”), which provide useful clues for understanding the situation being described. A first observation should be made regarding the expression “on that day” (en tē ēméra ekeínē), which draws attention to that day which will prove to be no ordinary day, but a time when Jesus makes a choice that will mark a radical turning point in his preaching and his mission: the beginning of his speaking in parables (v. 10). This expression appears only here in the Gospel of Matthew, whilst in the entire New Testament it occurs three further times: twice in reference to the Day of Judgement (Lk 10:12; 2 Thess 1:10); and once to highlight the particular success of the proclamation of the Word (Acts 2:41). Whenever this expression appears, therefore, the sacred authors are always referring to a particularly significant time or one of special interest, which has to do, on the one hand, with an act of judgement and, on the other, with the unstoppable advance of the Word. And this is precisely what happens here. The whole of chapter 13, in fact, is thematically dominated by two fundamental elements: the proclamation of the Kingdom and the decisive choice that Jesus is compelled to make within the context of that proclamation, for whilst the Kingdom is proclaimed to all, its mysteries are not revealed to all.

A second observation concerns the dual spatial connotation: Jesus leaves the house and sits by the sea. Jesus does not speak to people who are inside the house, but to those who are outside, standing on the seashore. To these, the mysteries of the Kingdom are not revealed (v. 11); instead, the proclamation is given to them through the language of parables, the content of which is encoded in metaphor. Jesus therefore draws a distinction between his listeners. The two nouns ‘house’ and ‘sea’ are both metaphors. In the symbolic language of the Gospels, the house often refers to the community of believers, within which Jesus is found. From here he goes out to meet the people (vv. 1–2). That this is not just any house, but the new community of believers, is also suggested by the definite article, which in the Greek text precedes the noun ‘house’. Jesus, in fact, does not go out from just any house, but ‘from the house’ (tēs oikías).

The ‘house’ is contrasted with the ‘sea’, which is by its very nature open and vast, yet also treacherous, for it conceals an unknown world beneath its surface. A sea that is often interpreted metaphorically as a symbol of the nations; and it is precisely here, by the sea, that Jesus sits.

In summary, verse 1, with its metaphorical and symbolic language, introduces the entire theme of chapter 13: Jesus leaves the house—the community of believers—to go out to the people, amongst whom he sits to teach them. This teaching of his, however, because of the manner in which it is carried out, also becomes a kind of judgement. For this reason, what takes place ‘on that day’ marks a radical turning point in Jesus’ preaching, which turns into an indictment of the people’s unbelief (vv. 14–15).

Verse 2, read symbolically, confirms what has been said. ‘Such a large crowd gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat down, whilst the whole crowd stood on the shore.’ The verse is divided into three stages:

a) The crowd gathers round Jesus;

b) Jesus distances himself from the crowd by getting into the boat, from where he delivers his teaching;

c) The crowd remains on the shore, listening to Jesus, but at a distance from him, so that they cannot reach him.

From this moment on, the crowd finds itself at a distance from Jesus. There will be those who listen to and accept the message, and others who reject it. At the centre of the narrative is Jesus, who distances himself from the crowd and, from this position of detachment, delivers his teaching (b). Jesus, in fact, is in the boat and the crowd is on the beach; each, therefore, remains in their respective positions. A crowd with contradictory behaviour gathers around Jesus: they seek him (a), yet at the same time do not move from their positions, remaining stationary on the beach (c). The verb ‘eistēkei’ (was standing/remained), in the pluperfect indicative, describes an action arising from past behaviour that persists into the present. Consequently, the crowd’s remaining there, motionless, without any movement towards Jesus, illustrates the crowd’s closed-minded attitude and, therefore, its inability to evolve spiritually towards the new era that is advancing through Jesus. The reason for this behaviour will be explained in verses 10–15.

Furthermore, the verb ‘eistēkei’, which emphasises the crowd’s immobility, contrasts with the verb with which verse 10 begins, ‘proselthóntes’ (they drew near), which describes the opposite movement of the disciples, who, on the other hand, draw near to Jesus and make themselves available to him. The two groups, therefore, are characterised by their underlying attitude: the crowds remain stationary and entrenched in their positions (eistēkei), showing no sign of conversion; whilst the disciples are characterised by their moving towards Jesus (proselthóntes).

 Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Revelation – an exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers – Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, in the mystery of the Trinity

Jesus’ prophetic discourse (Matthew 24–25)

All Generations Will Call Me Blessed

Catholics and Protestants Compared – In Defence of the Faith

The Church and Israel According to St Paul – Romans 9–11

(Available on Amazon)