18th Sunday in O.T.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (year A)

(Mt 14:13–21)

Matthew 14:13 On hearing this, Jesus left that place by boat and withdrew to a deserted spot on his own. But the crowds, having learnt of this, followed him on foot from the towns.

Matthew 14:14 When he stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd; he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

“Having heard this...”. Jesus had heard of the execution of John the Baptist; it was a delicate moment. By remaining in Galilee, Jesus might have feared persecution from Herod Antipas, and since his hour had not yet come, he “withdrew” to a “deserted place”.

The verb anachoreō literally means: to go back, to retreat, to withdraw, to move away, to keep one’s distance from, and is generally associated with situations of danger. It is like the good retreating in the face of evil. The good seems to recede in the face of advancing evil. In a certain sense this is true: evil seems to prevail over good. Out of prudence, Jesus withdraws to a solitary place, off to one side. The verb *anachoreō* is the root of our word ‘anachoresis’, which refers to the withdrawal characteristic of the monastic and hermitic traditions, present in the Church almost from the very beginning. Where does this experience stem from? From the confrontation with evil, from the realisation that in the face of this evil one can withdraw, and that this evil can be entrusted to God’s care through prayer.

The other key figure is the crowd, which follows Jesus on foot. What characterises the crowd is that they follow Jesus from a distance, along the shore, whilst he travels by boat. Only the disciples, though not named, are in the boat with Jesus. By remaining silent on the disciples in the boat with Jesus, Matthew achieves two things: on the one hand, he places the figure of Jesus at the centre; on the other, he suggests how the disciples identify with Jesus himself. A fundamental distinction is thus drawn between those who are in the boat with Jesus and those who, instead, follow him on foot. The crowds’ thirst for Jesus is great. It is sad to realise that the crowds are so thirsty for God and that often the wells to which they rush are dry.

The act of following and serving is preceded by the phrase apò tōn póleōn, ‘from the towns’. Following, therefore, presupposes stepping out of one’s familiar routines of life, leaving behind one’s familiar places and relationships, setting oneself apart and thus creating a wilderness around oneself.

“When he stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd; he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Jesus steps out of the boat and sees “a large crowd”. The Greek verb used here to express Jesus’ act of seeing is “horaō”; a verb which, in biblical language, denotes a particular kind of seeing, a profound seeing that goes beyond mere physical perception. Greek uses three verbs to denote ‘seeing’ or ‘looking’: ‘Blepō’, which denotes physical looking, a mere sensory perception; ‘Theoreō’, which means to observe, examine or scrutinise, and refers to a way of looking that questions and seeks to understand. ‘Horaō’ denotes a spiritual kind of seeing, a form of knowing or perceiving, and expresses an awareness of that which transcends the physical realm. In this sense, we might say that ‘horaō’ is the exact opposite of ‘blepō’. Jesus’s way of seeing, therefore, is not merely a matter of looking, but rather of embracing that crowd with his gaze—a crowd that belongs to him because it follows him.

Jesus feels “compassion for them”. The Greek verb used here is esplagchísthē and denotes a profound emotion that touches the person to the very depths of their being. The verb, in fact, is derived from the noun splágchnon, meaning “bowels”. What Jesus feels, therefore, is something that springs from the depths of his very being. Jesus, therefore, sees and is deeply moved. These two verbs, ‘to see’ and ‘to be moved’, are interdependent; one follows from the other, and together they create a profound communion between Jesus and the object of his sight and feeling. The use of this verb expresses the full depth of God’s visceral love for humanity.

When we speak of God’s mercy, of Jesus’ mercy, of his compassion, of this visceral stirring from the very depths of his being, all this is well represented by the images of Byzantine crucifixes, which depict Jesus with a very prominent belly. Why? Because the intention is to emphasise figuratively that he has ‘bowels of mercy’, that is, the capacity to feel the needs of humankind.

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)

5 Last modified on Tuesday, 28 July 2026 20:29

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Argentino Quintavalle

Argentino Quintavalle è studioso biblico ed esperto in Protestantesimo e Giudaismo. Autore del libro “Apocalisse - commento esegetico” (disponibile su Amazon) e specializzato in catechesi per protestanti che desiderano tornare nella Chiesa Cattolica.

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Christ is not resigned to the tombs that we have built for ourselves (Pope Francis)

Cristo non si rassegna ai sepolcri che ci siamo costruiti (Papa Francesco)

Many situations, then, which unfortunately do not conform to the legitimate predictions and rules established, are anything but negative; and instead of taking away confidence for the harassment they cause, They should have it more generous and far-sighted in favor of their process of responsible decantation (Pope Paul VI)

Molte situazioni, poi, che non sono purtroppo conformi alle legittime previsioni e alle norme stabilite, sono tutt’altro che del tutto negative; e invece di togliere la fiducia per la molestia che arrecano, esse dovrebbero averla più generosa e lungimirante in favore del loro processo di responsabile decantazione (Papa Paolo VI)

We must not fear the humility of taking little steps, but trust in the leaven that penetrates the dough and slowly causes it to rise (cf. Mt 13:33) [Pope Benedict]

Occorre non temere l’umiltà dei piccoli passi e confidare nel lievito che penetra nella pasta e lentamente la fa crescere (cfr Mt 13,33) [Papa Benedetto]

The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew [Evangelii Gaudium n.1]

La gioia del Vangelo riempie il cuore e la vita intera di coloro che si incontrano con Gesù. Coloro che si lasciano salvare da Lui sono liberati dal peccato, dalla tristezza, dal vuoto interiore, dall’isolamento. Con Gesù Cristo sempre nasce e rinasce la gioia [Evangelii Gaudium n.1]

The Spirit of the Lord continues to pour out his gifts upon the Church to guide us into all truth, to show us the meaning of the Scriptures and to make us credible heralds of the word of salvation before the world [Pope Benedict, Verbum Domini]

Lo Spirito del Signore continua ad effondere i suoi doni sulla Chiesa perché siamo condotti alla verità tutta intera, dischiudendo a noi il senso delle Scritture e rendendoci nel mondo annunciatori credibili della Parola di salvezza [Papa Benedetto, Verbum Domini]

This belonging to each other and to him is not some ideal, imaginary, symbolic relationship, but – I would almost want to say – a biological, life-transmitting state of belonging to Jesus Christ (Pope Benedict)

Questo appartenere l’uno all’altro e a Lui non è una qualsiasi relazione ideale, immaginaria, simbolica, ma – vorrei quasi dire – un appartenere a Gesù Cristo in senso biologico, pienamente vitale (Papa Benedetto)

Jesus invites us to discern the words and deeds which bear witness to the imminent coming of the Father’s kingdom. Indeed, he indicates and concentrates all the signs in the enigmatic “sign of Jonah”. By doing so, he overturns the worldly logic aimed at seeking signs that would confirm the human desire for self-affirmation and power (Pope John Paul II)

Gesù invita al discernimento in rapporto alle parole ed opere, che testimoniano l'imminente avvento del Regno del Padre. Anzi, Egli indirizza e concentra tutti i segni nell'enigmatico "segno di Giona". E con ciò rovescia la logica mondana tesa a cercare segni che confermino il desiderio di autoaffermazione e di potenza dell'uomo (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)

In reality, an abstract, distant god is more comfortable, one that doesn’t get himself involved in situations and who accepts a faith that is far from life, from problems, from society. Or we would even like to believe in a ‘special effects’ god (Pope Francis)

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