2 August 2026 – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time ‘A’
Isaiah 55:1–3; Romans 8:35, 37–39; Matthew 14:13–21
Homily
Let us first place this account in the context in which Matthew sets it in his Gospel. This is a difficult time in Jesus’ life. On the one hand, he had been teaching the crowds who followed Him using many parables, but the people remained deaf to His message. On the other hand, He has just learnt that Herod, who had John the Baptist beheaded, believes that He, Jesus, is John the Baptist risen from the dead. Jesus, whose hour had not yet come, then got into a boat to withdraw to a solitary place. But now the crowds – those very same crowds who had remained deaf to His teaching – discovered where He was, no doubt fascinated by the messenger, even if they did not receive the message. Much like what happens at great religious gatherings throughout history, including in our own time.
These people came from the towns along the lake, where Jesus had performed many miracles but which had not converted, and which Jesus had rebuked shortly before (Mt 11:20ff). What will Jesus do with regard to this crowd that is following Him but does not believe in Him? He no longer teaches this crowd, since they do not receive His teaching. But He continues to have compassion on them and heals the sick. Meanwhile, He continues to train His disciples, who are to carry on His mission after His death. The account we have just read is not a description of a miracle intended to impress the crowds or to impress us, but the account of a teaching given by Jesus to His disciples.
The people following Jesus in this way come from the towns and villages – that is, the trading centres lining the shores of Lake Tiberias. The disciples are, for the most part, fishermen themselves, and therefore fishmongers. They immediately think in terms of trade. As evening approaches, they urge Jesus to send the people back to where they came from so that they can buy food. Jesus is going to lead them to think not in terms of trade but in terms of sharing. He invites them to share with the crowd the little they themselves have brought: five loaves and two fish.
This story is generally known as the story of ‘the feeding of the five thousand’. But the Gospel text never uses that phrase; it is the result of our own interpretation and our fascination with the miraculous. The story is quite simply about sharing. The real miracle that took place that day was the act of sharing. No doubt most people in the crowd had brought, like the disciples, a few loaves and a few fish. When everyone, following the example of Jesus and His disciples, shared what little they had, there was more than enough for everyone, and even far more than was needed. Sharing is so contrary to our selfish nature that every time it happens, it is a true miracle. Or rather, it is a true testimony to the Gospel.
Furthermore, the details of the context in which Matthew sets this event are also instructive. Jesus asks the crowd to lie down on the grass. The Greek verb used describes the posture of someone settling down on a couch for a feast. This was the way free men ate, not servants or slaves. It was also the posture one was required to adopt for the Passover meal, which was eaten every year in remembrance of the liberation from Egypt. Matthew therefore wishes to present Jesus as the new Moses. We are in the desert and the people are hungry. The solution to the problem of hunger is not the miraculous production of bread. This had been precisely the first temptation presented to Jesus by the devil, which Jesus had rejected. The solution lies in everyone’s hands. It lies in the simple sharing of the goods of creation.
From time to time, the media tell us about famine in one part of the world or another. And there is also hunger close to home. The solution to this problem, on a global scale as well as at every level, does not lie in complex financial calculations but in fair sharing.
The credibility of the Gospel message is at stake.