When Jesus heard about the death of John the Baptist, he left by boat and went to a remote, deserted place.

 

When Jesus heard about the death of John the Baptist, he left by boat and went to a remote, deserted place. But when the crowds heard about it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus got out of the boat and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed those who were sick. 15 When evening came, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a deserted place, and it is already late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 The disciples answered, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 Jesus said, “Bring them here.” 19 Jesus told the crowds to sit down on the grass. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and said the blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples. The disciples distributed the loaves to the crowds. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. 21 Those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

—Word of Salvation. Reflection The six accounts of the multiplication of the loaves are present in the four evangelists (twice in Matthew and Mark, once in Luke and John). According to the text of Matthew, the multiplication comes right after the text of the narration of the death of John the Baptist. In Matthew, when Jesus learns of the death of the prophet precursor, he goes to the desert. Here there is a reference to the exodus. Jesus is seen as the new Moses before a world hostile to truth and human dignity. At Herod's banquet, indifference to humans and the relativization of life reigned. The death of innocents was easily chosen, as in the case of the prophet John the Baptist. This is a special moment to reflect on the mission of salvation in the face of the hostility of the world, represented in the figure of Herod. Jesus needs to be alone with the Father. His whole being is turned toward the Will of the Father and toward the mission of salvation. He knows the challenge that lies ahead, knows the hearts of men well, understands their weaknesses, but also their iniquities. In their search for themselves, they are capable of denying their own salvation. A crowd follows Jesus, who, upon getting out of the boat, sees everyone, is filled with compassion and heals the sick among them. This crowd is reminiscent of the people of God in the desert (Ps 78:19), following Moses. Well, here is the new Moses, who can transform forever the lives of all who turn to Him. It is important to emphasize here the use of the verbs: to see, to have compassion and to heal. Jesus sees a crowd with no horizon, no future, enslaved to three great powers: political, economic and religious of the time. Jesus' gaze upon them is not superficial. He reaches them with his penetrating vision. Each person feels involved and loved within the scope of the vision of the Master of Nazareth. His gaze makes him go deep into the other person’s innermost being, penetrate their story and feel their suffering. Jesus becomes so close that he even suffers with the other person. Hence his attitude of compassion, bearing the miseries of those who suffer. He wants to give those people the greatest gift, the greatest wealth, which comes from the encounter they are having with the Savior. Finally, Jesus’ liberating gesture, revealed by his attitude of healing the sick, physically freeing them as a sign of the transformation of the whole person.