13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.

• During Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, Jesus went to the northwestern shore of Galilee located at Capernaum in northern Israel 25 miles from Nazareth.
• Jesus was facing intense hostility from religious leaders for not observing the Sabbath according to their laws. His disciples gathered grain for food causing more opposition to His ministry after healing a man on the Sabbath.

² And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.

• Crowds heard about Jesus’ and His Sermon on the Mount just prior Him healing a man on the Sabbath.
• People flocked to see Jesus for several different reasons. Faith was beginning to build from hearing Jesus’ stories. Paul states that faith comes by hearing. This is the purpose of Jesus’ ministry on earth.

³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.

⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

 

⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,

 

⁶ but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.

 

⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

 

⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

 

 ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear.”