“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 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. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying,” (Matthew 13:1–3a ESV)
Today, we resume our exegetical study of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 13:1-52 is a collection of parables of the kingdom of heaven. It is the third major discourse contained in Matthew. It follows the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and the Commissioning of the Apostles (Matt. 10). It precedes the Childlikeness of the Believer in Christ (Matt. 18) and the Olivet Discourse on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Matt. 24-25).
Matthew 13:1-50 contains seven parables concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. These include the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:3-23), the Parable of the Weeds (13:24-30), the Parable of the Mustard Seed (13:31-32), the Parable of the Leaven (13:33), the Parable of the Hidden Treasure (13:44), the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value (13:13:45-46), and the Parable of the Net (13:47-50).
Jesus’ teaching of these particular parables occurred immediately following the context of Matthew 12:9-50. In fact, the content of Matthew 13 occurred later the same day. Jesus went out of His house, presumably in Capernaum, sat down to teach beside the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is mentioned only in the Gospels. It was the headquarters of much of Jesus’ ministry (Matt. 4:12-16). It lay on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee (or Lake of Gennesaret). Its name means “village of Nahum.
The text says that great crowds gathered about Him. Therefore, Jesus got into a boat and sat down. There are several reasons for Jesus doing this. First, the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee has a sloping hill that forms a natural amphitheater. This allowed the people to gather to adequately hear Jesus. Second, by getting into a boat, this allowed the Savior to be distinctly seen by the people. Third, in sitting down Jesus assumed the formal Jewish posture of teaching and instructing (Luke 4:16-21). Conversely, the people stood on the beach to listen.
The text then says, “And he told them many things in parables, saying.” Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism. A parable is a long analogy, in the form of a story. Before this point in his ministry, Jesus had employed many analogies (cf. 5:13–16), but their meaning was fairly clear in the context of his teaching.
“Parables required more explanation (cf. 13:36) and Jesus employed them to obscure the truth from unbelievers while making it clearer to his disciples (vv. 11–12),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
“For the remainder of His Galilean ministry, He did not speak to the multitudes except in parables (v. 34). Jesus’ veiling the truth from unbelievers this way was both an act of judgment and an act of mercy. It was “judgment” because it kept them in the darkness that they loved (cf. John 3:19), but it was “mercy” because they had already rejected the light, so any exposure to more truth would only increase their condemnation.”
Tomorrow, we examine the Parable of the Sower (13:3-9, 18-23). Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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