35 – Teaching From a Boat

Just to the west of Capernaum lies a small bay, a very short distance from the valley in the hills where Jesus often taught. In the heat of summer Jesus would sometimes sit in a boat and look toward shore, where the people gathered. From the boat one can see, with a sweep of the eyes, the beach where the crowds could gather near the cool water. As Jesus looked to the right of the cove he saw where weeds grew. In front of him and behind the gathered people, he saw the paths leading up from the water. To his left Jesus saw the rocks with some growth amongst them. It was a perfect location to tell the “parable of the soils”.

The acoustics are excellent. Jesus could be seen and heard by all. The people would be comfortable, and the parable of the soils would come naturally to mind. To harvest a hundredfold would be phenomenal and should have reminded the people of how God had blessed Isaac. Considering the growing antagonism toward Jesus, and his ministry, the allegory of the good and bad seed would also have come easily to mind.

Jesus taught about the kingdom, but he taught in parables. People must learn to look beyond the obvious story to see the spiritual meaning, just as God had told Israel through the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus spoke about the coming Kingdom. He told the parables of the “growth” where the kingdom grows great (“mustard seed”), large (“yeast”) and before most notice it (“growing seed”). That the kingdom is worth everything, even ones very life (“treasure in the field” and “fine pearl”). Then Jesus taught that in the end, there would be a judgment time (“good and bad seed”, and “net of fish”). The people and the disciples must learn to see beyond the story itself and see the spiritual application.

DAB