Matthew 13:2

Monday, 8 September 2025

 

And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Matthew 13:2

 

“And they gathered to Him, great crowds, so too He, having in-stepped into the boat, sat. And all the crowd, they had stood on the beach” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Chapter 13 began with Jesus going out of the house He was in and sitting by the sea. Next, Matthew records, “And they gathered to Him, great crowds.”

 

The miracles and teachings of Jesus were of great interest to the people. Therefore, anytime He was in an open area, people would naturally flock to Him. In this case, such great crowds began to surround Him that Matthew next records, “so too He, having in-stepped into the boat, sat.”

 

Some texts omit the definite article, saying “a boat.” Either way, there was a boat available at the particular location, and so He got in and sat down. This would allow more people to hear and see Him without overcrowding.

 

Although the exact spot is unknown, there are places along the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee where the land makes a U-shaped formation. In such an area, the number of people who could see and hear Him would increase even more. They could almost encircle Him and listen. Whether this was the case or not at this time, the nature of the shore itself can be determined from the next words, which say, “And all the crowd, they had stood on the beach.”

 

Here is a new word, aigialos, a beach. It is derived from aisso, to rush, and hals, salt. Although the Sea of Galilee is not a saltwater sea, the idea is that the beach is like one found on a salty sea, where the waters rush upon it. This is likely a beach with sand or small pebbles.

 

In the immediate area, there are shores with large stones, smaller stones, pebbles, and sand. Some are mixed with large stones leading up to the beach and then small slivers of beach that meet the sea, or vice versa. Doing an image search or watching videos about the area, such as the one at this link, will give a sense of what the shoreline looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifTro5uRaT8

 

Life application: When you gather at church, what is your intent for doing so? The people of Israel surely had various ideas for going out to hear Jesus. Some were probably interested in seeing a miracle. Some may have wanted to hear the wisdom that overflowed from His teachings. There may have been some checking to see if He crossed every t and dotted every i in relation to the law.

 

Other people may have simply wanted to be close to the increasingly famous Teacher, making that a point of boasting when they talked to their friends, “Oh my, I got to sit in the front row, just feet away from Him!”

 

Today, people go to churches for such varied reasons as well. If you go each week to see a miracle, healing, or people speaking tongues, that will explain what you think the purpose of church is. If you are going to sit near a famous pastor, that will explain something about you.

 

Maybe you go because you want to challenge everything you hear, thus showing how much more you know about the sermon subject than the pastor. Each person’s reason for going to a church will be a little bit different because we are all individuals with our own wants, desires, and thoughts about religion.

 

Consider yourself and what motivates you. Next, consider what you think God would want you to focus on. Does what you want match what you think God would want for you? A few points are certain. God wants to be recognized for who He is, meaning His being, such as what He is like, what His attributes are, and why He has done things the way He has done them.

 

When we ask people about such things, they are happy to respond because you are showing an interest in them. God wants you to be interested in Him. God also wants you to know His word. It is the word of God that most poignantly reveals Him to us. It is a testament that details creation, spans human history, explains why things are the way they are, and so forth.

 

God also wants you to see Jesus. His word tells us this explicitly, such as in Hebrews 12:2. However, according to Jesus, it does so in other ways as well. He said this a couple of times in John 5. In reading the Bible, we can find Jesus typologically, pictorially, and in other ways.

 

So, when you go to church, you should be pursuing these avenues of knowing God. If the church you attend is not doing this, your time in church is misdirected. Be sure to compare if what you do in your pursuit of Christianity is actually based on what Christianity is about.

 

Read the word, know what it says, and be willing to continue to learn more as you attend a church that explores the many facets of God and His interaction with His creation, especially in relation to Jesus Christ.

 

Lord God, may our priorities be aligned with Yours more and more each day. Help us to focus on You, and on Your word. May we make a concerted effort to have a closer and more personal relationship with You at all times. Help us in this, O God. Amen.