Seed and Soil: Matthew 13:1-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.

The boat became a pulpit. The lake curved like an amphitheater. Jesus sat—the teacher's posture—and the crowds lined the shore, hanging on his words.

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed."

Parables. Stories with hidden depths. Simple surfaces, profound meanings. Jesus began his most extended parabolic teaching with a farmer doing what farmers do.