That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
Matthew 13:1
A day by the sea. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
But if you read Matthew 12, you see that Jesus already had a rather busy day. He started out in the grain fields with hungry disciples who ate. Then, He had to deal with the Pharisees about what was lawful on the Sabbath. Then He went to the synagogue where He healed the man with the withered hand. By this time, the Pharisees conspired against Him and planned how they would destroy Him.
Jesus was aware of this and withdrew from there, with many following him, and He healed them ALL. Next, He healed a blind, mute, and demon-possessed man. More Pharisees to deal with. Then they ask for a sign. He tells them about Jonah and the queen of the South.
Like I said, Jesus had a busy day.
So now He goes out of the house and sits by the sea. He probably needed time to regroup. Pray. Talk to His Father. Rest. Be alone.
Guess what happens next?
Matthew 13:2 says, “And great crowds gathered around him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.”
While the Pharisees were conspiring against Him, these people followed Jesus. They wanted to be with Him, be near Him, and learn from Him. So many missed Him–another blog about that–but these people followed Him.
I want to be one who follows Jesus every day. I want to “gather” around Him and listen and hear what He will say to me as I study the Word and pray. Jesus, may we be like these people who followed You to listen and learn and draw near.