5 of Jesus’ Seaside Teachings to Study at the Beach
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Bodies of water played a significant geographic role in Jesus’ earthly ministry. He regularly traveled by the “sea” (though the Sea of Galilee is actually a lake) and taught on shores. Also, many of His disciples were fishermen whom He called while near the water. They knew a lot about boats and traversing the sea.
Like the other natural settings where Christ taught the crowds, the seaside setting showed that He went where the people were. He did not restrict His teachings to only those who were students of the Law or who were studying in the temple. Everyday people, like fishermen and farmers, were His audience, and He taught them in ways that connected with their daily lives through memorable stories and sayings.
Such universal application for those on different rungs of the social ladder mirrors His intent for the growth of His church. The lessons He taught were always meant to be far reaching – useful to Jew, Gentile, poor, and rich. For, as He told the disciples, they were to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, teaching everything He had commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). Christ taught a Jewish audience, but He always meant for the teachings to have widespread applicability.
Today, people around the world can study the Lord’s words in their own language. And there is an ongoing effort to make His teachings available in every language so that people from every nation, tribe, and tongue may know Him and follow Him as a disciple. We can read His Word at home or during our own travels. And we can study His teachings in various places, including the beach.
As we watch the waves glide in and out, feel its salty spray, and listen to the cry of the gulls, we can creatively imagine ourselves in first-century Israel listening to Jesus as He taught on the shore.
Here are a few of His teachings to incorporate into your beach reading.
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1. The Calling of Levi
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, crowds of people began to come to Him. They followed Him wherever He went, desiring healing and wanting to hear Him preach. And so, when the crowds came, as they usually did, Jesus began to teach them near the water (Mark 2:13).
Mark’s Gospel does not tell us what Christ taught on the shore, but soon after this, as He continued to walk along, He saw Levi (Matthew) and called him as a follower (Mark 2:14). This tax collector who was despised and treated as an outcast obeyed the call and began to follow Christ. He held a great feast in the Lord’s honor, and at this dinner, Jesus taught about the reason He dined and befriended people like Levi.
The Pharisees accused Jesus of being “a friend of tax collectors and sinners,” the people who belonged to the lowest rungs in society (Mark 2:16). The thought of a respected rabbi eating with Levi and other tax collectors was scandalous to them. But Jesus exposed the hypocrisy and faultiness of their assumption about the company He kept. As He taught, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).
Matthew provides added insight into Christ’s teaching (likely because he remembered the finer details of this event), adding a reference to Hosea 6:6 about God’s declaration that He desires mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 9:12-13). People like the Pharisees did not recognize their need for salvation since they already thought they were righteous through their adherence to a religious checklist. In contrast, individuals like the tax collectors and other “sinners” were aware of their need. Levi, an outcast of society, obeyed Christ’s call when the religious elite did not.
Jesus was a friend to those whom society deemed undesirable. He met the people where they were and responded with mercy to those who became aware of their need for repentance. May we follow Him and do likewise.
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2. The Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8
At another time, Jesus taught by the Sea of Galilee or the Lake of Gennesaret (Matthew 13:1-2). The crowds all came to Him and He spoke to them in parables. These stories with everyday elements conveyed spiritual truth, but only to those who were open to hearing the truth. Christ’s use of parables was deliberate so that only those to whom the secrets of the Kingdom had been given would understand (Matthew 13:11).
As He stood by the waters in this instance, He told them a story about a farmer sowing seed. The seeds fell on various areas of the ground – some more suitable to growth than others. Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground, which did not allow root growth. Others grew up near thorny weeds, which choked out the fledgling plants. And still others fell along the path and were eaten by birds. Yet, some of the farmer’s seed landed on a good patch of dirt, and it grew and became strong, producing a great harvest.
After Jesus had taught this parable to the crowds by the lake, the disciples went to Him privately and asked about the meaning. Christ revealed that He spoke to people in parables because: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13). This was in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Matthew 13:14-15).
He explained that the different areas of land where the seed fell referred to people’s responses to the word, the message of the Kingdom (Mark 13:19, Mark 4:14). The seed that fell on rocky ground corresponds to a person who receives the word gladly but falls away when hardships and persecution come (Matthew 13:20-21). The seed growing among weeds, which were choked out, refers to people who hear the word but whose growth is stunted because of the worries of the world (Matthew 13:22). The seed that was taken by the birds refers to the individuals who receive the word, but the devil snatches it away, leaving them without any possibility of growth (Matthew 13:19).
Only the seed that fell on good soil matured and became fruitful, bearing a harvest that multiplied greatly. This corresponds to the person who listens and understands (Matthew 13:23).
We want to be like the seed that fell on good soil, which produces an abundant crop for the glory of the Lord. And there are many ways we can cultivate this response by guarding ourselves against being stunted or withering in our Christian walk. Those weeds of worry about money, pleasure, and the anxieties of the world can be rooted out. For example, the Apostle Paul taught that we should practice contentment, being thankful for the necessities in life (1 Timothy 6:6-8). Our Lord also warned against worrying about food and clothing, reminding us to put our focus on the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
Likewise, we should make sure our roots are strong and deep. What is our faith based on: the finished work of Jesus or in our circumstances? If we think that following Jesus means an easy life with all our desires met, then we will struggle and possibly fall away when difficulties arise. Such an experience can be a telltale sign that our faith in misplaced and we need to return to the biblical basis for our hope: Jesus’ death and resurrection.
To be like the seed that fell on good soil requires initial growth but also long-term perseverance. As Luke’s Gospel states, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (Luke 8:15, emphasis added). We are most fruitful when we abide in the Vine, because it is through Him that we bear spiritual fruit (see John 15:4-5).
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3. Jesus Teaching from a Boat and the Calling of the First Disciples
Levi was not the only disciple to be called after Jesus taught the crowds by the sea. One day, the Lord utilized fishing boats to speak to the crowds on the shore. These boats were none other than the ones manned by Simon (Peter), James, and John.
After Jesus finished teaching the crowds, He turned His attention to the men in the boats. He told them to put down their fishing nets. They obeyed, despite having caught nothing during their regular nightly fishing hours. When they complied, they received a massive catch of fish and were amazed. Peter fell in awe of Jesus and pleaded with Him: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Seeing the power of Christ made Peter more aware of his standing before God; he was merely a sinful man in the presence of holiness.
The Lord, though, encouraged the men. He told them, “From now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10). These fishermen would now be fishers of men (see Matthew 4:19). And so, they left behind their old lives and followed the Lord (Luke 5:11).
What better way to imagine the massive catch of fish than by observing the ocean that is home to many different types of fish? As we sit and study on the beach, hearing the lapping of the waves, we immerse ourselves in this story. We, too, should be amazed at the awesome power of the Lord, and agree with Peter’s declaration. What would the holy Lord of all want with us, sinful humans as we are? Yet, Jesus has also called us as His disciples to be fishers of men. Such a wonderful privilege should compel us to think of ways we can follow Him today.
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4. On a Mountain Near the Sea – The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the Sermon on the Mount took place on a mountainside, while Luke describes it as a plain or level place. The traditional site for this famous sermon is the Mount of Beatitudes which is on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Today, a church sits on the spot where it is believed that Christ gave us the Beatitudes and other teachings from the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus addressing the crowds from a mountainside was no coincidence, and the Jewish people would not have overlooked its significance. A mountain was where Moses received the Law from God, containing all the instructions the Israelites needed for life and worship (Exodus 24:12-18). Yet here was Jesus, whom the people declared to be a great prophet (though He was much more!), presenting a set of teachings that in many ways turned ideas about the Law on their head. Someone greater than Moses had arrived; He was addressing the people as the One who perfectly fulfilled the Law.
He started with a series of blessings on those the world said were worthless and powerless. Then, He elaborated on areas of the Law where there was misunderstanding and misuse by the teachers and Pharisees. For example, He told the crowds, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43). Christ was not abolishing the Law of the Old Covenant but was fulfilling it (Matthew 5:17). He presented the Kingdom way to the people during this sermon, the way of living that was always intended to characterize a follower of God.
Studying this sermon in its entirety helps us better grasp the overall themes of Jesus’ teachings. Although these teachings are typically studied in snippets, they are connected and are meant to be read as a whole. Our Lord also meant for us to do more than merely study His teachings; we are meant to live the Kingdom way. Like the wise man who built his house on a rock, we are wise to put Jesus’ words into practice (Matthew 7:24-27).
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5. Jesus – the Bread of Life
After the Lord miraculously fed the five thousand and walked on the lake to meet the disciples, He landed on the other side. The crowds realized that Jesus must have somehow gone to the other side of the lake, even though He had not left in the disciples’ boat, and they followed Him.
But their search for Christ did not come from pure motives. Jesus recognized that they followed Him only because He had fed them (John 6:26). Their thoughts were solely on earthly matters; they had missed the significance of what Jesus had done. When He confronted them, they requested yet another sign and ignored what had just occurred the previous day. They said Moses had given the Israelites manna and they wanted a similar miracle from Him (John 6:30-31).
It was not Moses who gave the Israelites manna, but God. And something better than manna had now been given, bread from heaven that gave everlasting life. As Jesus taught them,
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:35-40).
The crowds talked about manna, the bread from heaven, but they were slow to believe in the Bread of Life, who came from heaven to offer His body for the salvation of humankind (John 6:51, 58). If they ate this bread, they would live forever.
To eat from Christ’s body and drink His blood is to place faith in Him, spiritually receiving the life-giving nourishment from what He accomplished through the cross. We see this symbolized in communion or the Eucharist, when we eat bread and drink wine or grape juice (Luke 22:19-20). For Jesus gives us eternal life when we trust in His death and resurrection; it is for that reason that He offered His body and blood as a sacrifice for our sins.
May our response be like that of Peter, who affirmed that Jesus has the words of life as the Holy One of God (John 6:68-69). A day on the beach cannot compare to an eternal relationship with the Savior.
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