Sower's Cove: Parables of the Kingdom

 

Location

 

1. Sower’s Cove is located between Capernaum and Tabgha on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

 

2. It’s a natural cove with outstanding acoustics. 

 

3. When Christ preached the Parables of the Kingdom, He went out of His house in Capernaum and sat by the sea.

 

3. Some believe Sower’s Cove is the place where Christ preached the Parables of the Kingdom found in Matthew 13. 

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4. It seems the most likely place Jesus preached the Parables of the Kingdom is closer to Capernaum because the Bible says Jesus went out of a house there (most likely that of Peter) and preached.

Matthew 13:1-2: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.

 

Historical Background

 

1. A parable is a story that illustrates a truth by using an example from nature.

 

2. The parables tell what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.

 

3. The terms “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Kingdom of God” are the same. Matthew’s gospel uses the term “Kingdom of Heaven” as it was directed to a more Jewish audience. The Jews had such a high reverence for God that they didn’t use His name much. They even took out the syllables in Yahweh to show reverence. The other Gospels mainly use the term “Kingdom of God” in their accounts. 

 

4. Part of the reason Christ spoke in parables was to fulfill prophecies regarding judgment on the Israelites because of their dull and hardened hearts (Isaiah 6:9–10).
Matthew 13:13–17: This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

 

Places of Interest

 

1. Sower’s Cove

 

2. Capernaum

 

3. The northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

 

4. Mount of Beatitudes

 

5. Bethsaida

 

6. Tabgha

 

7. Sea of Galilee

 

Parable of the Sower in the Bible

 

1. Jesus went out by the Sea of Galilee and told many parables; one of them was the Parable of the Sower.
Matthew 13:1-9: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.

 

2. Jesus used the natural elements found right in this area as illustrations for this parable.

 

3. Christ explains the meaning of the Parable of the Sower. 
Matthew 13:18–23: Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

 

Summary of the Meaning of the Parable of the Sower

 

1. The seed is the Word of God.

 

2. The different soils represent the different kinds of hearts people can have.

 

3. The one who snatches away the seed is the Devil.

 

4. The hard soil is a hard heart that hears but refuses to let God’s Word enter. They are unsaved and under Satan’s control.

 

5. The rocky soil represents those who hear God’s Word but don’t continue when hard times and persecution come.  

 

6. The weedy soil represents people who allow the worries of life and the pursuit of wealth to choke out God’s Word, and they wither up and die.

 

7. The last soil that produces a harvest represents true believers who persevere in their faith, and in so doing, produce fruit.

 

8. It seems clear that the first 3 kinds of soils represent unsaved people. 

 

9. Only the last soil that produced fruit represents the truly saved person, as fruit is the example used throughout Scripture to refer to genuinely saved people.

 

Other Parables Christ Taught Close to Capernaum

 

1. Parable of the Weeds (Tares)

 

2. Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven

 

3. Parable of the Hidden Treasure

 

4. Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

 

5. Parable of the Net

 

Faith Lesson from Sower’s Cove

 

1. Part of the reason Christ spoke in parables was to fulfill prophecies regarding judgment on the Israelites because of their dull and unbelieving hearts. Are our hearts dull of hearing? What are we doing to protect our hearts from becoming dull of hearing? 

 

2. What kind of soil (heart) do we possess? Is it hard? Is it stony, shallow, and does it pull away from God when trials and suffering come? Is it full of the cares and distractions of this world? Or is it producing much fruit for God?

 

3. The good soil produced different amounts of fruit; some yielded a hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold. How much fruit are you producing for God?

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