Chapter Thirteen of St. Mathew's Gospel is comprised of seven different parables. For this reason this chapter is usually called the parable discourse. Because the subject matter and themes are similar, the parables are called the kingdom parables.
Jesus' parables are very effective. By drawing on the ordinary routines of daily life, he sheds light on the deepest supernatural mysteries. Thus by reflecting upon the parables we may get a glimpse at the humanity of Jesus and his kindness toward those crowded about him, eager to hear his message of truth.
Jesus taught the seven parables on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, sometimes called Lake Gennesaret or Lake Tiberius. Visitors to this fertile plain west of the Sea of Galilee can appreciate Jesus' description of the sower in the parable (Matthew 13: 1-23).
In the Holy Land at the time of Jesus, the fields were laid out in long narrow strips. The ground between the strips served as a footpath for those who crossed through the fields. Over time these paths were beaten hard by the feet of countless villagers who passed through the fields to get to their destinations. As the sower went about his task in the fields, the wind carried the seed and some would fall on these hardened paths... (Continued here).
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