1On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
I know that Jesus' explanation of this parable is discussed in the next verses, along with why He used parables, so I am not going to try explaining this parable at this time. Instead I'm going to take a look at His teaching, where He taught, and what lead up to this.
In Matthew 4, after His temptation in the Wilderness, Jesus started His ministry in Galilee. He called four fishermen while walking by the Sea of Galilee. He went about all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, healing all kinds of diseases. Great multitudes followed Him.
In Matthew 5-7, He went up the mountain and taught them to recognize their blessings, how to shine their light for the Glory of God, the fulfillment of the Law, reconciliation with those with whom you disagree, adultery in the heart and how you should strive to avoid possibilities of sinning, the sacredness of marriage, to say what you mean and mean what you say, give more than is asked of you, love your enemies, how to pray and fast, what you should treasure, what makes your body shine, that you cannot have two masters, that you should not worry, do not judge, keep asking, seeking, and knocking, that the right way is a narrow way, how to recognize false prophets, what you must do for Jesus to know you, and that following Jesus' sayings will give you a rock for your foundation.
In Matthew 8, Jesus came down from the mountain and great multitudes followed Him and He healed a leper. Jesus entered Capernaum and healed a Centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, and many more after Sabbath sunset. When Jesus saw great multitudes around them, He commanded they cross to the other side, where Jesus calmed the storm for the disciples fears, and where He healed the men who were possessed by a legion, and the people of the city came and begged Jesus to leave.
In Matthew 9, Jesus got back into a boat and returned to Nazareth where He seems to start angering the religious leaders of the time. He healed a paralytic by saying his sins were forgiven, which the scribes claimed was blasphemy. Jesus ate with tax collectors and called one to follow Him and the Pharisees were indignant that Jesus would mingle with these sinners. The disciples of John questioned why Jesus' disciples weren't fasting. Jesus does more healing as people profess their faith in Jesus: He brought a girl back to life and healed a woman, healed two blind men, healed a mute man. But the Pharisees claimed He did his work by the ruler of the demons. Still Jesus went about all their cities, preaching in their synagogues, and healing every sickness. Still there were multitudes about Him.
In Matthew 10, Jesus called His twelve apostles and sent them out to spread His ministry, first teaching them what to expect and what to do.
In Matthew 11, Jesus continued His preaching in their cities. He taught of His ministry vs. John's ministry, the importance of repentance, and that following Jesus is easy, not a burden.
In Matthew 12, Jesus angered the Pharisees when they criticized Him for gathering grain on the Sabbath and Jesus claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath. When Jesus healed someone in the synagogue, they criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus' answer of it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath angered them some more. So Jesus left the synagogue and multitudes followed Him and he healed them all. The Pharisees again accuse Jesus of healing by the ruler of the demons, and Jesus seems to come down pretty hard on the Pharisees. He explains that they are blaspheming the Holy Spirit and it will not be forgiven. He calls them a brood of vipers and
that by their words they will be condemned. He calls them and evil an adulterous generation and that they should not be seeking a sign, but listen to Him and seek His wisdom. He explains how this wicked generation will only get worse, even if He casts out the unclean spirits. The unclean spirits will return in greater strength if this generation does not fill the void left with goodness. Yes, there are many difficulties for those who will not gather with Jesus, but for those who do, there is a brotherhood with Christ, and being a member of Jesus' family means no particular member has priority over another member.
At this point, Jesus has many people angry with Him and many who want to follow and hear more. I would think He wouldn't be too welcome in many synagogues anymore. So they are gathering by the sea and Jesus will try to teach in a way that will not so easily offend those who are already angry with Him.