He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land” (Mark 4:1).
At a time when there was no amplification, Jesus went out on a boat to talk to the crowds who were seated on a hillside. A natural amphitheater. Should it surprise us that God knows these things? He invented them. Do see the cleverness of God. He tells you who He is with every action. He will use His creation to impart the truth of His presence. Listen to His purpose and follow Him.
Lord, we think we are clever when we make a discovery about Your creation. You know these things and You have given us the ability to know them too. Help me to be thankful for the resourcefulness You grant in wisdom and help me to apply what I learn to live in, and speak the truth, all the days of my life. Guide me in the wisdom You give, giving thanks for, and rightly using the wisdom for Your kingdom.
Lord Jesus, You are calm and matter-of-fact about things. You have come into our ordinary lives and offered us the extraordinary gift of salvation. Lead me in the way You know I need to go. You have put Yourself in a place in my life where I can clearly hear as You speak. Help me to hear Your word, be calm, and follow in the way of the promise which You have set before me. Amen.
Thinking about this passage and others where Jesus preaches to very large crowds outside, I now wonder about it being a miracle in itself. A normal human could not sit in a boat off a sea shore and be heard more than a hundred feet or so over the noise of the surf and other factors. When Jesus ministers to thousands of people, something unnatural had to be in play so that all the people could hear. I understand the natural amphitheater setting (we have one at the beach in Daytona but not for thousands and not competing with ocean waves). I cannot imagine what must have taken place for all those people to hear and be taught the word of God but I know it happened and it was wonderful. I personally think that each person in the crowd could hear as if Jesus were sitting right in front of them and speaking in a normal voice even though it is not explained in any of the Gospels.