Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 13:1-2

"On that day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And there were gathered unto him great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat, and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach." — Matthew 13:1-2 (ASV)

The same day ... out of the house — In Mark, the parable of the Sower follows the appearance of Jesus’ mother and brothers, as it does in Matthew, but in Luke the order is inverted (Luke 8:4–15; Luke 8:19–21). In this case, the order of the first Gospel seems preferable, as it provides a more understandable sequence of events. The hostile accusation of the Pharisees, the plots against His life, the absence of real support where He might have most expected it, and the opposition stirred up by His direct teaching—these factors led Him to present His message in a form that was at once more attractive, less open to attack, and better as an intellectual and spiritual training for His disciples. It also served as a test of character and, therefore, an education for the multitude.

That our Lord had been speaking in a house up to this point is implied by the phrase standing without in Matthew 12:46. He now turned to the crowd that followed Him. To prevent the pressure of the crowd from interrupting His teaching or provoking a hostile attack—a real possibility given the feelings stirred by what He had just taught—He entered a boat, likely with a few of His disciples. He then put a short distance of water between Himself and the crowd and began to speak.