Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 3:9

"And he spake to his disciples, that a little boat should wait on him because of the crowd, lest they should throng him:" — Mark 3:9 (ASV)

Only Mark includes the detail about the boat. Its purpose was, of course, to provide escape for Jesus in case the crowd began to get unruly. Great numbers of people were pressing forward just to touch Jesus in the hope that they might be healed. Once again, the crowd seems to have had little interest in Jesus other than as a miracle-worker. Despite this, he graciously healed many of them.