Matthew 13:1-4

Later that day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeshore to teach the people. Soon, there were so many people surrounding him that he had to teach sitting in a boat while the large crowd stood on the shore. He taught them many things by using stories, parables to illustrate spiritual truths, saying: “Consider this: There was a farmer who went out to sow seeds. As he cast his seeds, some fell along the beaten path and the birds came and ate them.