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Mark 2:13

in Mark 2

Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

KJV

And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

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This verse in Mark 2

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 1107.

Or else, after the miracle, He goes to the sea, as if wishing to be alone, but the crowd runs to Him again, that thou mightest learn, that the more thou fliest from glory, the more she herself pursues thee; but if thou followest her, she will fly from thee.

This site's exposition

Once again Jesus went out beside the sea

on Mark 2:13-14

Levi collects customs for Rome, a trade his people counted as collaboration and dishonesty. Yet Jesus calls him with the same two words He gave the fishermen, and Levi got up and followed Him.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on Mark · Written before 1107.

proposed

After performing the miracle on the paralytic, the Lord went away to the sea, probably seeking solitude, but the crowd gathers around Him again. Learn, then, that to the degree you flee from glory, it will pursue you; but if you pursue it, it will …

A commentator

Bede

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 735.

proposed

(ubi sup.) After that the Lord taught at Capernaum, He went to the sea, that He might not only set in order the life of men in towns, but also might preach the Gospel of the kingdom to those who dwelt near the sea, and might teach them to despise the restless motions of those things which pass away like the waves of the sea, and to overcome them by the firmness of faith; wherefore it is said, And he went forth again to the sea, and all the multitude, &c.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And he went forth again by the sea side,.... The sea of Galilee, where he had met with, and called Peter and Andrew, James and John; and not far from which were the solitary place, and the desert places, where he was before he entered into Capernaum: and all the multitude resorted unto him; who had been with him at Peter's house, and about the door, and those who could not get near him: and he taught them; the word of God, the Gospel, and the doctrines of it.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

However, Christ called him to follow him. Paul, though a Pharisee, had been one of the chief of sinners, and yet was called to be an apostle. With God, through Christ, there is mercy to pardon the greatest sins, and grace to sanctify the greatest sinners.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

The person who is called Levi, at the beginning of this passage, is the same person who is called Matthew in the first of the four Gospels. Let us not forget this. It is no less than an apostle and an evangelist, whose early history is now before our eyes. We learn from these verses the power of Christ to call men out from the world, and make them His disciples . We read that he said to Levi, when "sitting at the receipt of custom, Follow me." And at once "he arose and followed him."
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

The person who is called Levi, at the beginning of this passage, is the same person who is called Matthew in the first of the four Gospels. Let us not forget this. It is no less than an apostle and an evangelist, whose early history is now before our eyes. We learn from these verses the power of Christ to call men out from the world, and make them His disciples . We read that he said to Levi, when "sitting at the receipt of custom, Follow me." And at once "he arose and followed him." From a tax-collector he became an apostle, and a writer of the first book in the New Testament, which is now known all over the world. This is a truth of deep importance. Without a divine call no one can be saved. We are all so sunk in sin, and so wedded to the world, that we would never turn to God and seek salvation, unless He first called us by His grace. God must speak to our hearts by His Spirit, before we shall ever speak to Him. Those who are sons of God, says the 17th Article, are "called according to God's purpose by His Spirit working in due season." Now how blessed is the thought that this calling of sinners is committed to so gracious a Savior as Christ! When the Lord Jesus calls a sinner to be His servant, He acts as a Sovereign ; but He acts with infinite mercy . He often chooses those who seem most unlikely to do His will, and furthest off from His kingdom. He draws them to Himself with almighty power, breaks the chains of old habits and customs, and makes them new creatures. As the magnet attracts the iron, and the south wind softens the frozen ground, so does Christ's calling draw sinners out from the world, and melt the hardest heart. "The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation." Blessed are they, who, when they hear it, harden not their hearts! We ought never to despair entirely of any one's salvation, when we read this passage of Scripture.
By the sea-side - That is, by the Sea of Tiberias, on the shore of which Capernaum was situated. See the notes at Mat 4:13.

The words behind it

16 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

11 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Mark 4:1Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.7 worksMark 1:45But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.5 worksMark 2:2they gathered in such large numbers that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them.5 worksProverbs 1:20–22Wisdom calls out in the street, she lifts her voice in the square;3 worksMark 10:1Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.3 worksMark 3:20–21Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.2 works
The other 5 cross-references, with their words ▾
Mark 3:7–8So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,2 worksLuke 21:38And early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him at the temple.2 worksLuke 19:48Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.2 worksMatthew 9:9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.2 worksMatthew 13:1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Mark 4:1

    Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the…

    it leads to

    • Luke 5:1–3

      On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

    • Luke 8:4–10

      While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable:

    • Matthew 13:1–15

      That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.

    • Mark 3:7

      So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,

  • Through

    Mark 1:45

    But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people…

    it leads to

    • Matthew 9:31

      But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.

    • Luke 5:15–17

      But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

    • John 6:2

      A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.

    • Psalms 77:11

      I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.

Where this verse is studied

About Mark

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Public domain.
Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Public domain.
Mark: the study guide →Read Mark 2 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark.

Read on in Mark 2 →