Gospel: "Jesus began to teach by the sea," says today's Gospel (Mk 4). In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus speaks of rocky ground, fertile ground and thorny ground. Here is the "Bay of Parables," where by tradition Jesus preached that parable. Why do we think that? Well, first... 
....there are only a few places on this side of the Sea of Galilee where this could have happened; Jesus was living in Capernaum (just to the left of this photo); and the shoreline is a naturally occurring amphitheater, where people would have been able to hear him more easily...
In the Parable, Jesus uses the image of rocky ground, fertile ground and thorny ground to illustrate the way that the word of God is "received." When you visit the Bay of Parables today, you can see: rocks, thorns and fertile ground. So Jesus was probably not saying, "These...
....people are like rocks," but more likely, "These people are like those rocks right there behind you."
Never forget that the events in the Gospels happened in a real place with real people in a real time.
Never forget that the events in the Gospels happened in a real place with real people in a real time.
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