Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 6:16
And when even was [now] come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
16 21. The Sign on the Lake; Walking on the Water
16. when even was now come ] S. Matthew (Mat 14:15; Mat 14:23) makes two evenings; this was in accordance with Jewish custom. It is the second evening that is here meant, from 6 p.m. to dark.
went down ] From Mat 14:22 and Mar 6:45 we learn that Christ ‘constrained’ His disciples to embark: this points either to their general unwillingness to leave Him, or to their having shared the wish to make Him a king by force. S. Luke omits the whole incident.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
See this miracle of walking on the sea explained in the notes at Mat 14:22-33. Compare Mar 6:45-52.
Joh 6:21
Immediately – Quickly. Before a long time. How far they were from the land we know not, but there is no evidence that there was a miracle in the case. The word translated immediately does not of necessity imply that there was no interval of time, but that there was not a long interval. Thus, in Mat 13:5, in the parable of the sower, and immediately (the same word in Greek) they sprung up, etc., Mar 4:17; Mat 24:29; 3Jo 1:14.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
This piece of history is related much more fully by the other evangelists, Mat 14:23-33 Mar 6:46-52. See Poole on “Mat 14:23“, and following verses to Mat 14:33. See Poole on “Mar 6:46“, and following verses to Mar 6:52.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16, 17. when even was come(Seeon Mr 6:35).
entered into aship“constrained” to do so by their Master(Mat 14:22; Mar 6:45),in order to put an end to the misdirected excitement in His favor(Joh 6:15), into which thedisciples themselves may have been somewhat drawn. The word”constrained” implies reluctance on their part, perhapsfrom unwillingness to part with their Master and embark at night,leaving Him alone on the mountain.
wentrather, “wereproceeding.”
toward CapernaumMarksays (Mr 6:45), “untoBethsaida,” meaning “Bethsaida of Galilee” (Joh12:21), on the west side of the lake. The place they left was ofthe same name (see on Mr 6:32).
Jesus was not come tothemThey probably lingered in hopes of His still joining them,and so let the darkness come on.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when even was [now] come,…. The last of the evenings, when night was coming on; for the first of the evenings took place before they sat down to eat, when the above miracle was wrought; see Mt 14:15.
His disciples went down unto the sea; of Galilee, or Tiberias, to the sea side; and this was by the order, and even constraint of Christ, who would have them go before him, that he might be clear of the multitude, and have an opportunity for solitary prayer,
[See comments on Mt 14:22] [See comments on Mr 6:45].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When evening came ( ). “The late hour” ( understood), and so in late Greek the adjective is used as a substantive. It is late evening (real evening), not the early evening in mid-afternoon (Mt 14:15). The disciples were in no hurry to start back to Bethsaida in Galilee (Mr 6:45), Capernaum in John (Joh 6:17).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Even [] . An adjective; oyiov, late with wra, hour, understood.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And when even was now come,” (hos de opsia egeneto) “Then as evening came,” or when evening had come, as the shadows gathered and night fell over the hills and Sea of Galilee, Mat 14:23, as the night was drawing on, Luk 9:12, much later than when Jesus first inquired about the food.
2) “His disciples went down unto the sea,” (katebesan hoi mathetai autou epi ten thalassan) “His disciples went down upon the sea,” Mar 6:45; Mar 6:47.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
16. His disciples went down. Christ undoubtedly intended to conceal himself until the crowd should disperse. We know how difficult it is to allay a popular tumult. Now, if they had openly attempted to do what they had intended, it would have been no easy matter afterwards to wipe off the stain which had once been fixed upon him. Meanwhile, he spent all that time in prayer, as the other Evangelists (Mat 14:23; Mar 6:46) relate; probably, that God the Father might repress that folly of the people. (130) As to his crossing the lake in a miraculous manner, it is intended to profit his disciples by again confirming their faith. The advantage extended still farther; for next day all the people would easily see that he had not been brought thither by a boat or ship, (131) but that he had come by his own power; for they blockaded the shore from which he had to set out, and would scarcely have been drawn away from it, if they had not seen the disciples cross to a different place.
(130) On our Savior’s retirement into the mountain to pray, our Author has made very interesting and profitable observations. Harmony of the Evangelists, volume 2, page 237. — Ed.
(131) “ Par basteau ou navire.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
EXPLANATORY AND CRITICAL NOTES
Joh. 6:17. Jesus was not yet come.They had probably understood that He was to meet them at some point on the shore.
Joh. 6:19. As the stretch from the point where they set sail to Tiberias was perhaps seven to eight miles, the disciples had probably made only about half the distance (Mar. 6:47). Jesus walking on the sea ( ).Not along the shore, as some rationalistic critics suggest. The whole narrative is against such an interpretation (see also Mat. 14:28-33), which is quite conclusive against this conjecture.
Joh. 6:21. They willingly.They were willing to receive Him, etc.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Joh. 6:16-21
Christ the hope of the faithful and of His Church in peril.This narrative of St. John must be taken in connection with the parallel passages in the Synoptists (Mat. 14:22-33; Mar. 6:45-52, which see), which give a more full and circumstantial account of this incident. St. Johns purpose, it may be, in his manner of narrating the incident, was to emphasise our Lords true kingship. He would not consent to be made a king after the desire of the Jews; but He showed in this miracle His true royal dignity. It was for this reason in part that He constrained His disciples to depart to the other side, whilst He remained behind. He did not wish them to be infected with the carnal enthusiasm of the people, and it was perhaps the rising desire in their hearts that He would comply with the wishes of the people that made it necessary for Him to constrain them (Mat. 14:22) to depart. And besides, He would turn the occasion into a means of strengthening and confirming their faith.
I. Peace on the mountain side.
1. After the miracle of feeding the five thousand, which had been wrought on some plain near the lake most likely, our Lord retired alone to the mountain (whither He had gone before the miracle, Joh. 6:3), in order to escape the throng of people who wished to proclaim Him a king. But as His kingdom was not of this world, His crown no tinsel or even golden crown of earth, to be placed on His head with acclamation by men, but, so far as this world was concerned, a crown of thorns, He went in the gathering darkness to the solitary mountain side.
2. Yet another purpose also impelled Him thither. It is true the divine Son was ever conscious of His Fathers presence; but as the Son incarnate He needed these periods of restful, undisturbed communion with the Father, whence He came forth strengthened for His work.
3. And especially at such a time would He need this strengthening. The people altogether misunderstood His mission; even His disciples were prone to be led away by the prevailing Messianic conceptions, whilst one of them had a devil (Joh. 6:70). Therefore the incarnate Son needed to be strengthened now by close and uninterrupted communion with the Father, as in Gethsemane and in other crises of His ministry.
II. Trouble on the sea.
1. Meantime the disciples had embarked for Capernaum. It would almost seem as if they had tarried for Him at some point along the eastern shore; but, as He had not come, in obedience to His order, previously given no doubt, they launched forth (Joh. 6:17):
2. One of those sudden storms which sweep down on the deep trough in which this land-locked lake lies arose soon after the disciples set sail, and drove them, in spite of laborious rowing, toward the middle of the lake, so that when the fourth watch of the night began the toiling vessel was still far from its destination.
3. When suddenly, in the struggling moonbeams misty light, shining intermittently through the storm-rack, they saw that which confounded and terrified thema human form treading securely over the heaving waters.
III. Peace on the troubled waters.
1. On the solitary mountain side Jesus did not forget His followers. As before said, His intention was doubtless to strengthen their faith by that nights experience. He saw them as they toiled in rowing. But they must be prepared for the hour when He should have to go hence, and they should be left alone to buffet with the winds and waves of the worlds opposition.
2. But when the moment He saw fittest had come He appeared near them walking on the storm-tossed waters. The first effect on them of His appearance was a sensation of terror. They forgot their Masters powerthat once before He had risen from sleep and stilled the storm, with words of rebuke to them for the weakness of their faith (comp. Mat. 8:26). They forgot that His power had, but a few hours before, been manifested in the feeding of the multitude. They had now to learn that that power availed though space and storm should for the moment sunder them from Him. And in His cheering hail over the stormy waters, It is I, be not afraid, we hear the prelude of the comforting words, Let not your heart be troubled, and the resurrection greeting, Peace be unto you (Joh. 14:1; Joh. 20:19; Joh. 20:26).
3. Now they joyfully recognised their Lord, and were willingheartfeltly willingto receive Him into the ship. And after the incident in which Peter figures conspicuously, and which is recorded by the other Evangelists, Jesus entered the ship, the storm subsided (Mat. 14:32), and the vessel, obeying Him who rules in all the realms of being, was immediately at the land whither they went.
IV. Christ comes still to His people in storm and trouble.
1. This miracle, like most of those wrought by our Lord, has a spiritual purpose, as well as that it was immediately intended to effect. His words of cheer, It is I, be not afraid, still ring out in the night and storm and tempest to comfort His people, and have done so in all the centuries since that night on Galilee.
2. Christ has passed from our view into the heavenly mount of God, and we have perforce to launch out here on the stormy sea of life. But shall we not, even in the darkest and most troubled hour, remember all He has done for us, His miracles of mercy and power in the pastall His goodness? and can we forget that the Shepherd of Israel, of His own people, neither slumbers nor sleeps, and that in the hour of need He will appear to our aid?
3. And when He does come it may be in unwonted fashion, it may seem as purposing to pass by (Mar. 6:48), or as to the disciples at Emmaus as though He would go further. Yet it is but to quicken our faith and lead us to put confidence in Him, and trust in the fulfilment of His promise that He is with us always (Mat. 28:20), even when we cannot recognise Him in the events and circumstances that surround us. And thus, even in the solemn hour when we must fare forth across the waters of death, we shall, if faithful, know that He is near, and hear His cheering word, It is I, be not afraid.
4. The Church has fitly appropriated this incident as a type of her experience at earnest periods of her history. So, in these latter days, when fiercer storms than she has before experienced beat upon her, and her company strain wearily, it may often seem vainly, at the labouring oar, let them take courage, remember the past, and believe that He is near.
And all is well, tho faith and form
Be sunderd in the night of fear;
Well roars the storm to those that hear
A deeper voice across the storm.
Tennyson.
HOMILETIC NOTES
Joh. 6:17. The Christian life under the figure of a voyage.We see:
I. The peaceful commencement;
II. The stormy progress;
III. The happy termination.
Joh. 6:18. The progress of Christs Church on earth like that of a ship.
I. The ship has to contend with the winds and waves;
II. The ships company are fainthearted and fearful often;
III. But the Lord leads it by His powerful hand to the quiet haven.J. L. Sommer.
Joh. 6:18. Storms on the Galilean lake.The traveller on first viewing the Lake of Galilee, approaching it either from the heights above or the Jordan valley, generally looks on a calm and tranquil scene. Lying far below the level of the Mediterranean Sea (600 feet), shut in by sloping hillsides, which are in reality depressions of great tablelands, it seems always the same peaceful, beautiful sheet of water. Its rippling wavelets glitter in the sunshine and murmur gently along the shore; and over the sunlit reaches the wild aquatic birds wing their flight. It would almost seem as if no wild commotion could break in on and disturb the restful scene. But in Syria and Palestine during winter and spring sudden storms arise at pretty regular intervals, lasting usually two or three or more days. Then the turmoil of the elements is often awe-inspiring and grand. The rains fall with tropical violence, lightning flashes all around, whilst the thunder crashes overhead and reverberates among the valleys and ravines of the hillsides. From those heights the storm-winds rush in fury and roar over the level country, lashing the waters of those inland lakes into stormy commotion, and sending foam-capped waves dashing on the shore. It was probably such a storm as thisone of the last of the seasonthat met the disciples. We have several hints of this well-known phenomenon of the regularly recurring winter and spring storms in Syria in the gospel narrative, not the least interesting being the graphic description in the concluding parable in the Sermon on the Mount.
Joh. 6:19. The will of Christ potential in the miracle of walking on the sea.It is a docetic view of the person of Christ which conceives of His body as permanently exempt from the law of gravitation, and in this way explains the miracle; a hard and mechanical view, which places the seat of the miracle in the waters, rendered solid under His feet. Rather was it the will of Christ which bore Him triumphantly above those waters; even as it was the will of Peter, that will, indeed, made in the highest degree active and potential by faith in the Son of God, which should in like manner have enabled him to walk on the great deep, and, though with partial and transient failure, did so enable him. It has been already urged that the miracle, according to its true idea, is not the suspension, still less the violation of law; but the incoming of a higher law, as of a spiritual in the midst of natural laws; and so far as its range and reach extend, the assertion for that higher law of the predominance which it was intended to have, and but for mans fall it would always have had, over the lower; and with this a prophetic anticipation of the abiding predominance which it shall one day recover. Exactly thus was there here a sign of the lordship of mans will, when that will is in absolute harmony with Gods will, over external nature. In regard of this very law of gravitation, a feeble remnant of his power, and one for the most part unconsciously possessed, survives to man in the unquestionable fact that his body is lighter when he is awake than sleeping; a fact which every nurse who has carried a child can attest. From this we conclude that the human consciousness, as an inner centre, works as an opposing force to the attraction of the earth and the centripetal force of gravity, however unable in this present time to overbear it.Archbishop Trench.
Joh. 6:19-21. The threefold word of comfort from our Gospel unto all troubled souls.
I. Be not afraid! for we have near us One who is our Lord and who will be with us even to the end of the world (Joh. 6:19-20).
II. Be not afraid! for however strange and unwonted the manner in which He may come to us, His presence will ever bring us joy (Joh. 6:21; Joh. 6:1 st cl.);
III. Be not afraid! for when He is with us we shall speedily arrive at the desired haven; His presence will bring us success in our labours for Him (Joh. 6:21; Joh. 6:2 nd cl.).
ILLUSTRATIONS
Joh. 6:18. Who is Christ?Are our opponents right, and has Jesus gone never to return? The ground seems to be giving way beneath our feet! Now, indeed, is the time when faith must be silent before the Lord. Yet, what is it comes toward us through the darkness of the night? What kind of appearance is it for whose feet the rolling waters form themselves into a bridge? It is a spiritso imagined the troubled ships company on Galilee. [Equally astray are] those shortsighted interpreters who seek to lead men to trace back the greatness of Christ to a delusion, a seeming greatness, projected on the uncertain and wavering mists of tradition, on the concave mirror of a lively imagination. He cannot have been really and truly the Son of God; but the superstitious and easily misled multitude proclaimed Him to be so. He did not speak the word of life, nor was He Himself the Word of life, but simply a pious fraud, a spontaneous poetical creation invented by various accomplices. Thus the forgery was executed. He will not quicken us either now or hereafter; but in our common speech and in our thought we may keep Him continually in existence from generation to generation. In all the history there is only a small kernel of fact worthy of belief: the envelope is a floating cometic mantle composed of sheer imaginations, legends, exaggerations, and misunderstandings. Church of the Lord, can this be the foundation of your confidence!Translated from Dr. R. Kgel.
Joh. 6:19. It is I, be not afraid.But a familiar voice says, Be of good cheer, etc. It is I. Thus spake this same voice to thee, my friend, as thy house became lonely and a bier was carried out, as thy heart felt unspeakably wretched. Then that star in heaventhe faith in thy heartgrew dim. But, trouble which appeared like blind chancea malignant fate, a spectredeath, that grinning skeleton and king of terrors, laid aside the mask, and behold! it was the Lord. Then in quietness and assurance thou wert helped by Him. It is I. So the Lord ever makes Himself known to His Church, when, e.g., the State removes the accustomed supports, when Rome furbishes her weapons and increases her fastnesses, when materialism scornfully seeks the outward and visible; and the multitude with their voice ever-changing, now for, now against, like ebb and flow; and parties with their cry of Here is Christ, or there, seek reciprocally to excommunicate each other, and finally are in danger of banishing Christ altogether,then the ground trembles. But everything will turn out otherwise from what men suppose. Only in Jesus has no one ever been deceived. Do the people of Capernaum ask Him, as it is in our text, Rabbi, when (rather how) camest Thou hither? No philosopher can explain this, that Jesus walks on the waters, making what seems firm to be unstable, and what is fluctuating, stable. The conflict of opinions, the loudness of calumny, the raging of passion, the power and roar of the billows, the thunder-roll of events, will at the decisive moment be overpowered at the word of the Churchs Lord. Ye, My disciples, be of good cheer. It is I, be not afraid. The Lord is in His holy temple; be still before Him, all the earth.Translated from Dr. R. Kgel.
Joh. 6:19. Faith amid the storm.To the confidence and peace reached by the disciples on this occasion Christian people may and do attain, have trusted and not been afraid in storm and trouble (Psalms 46). A missionary thus described an incident on a great steamship during a terrible storm on the Atlantic. A fearful hurricane swept over the ocean, raising a tremendous sea, in the trough of which the great vessel tossed, helpless and unmanageable. It did not seem that if the storm lasted during the night the ship could weather it. The seamen could not cross the wave-swept decks; and the passengers were shut up in the great saloon. A crowd of anxious men and terror-stricken women, they clustered together, holding tightly to any fixed object. Only the children did not seem to realise all the terror of the situation. The minister-missionary was asked to engage in prayer. He did so, kneeling and grasping with his hands the edge of one of the fixed tables. He did not, however, utter any set ordinary form of prayer. It was just a simple talk with his God and Redeemer, just such a talk, as he expressed it, as a child would have with a loving parent. All were calmed and comforted by the simple prayer of faith, and took courage. Toward morning the storm abated, the ship was got under control, and they were safe.
Thou Framer of the light and dark,
Guide through the tempest Thine own ark;
Amid the howling wintry sea
We are in port if we have Thee.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
WALKING UPON THE SEA
Text 6:16-21
16
And when evening came, his disciples went down unto the sea;
17
and they entered into a boat, and were going over the sea unto Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18
And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew.
19
When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they beheld Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid.
20
But he saith unto them, It is I: be not afraid.
21
They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat: and straightway the boat was at the land whither they were going.
Queries
a.
Why was Jesus not with the disciples?
b.
Why were the disciples afraid?
c.
How did the boat get to land straightway?
Paraphrase
Late in the evening His disciples went down to the sea. And they took a boat and began to cross the sea toward Capernaum. As they were going, it became dark and still Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea then began to rise and become exceedingly rough because of a violent wind that was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles they saw Jesus walking on the water and coming toward the boat, and they were terrified. But Jesus said do not be afraid, It is I, Myself. Then they were willing for Him to come into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore toward which they had been rowing.
Summary
Jesus again manifests Himself as Lord of nature by walking on a storm-tossed sea. The disciples are overawed by this manifestation of the supernatural.
Comment
It was late evening, near dark, when the disciples finally embarked in a boat and began rowing for the western shore, They seemed to have been in no hurry to leave Jesus. He had to constrain them earlier to leave Him (cf. Mar. 6:45).
As they rowed darkness enveloped them and the winds began to blow violently and the waves pitched and tossed furiously. Travellers have described the storms on the Galilean Sea as storms of a most violent nature. The sea is surrounded on all sides by mountains, which makes the sea appear as the bottom of a huge bowl. When the winds begin to sweep down into the bowl-like hole, violent sea storms are the result.
They left the eastern shore about dusk, six or seven in the evening, and now it was about three or four a.m. the next morning (fourth watch, Mat. 14:25). Their progress was so slow that they had rowed only about 3 miles (25 or 30 furlongs) in approximately nine hours.
They were just about midway between the shores, for the Sea of Galilee is approximately six miles wide. Mark (Mar. 6:47-50) tells us that Jesus saw their predicament and came to them walking on the sea. Jesus wished to pass them by, but when they saw Him they thought they were seeing a ghost and they literally shrieked in terror. Before we smile at the superstitious fears of the disciples, let us consider what we would have felt and said had we been in the boat with them.
When Jesus came close enough to be recognized He shouted, Do not be afraid, it is I, Myself. Matthew records the next incident Peters attempt to walk to Jesus on the water (Mat. 14:28-31).
It is worthy of note here to see the independence of the accounts of this miracle:
a.
Matthew alone mentions Peters attempt to walk on the water (Mat. 14:28-31).
b.
Mark alone mentions Jesus seeing their distress while still on the mountain (Mar. 6:47-48).
c.
John alone mentions that it was dark (Joh. 6:18) that they had rowed about 3 or 4 miles (Joh. 6:19), and that the boat arrived straightway where they were going (Joh. 6:21).
The infidelic theories of the liberal and radical scholars claim the Gospel writers were not inspired to write independent accounts, but copied from one another. But the facts say differently they wrote independently of one another.
Upon recognizing the figure and hearing His voice, the twelve were very glad to let Him come into the boat. Matthew again tells us that when He and Peter entered the boat the disciples worshipped Jesus (Mat. 14:33).
The straightway of Joh. 6:21 may mean either:
a.
The sea was calmed and the boat was rowed quickly to their destination, or,
b.
A miraculous immediate arrival of the boat at its destination was effected.
Mark (Mar. 6:53-56) shows us where they were going. They had started for Capernaum (Joh. 6:17), but driven by sea and wind, they eventually landed at the plain of Gennesaret (cf. Map No. 4, page 267). Here the people ran to Him from all the region round about, carrying their sick to Him. As many as touched Him were made whole.
Quiz
1.
How did the violence of the storm affect the progress of the disciples in the boat?
2.
How did Jesus know of their predicament?
3.
What did the disciples do when they saw Jesus coming toward them?
4.
What did Peter do when he recognized the Lord?
5.
Name the three incidents reported independently by Matthew, Mark and John.
6.
Where did the disciples and Jesus finally put to shore?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(16) And when even was now come.Comp. Note on Mat. 14:15.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16-21. Compare notes on parallel passage in Matthew.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, and they boarded a boat and were going across the sea to Capernaum. And it was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them.’
The other Gospels tell us that the boarding of the boat was at Jesus’ command (Mat 14:22), which it quite clearly was. The disciples would hardly have taken this course otherwise. The author is not so much a consummate storyteller as a theologian, and he misses out what he does not consider important. This incidentally helps to exonerate him from the charge of putting in details simply to give the effect of an eyewitness. He mentions them when he remembers them.
‘And it was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them.’ Perhaps John intends us to see that without Jesus the Apostles were still in darkness.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jesus Walks on the Sea of Galilee ( Joh 6:16-25 ).
It is quite clear from the fact that this event follows immediately on the other that Jesus was now trying to bring home to His disciple His own uniqueness. He wanted it to come home to them as to Who He really was. First the creation of bread and fish. Now the revelation that He controls nature and can, like God, walk on the seas (Psa 77:19). It is a revelation of sovereign power.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jesus Walking on the Water ( Mat 14:22-33 , Mar 6:45-52 ) Joh 6:16-21 records the story of Jesus walking on the water to deliver the disciples in the midst of a storm. While this miracle is not numbered as one of the seven miracles, or signs, that shape the literary structure of the Gospel of John, [174] it does plays an important role in the overall narrative story in which it is embedded. This “interlude,” as Ksterberger describes it, [175] is placed within the lengthy narrative section of Joh 6:1-71 in which Jesus feeds the five thousand, then reveals Himself as the Bread of Life. The story of Jesus walking on the water serves as a testimony of Jesus’ love for them and how the faith of these few disciples becomes further anchored in Jesus as the Son of God in anticipation of the drama that unfolds the next day when many disciples are offended at Jesus and forsake Him. The disciples that were in the boat were going to have one of the most important decisions of their lives thrust upon them the next day, being forced to choose whether to abandon Jesus and follow the crowds, or to risk increasing persecutions by following Jesus and His teachings. While struggling to comprehend His new teaching as the Bread of Life, a message that offended many people, some of the disciples choose to follow their heart and continue with Him. Thus, the story of Jesus walking on the water prepares the readers for the narrative story of how many disciples forsook Jesus, while a few chose to follow Him. It was Jesus’ demonstration of love for them that established their faith in Him, and not the miracles themselves. John the apostle acknowledges the love that Jesus had for this disciples when he writes, “having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” (Joh 13:1)
[174] Andreas J. Ksterberger, John, in Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004), 204.
[175] Andreas J. Ksterberger, John, in Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004), 196.
Joh 6:16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
Joh 6:17 Joh 6:18 Joh 6:19 Joh 6:19
[176] H. Porter, “Furlong,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., c1915, 1939), in The Sword Project, v. 1.5.11 [CD-ROM] (Temple, AZ: CrossWire Bible Society, 1990-2008).
[177] Andreas J. Ksterberger, John, in Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004), 205.
Joh 6:19 Comments The disciples were accustom to storms on the Sea of Galilee. The fear seems to be evoked not from the storm itself, but from beholding Jesus walking on the water, an event that caused the disciples great fear, which view is supported by Mat 14:26 and Mar 6:49.
Mat 14:26, “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.”
Mar 6:49, “But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:”
Joh 6:20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
Joh 6:20
Joh 6:21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
Joh 6:21
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Joh 6:16. And when even was now come We observed on Joh 6:11 that the whole of this miraculous transaction was over by five o’clock in the afternoon; which may be collected from the circumstance here mentioned, namely, that when the disciples departed some time after the dinner, the second evening approached; that is, it was a little before sun-setting, at which time the second evening began: but at that season of the year the sun set before six o’clock in the afternoon; for the passover, and consequentlythe vernal equinox, was not come: besides, they were in the midst of the lake by the time that the sun was set. See Mat 14:23. Mar 6:47.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Joh 6:16-21 . Comp. Mat 14:22 ff., Mar 6:45 ff., which do not refer to a different walking on the sea (Chrysostom, Lcke).
] According to Joh 6:17 , the time meant is late in the evening, i.e . the so-called second evening, as in Mat 14:24 , from the twelfth hour until the ( , Joh 6:17 . See on Mat 14:15 .
] into the ship , in which they had crossed over (Joh 6:1 ). In it they now return to the western side of the lake. So Luthardt rightly. But it does not follow that Jerusalem could not have been the place of departure in Joh 6:1 ; Joh 6:1 rather implies that they had travelled from Jerusalem to the western shore of the lake, and had crossed over from thence.
] They were upon their return journey, coming across, but the coming was not yet completed. Lampe and Paulus erroneously speak of their actual arrival , what follows being taken as supplementary . In Mar 6:45 Bethsaida is named (on the western shore). An immaterial discrepancy. See on Mat 14:22-23 .
] describing how little they could have expected that Jesus would come after them.
Joh 6:19 . ] indicative of an eye-witness, and almost agreeing with in Mat 14:24 , for the lake was forty stadia or one geographical mile wide (Josephus, Bell . iii. 10. 7).
and .] Correlatives; quite unfavourable to the naturalistic interpretation, according to which . . is said to mean not on the sea , but towards the sea (so Paulus, Gfrrer, and many, even B. Crusius; but see, on the contrary, note on Mat 14:25 ).
Joh 6:21 . , . . .] comp. Joh 1:44 ; but observe the Imperfect here. After Jesus had reassured them by His call, they wish to take Him into the ship, and straightway (while entertaining this ) the ship is at the land, i.e . by the wonder working power of Jesus, both with respect to the distance from the shore, which was still far off, and the fury of the sea, which had just been raging, but was now suddenly calmed. The idea that Jesus, to whom the disciples had stretched out their hands, had just come on board the ship, introduces a foreign element (against Luthardt and Godet), for the sake of bringing the account into harmony with Matthew and Mark. The discrepancy with Matthew and Mark, according to whom Christ was actually received into the ship, must not be explained away, especially as in John a more wonderful point, peculiar to his account, is introduced by the , etc., which makes the actual reception superfluous (Hengstenberg, following Bengel, regards it as implied). An unhappy attempt at harmonizing renders it, “ they willingly received Him” (Beza, Grotius, Kuinoel, Ammon, etc.; see, on the contrary, Winer, p. 436 [E. T. p. 586]; Buttmann, N. T. Gk . p. 321 [E. T. p. 375]), which cannot be supported by a supposed antithesis of previous unwillingness (Ebrard, Tholuck), but would be admissible only if the text represented the will and the deed as undoubtedly simultaneous. See the passages given in Sturz, Lex. Xen.; Ast, Lex. Plat . I. 596. John would in that case have written .
] to which they were intending by this journey to remove.
The miracle itself cannot be resolved into a natural occurrence, [228] nor be regarded as a story invented to serve Docetic views (Hilgenfeld); see on Mat 14:24-25 . The latter opinion appears most erroneous, especially in the case of John, [229] not only generally because his Gospel, from Joh 1:14 onwards to its close, excludes all Docetism, but also because he only introduces, with all brevity, the narrative before us by way of transition to what follows, without taking pains to lay emphasis upon the miraculous, and without adding any remark or comment, and consequently without any special doctrinal purpose; and thus the attribution of the occurrence of any symbolical design, e.g . prophetically to shadow forth the meetings of the risen Lord with His disciples (Luthardt), or the restless sea of the world upon which Christ draws nigh to His people after long delay (Hengstenberg), is utterly remote from a true exegesis. Weizscker’s narrowing of the event, moreover, abstracting the miraculous element in the development of the history, into an intervention of the Lord to render help, does such violence to the text, and to the plain meaning of the evangelist, that the main substance of the narrative would be thus explained away. The design, however, which Baur propounds, viz. that the greedy importunity of the people might be set forth, only to experience the cold hand of denial, and to bring out the spiritual side of the miracle of the feeding, would not have required this miraculous voyage in order to its realization.
[228] Ewald probably comes to that conclusion, for he takes , ver. 19, to denote a mere vision (phantasmagoria?), and to signify disquietude of conscience: “He finds them not pure in spirit.”
[229] Who, moreover, in the deviations from Matthew and Mark, possesses the deciding authority (against Mrcker, p. 14).
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
Ver. 16. His disciples went down to the sea ] By Christ’s own command,Mat 14:22Mat 14:22 ; Mar 6:45 , yet they met with a sore storm. So may the best with trouble, in their most lawful employmeats,Psa 34:18Psa 34:18 . But these make them look to their tackling, patience; to their anchor, hope; to their helm, faith; to their ace card, the Word; to their Captain, Christ, who is ever at hand.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
16 21. ] Jesus walks on the sea . Mat 14:22-33 .Mar 6:45-52Mar 6:45-52 . Omitted by Luke. An important and interesting question arises, WHY is this miracle here inserted by St. John? That he ever inserts for the mere purpose of narration, I cannot believe. The reason seems to me to be this: to give to the Twelve, in the prospect of so apparently strange a discourse respecting His Body, a view of the truth respecting that Body, that it and the things said of it were not to be understood in a gross corporeal, but in a supernatural and spiritual sense. And their very terror, and reassurance, tended to impress that confidence in Him which kept them firm, when many left Him, Joh 6:66 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
16. ] , here, will be during the time between the of Mat 14:15 , and that of ib. Mat 14:23 . [The Jews commonly reckoned two evenings: see the introductory note on Mat 26:17-19 .]
by the command of Jesus (Matt., Mark).
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh 6:16-21
16Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Joh 6:17 “Capernaum” This was Jesus’ headquarters during His Galilean ministry because of the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (cf. Luk 4:28-29).
Joh 6:19 “they had rowed about three or four miles” They were approximately halfway across the lake when Jesus came walking to them on the water. Matthew expands this narrative to include Peter walking to Him on the water.
“they were frightened” These disciples were still estimating Jesus by earthly standards. The disciples’ fear is expressed in Mar 6:49. The collective weight of these “signs” forced them to reassess who He was.
Joh 6:20 “It is I” This is literally (eg eimi) “I Am” (cf. Joh 4:26; Joh 8:24; Joh 8:28; Joh 8:54-59; Joh 13:19; Joh 18:5-6) which reflects the covenant name of God in the OT, YHWH of Exo 3:12-15. Jesus is the visible “I Am,” the full self-revelation of God, the incarnate Logos (word) of God, the true and only Son. See D in the Special Topic following.
SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY
Joh 6:21 “and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going” This apparently was another miraculous occurrence (cf. John 22-25) since Mark’s Gospel indicates that they had rowed about half way across the lake (cf. Mar 6:47). However, it is not mentioned in the other Gospels (i.e., Mat 14:32 or Mar 6:51).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
even . . . come = it became late.
unto. Greek. epi. App-104. Not the same word as in verses: Joh 5:27, Joh 5:34, Joh 5:45, Joh 5:65.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
16-21.] Jesus walks on the sea. Mat 14:22-33. Mar 6:45-52. Omitted by Luke. An important and interesting question arises, WHY is this miracle here inserted by St. John? That he ever inserts for the mere purpose of narration, I cannot believe. The reason seems to me to be this: to give to the Twelve, in the prospect of so apparently strange a discourse respecting His Body, a view of the truth respecting that Body, that it and the things said of it were not to be understood in a gross corporeal, but in a supernatural and spiritual sense. And their very terror, and reassurance, tended to impress that confidence in Him which kept them firm, when many left Him, Joh 6:66.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 6:16
Joh 6:16
And when evening came, his disciples went down unto the sea;-[Mat 14:22 says Jesus sent them away by boat, then sent the multitude away, and he withdrew into the mountain to pray.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Reciprocal: Mar 6:47 – General Joh 6:22 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1
See the comments at Mat 14:22-34.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joh 6:16. And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea. Before Jesus retired to the mountain He had constrained His disciples to leave Him for the shore: when they had left He dismissed the people, withdrawing from them, probably by exercising such influence as is implied in chap. Joh 5:13, Joh 8:59, Joh 10:39.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, 1. The great danger the disciples were in, and the difficulties they encounter with, after they had enjoyed the sweet privileges of Christ’s gracious presence with them. They were tossed upon a tempestuous sea.
Learn thence, That it is not unusual, after sweet refreshment and manifestations from Christ unto his people, to meet with a stormy and sharp exercise of faith and patience; such was the lot of his disciples here; a constant gale of sweetness, an uninterrupted course of prosperity and happiness, as it is not to be expected here, so neither can it be enjoyed here, without great peril and danger.
Observe, 2. What haste our Saviour makes towards his disciples, when they were tossed upon a tempestuous sea; Jesus drew nigh unto the ship. Nothing can separate between, nor keep Christ from his children and people in a suffering hour. He that waded through a sea of wrath to save his people, will walk upon a sea of water to succour and relieve them in an hour of tribulation.
Observe, 3. The disciples not discerning Christ, not knowing him to be their Saviour, were afraid of him. Christ may be coming to save his people, and they not able at present to discern and apprehend him; but their fears may be highest, when their deliverer and deliverance is nearest.
Observe, 4. How speedily Christ relieves them of their fears, by telling them who he was; It is I, be not afraid. It is a sufficient support in all our afflictions to be assured of Christ’s gracious presence with us. Say but, O Saviour, It is I, and then let evils do their worst: that one word, It is I, is sufficient to allay all storms, and to calm a thousand tempests.
Observe lastly, with what joy and gladness the disciples received and entertained Christ in this hour of their distress: They willingly received him into the ship. Though the company of Christ is always sweet and welcome to his disciples and friends, yet never is it so very agreeable and desirable to them as in the hour of trial and temptation; then they willingly receive him, and joyfully welcome and entertain him.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
ADDITIONAL NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.
Vv. 16-21 contain the account of the second miracle mentioned in this chapter. This miracle is inserted between the first miracle and the discourse which followed on the next day. If the narrative is viewed simply in the light of biography, the reason why the event is placed here is obvious; it is placed where it belongs in the order of time. But if we look at the plan of the book as related to the purpose stated in Joh 20:30-31, it is worthy of notice that this chapter presents two developments of faith. The multitude, who were impressed by the miracle of the loaves, declared their conviction that Jesus was the Messiah. They accordingly believed; but the course which they pursued the next day, and the effect upon their minds of His presentation of the necessity of living in and upon Him (see Joh 6:60; Joh 6:66), prove that their faith was like that of those who are mentioned in Joh 2:23-25. The apostles, on the other hand, are not only described as having a faith of a higher order than that of these half-way disciples, but are represented as giving utterance to a more confident and established belief than they had expressed at any previous moment (Joh 6:68-69). Is it not probable that the second miracle, following upon the firsta miracle which was so peculiarly fitted to produce a deep impression, both in itself and in the circumstances attendant upon itwas an essential element in this new development of the apostles’ faith? May we not account for the upward movement of their belief, as contrasted with the downward movement in that of the many who went back, as connected partly with this second wonderful fact? Certainly the fact that it followed so immediately after the miracle of the loaves was calculated to make them ready and able to say, not only: We have believed, but: We have believed and know that Thou art the Holy One of God. The insertion of this miracle, therefore, as well as the other, falls most naturally within the line of the writer’s great purpose. The reader who will place himself in thought in the circumstances in which the apostles were at the time, and will open his mind, as they did, to the reception of the evidences, cannot fail to see how their faith grew stronger, or to feel that his own faith is growing stronger under the same influence. The signs which were given in the presence of the disciples, says the author, are written in his book that the reader may, by following the record of them, be led forward in the same progress of faith.
In the account of this second miracle which is given by Matthew, Mat 14:33, the apostles in the boat are represented as saying, as they witnessed it, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God. If this is the record of what they actually said at this moment, it may suggest, in connection with John Joh 6:14, the likeness and also the difference between the belief of the multitude and that of the Twelve. If, on the other hand, as may not improbably be the fact, Matthew, in his more brief narrative of the whole occasion, places at this point what, in the succession of the events, was really said by Peter in the name of the apostles at the time indicated by John in Joh 6:69, we have a suggestion in Matthew’s narrative of that which is represented by John as the result of the miracles and the discourse taken together.
May not the words of Mark (Mar 6:51-52), who says that the apostles were exceedingly amazed when Jesus entered the boat and the wind ceased, but that they did not understand concerning the loaves, suggest that the full conviction indicated in Mat 14:33 came only after the discourse, as indicated in John Joh 6:69?
The difficulty connected with the words and is to be recognized. In the story as given by Mark and Matthew, Jesus seems to be represented as entering the boat (in Matthew, with Peter, who had gone to meet Him on the sea), and the boat seems to have moved gradually towards the shore, only over calm waters. In John’s account, on the other hand, the impression which the reader would naturally get from the verb is that Jesus did not enter the boat, and would imply that the boat reached the shore immediately. The explanation given by Godet is a possible one, but can hardly be considered altogether satisfactory. It is to be observed, however, that in brief stories such as we find in the Gospels, which are told by all the writers for a purpose which is beyond the mere details considered in themselves, differences of this sort are not unnaturaldifferences which may not be altogether explicable at a distance of centuries from the date of writing, but with reference to which, even now, we may see possibilities capable of removing them. The New Testament narratives, in this regard, may fairly claim to be treated by opposing critics with as calm a consideration of all these possibilities as should be given in the case of other histories. The harmonists and the critics alike have sometimes been disposed to demand too much of the Gospel writers in this regard.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
6:16 {3} And when even was [now] come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
(3) The godly are often in peril and danger, but Christ comes to them in time, even in the midst of the tempests, and brings them to the haven.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. The fifth sign: walking on the water 6:16-21 (cf. Matthew 14:24-33; Mark 6:47-52)
John probably included this incident for a number of reasons. It accounts for the return of Jesus and His disciples to the western shore of Galilee where Jesus gave the discourse on the Bread of Life. Perhaps he did so to continue the Exodus theme (cf. Joh 6:14-15). It is primarily further proof that Jesus was the Son of God as He claimed. The disciples went from the thrill of great success to the agony of great danger. The feeding of the 5,000 was a lesson, and Jesus’ walking on the water was the test following the lesson.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
"Evening" could refer to anytime in the late afternoon before sunset. The feeding of the 5,000 evidently happened on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee south of Bethsaida Julius. This town stood immediately east of the place where the Jordan River empties into the lake on its northern coast. Some of the town may have been on the western side of the Jordan. [Note: D. Edmond Hiebert, Mark: A Portrait of the Servant, p. 164.]