Jesus departs from the multitude (6:15–21)

[15] When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone.
[16] And when even was now come, His disciples went down unto the sea,
[17] And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
[18] And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
[19] So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
[20] But He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
[21] Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

Jesus departs from the multitude (6:15–21)

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat (Matt. 14:22; Mark 6:45) because He knew they were in danger. The crowd was now excited, and there was a push to make Him King. Of course, some of the disciples would have been happy to have the chance to become famous and powerful! Judas would have been the kingdom's treasurer, and Peter might have been made prime minister. But such an outcome wasn't what God wanted, so Jesus ended the meeting right away. If a movement had started, the Roman government would have definitely gotten involved.

Did Jesus know that a storm was on the way? Yes, of course. So why did He put His friends in danger on purpose? In fact, He was saving them from a bigger danger: being swept away by a fanatical crowd. But the storm also kept them humble. The disciples were pleased to be a part of a great miracle. They had to confront a storm and deepen their trust in the Lord. The lesson was to feed the five thousand, and the storm was the test after the lesson.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in a storm due to our failure to heed the Lord's guidance. Jonah is a good example. But occasionally the storm comes because we did what God told us to do. We can be sure that our Savior will pray for us, come to us, and set us free. John may have seen a picture of Christ and His church in this event when he wrote about it years later. We find ourselves in the midst of life's storms, striving to reach the shore, while Christ intercedes for us in heaven. One day, He will come for us, and we will be safe at the port, with all the storms behind us.

There were actually a number of miracles that happened during this event. Peter and Jesus both walked on water (Matt. 14:28–32). When Jesus calmed the storm, the boat was on the other shore right away. Of course, the events all happened at night, so only Jesus and His followers knew about it. Jesus led His people into the green pastures (John 6:10) and then into the still waters (Ps. 23:2). What a wonderful Shepherd He is!

As you read the gospels, keep in mind that our Lord was never impressed by the large crowds. He knew that their reasons for following Him weren't good and that most of them did so to see His healing miracles. Rome's method of maintaining public contentment was through "bread and circuses." Similarly, contemporary society often finds satisfaction in such a diet. They are satisfied if you provide them food and fun. Rome paid for public games for ninety-three days each year. It was less expensive to keep the crowds entertained than to fight them or put them in jail.

We should never let the fact that some people today think Jesus Christ is "popular" fool us. Not many people want Him to be their Lord and Savior. People only want Him to heal, provide or help them out of self-made trouble. "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." (John 5:40).