They were afraid, more afraid of an apparition (for so they supposed him to be) than of the winds and waves.
(3.) The relief Christ gives to his disciples in their fears. When they are banished (as John) into remote places, or shut up (as Paul and Silas) in close places, he will find access to them, and will be nigh them.
He will not leave them comfortless when they seem to be tossed with tempests and not comforted. (2.) The concern Christ has for his disciples in distress: He drew nigh to the ship for therefore he walked upon the water, as he rides upon the heavens, for the help of his people, Deu. 33:26. It is natural for heavy bodies to sink in water, but Christ walked upon the water as upon dry land, which was more than Moses’s dividing the water and walking through the water. The power Christ has over the laws and customs of nature, to control and dispense with them at his pleasure. "When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water and they were frightened." ~ John 6:19 Bible Commentary about Jesus Walking on Water ( John 6) The disciples immediately begin to worship Jesus and recognize that he truly is the Son of God. They climb back into the boat and the storm stops. Jesus reaches his hand down and grabs Peter. As soon as Peter gets scared of the wind and waves and takes his eyes off Jesus he beings to sink. Peter climbs out of the boat and begins to walk on the water to Jesus. Jesus invites Peter to come to walk on the water with him. Peter then questions Jesus saying if it really is Jesus, to call Peter to come to walk on the water to him. Jesus calls to them saying "Take courage! It is I. Jesus comes walking to them on the water and the disciples become scared thinking Jesus is a ghost. During the journey a dangerous storm overtakes the boat the disciples are in and they begin to wonder where God was. ( G) 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.The miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 had just finished and Jesus wanted some time alone to pray so he told his disciples to get on a boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. ( E) 23 Then some boats from Tiberias ( F) landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 20 But he said to them, “It is I don’t be afraid.” ( C) 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.Ģ2 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake ( D) realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water ( B) and they were frightened. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum.