Jesus Walks on Water

(Gospel of John 6:16 - 6:21)

When evening came, the disciples went down to the shore, boarded a boat, and set out across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum.  By now it was dark, but Jesus had still not rejoined them.  A strong wind was stirred up and the waters became very choppy.  After the disciples had rowed about 3 or 4 miles, they spotted Jesus coming toward the boat -- walking on the surface of the water!  They were alarmed.  Only after Jesus had reassured them, "It's only me.  Don't be afraid!" did they allow him to come into the boat, which then immediately reached the shore -- the very place they were heading.

The next day the crowd on the opposite shore noticed that only a single boat had been there and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, who had departed alone.  Some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the bread had been eaten (after grace had been said).  Convinced that neither Jesus nor his disciples were still there, they boarded the boats and set out to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Notes
1.  The "walking on water" miracle is among the most famous and the one least likely to have a non-supernatural explanation, although many have suggested one, eg. Jesus was walking on some rocks just below water level -- in a stormy, rough sea?  Since Jesus was not just seen walking on water, but afterwards came into the boat, one may dismiss the explanation that it might have been his wraith or his astral, rather than physical body that was viewed by the disciples.  Levitation is a phenomenon reported of saints and mediums, but no adequate explanation of it has been put forward.  With levitation, however, the body is usually in a static pose and rises slowly into the air without the kind of natural and vigorous movement that Jesus exhibited.

2.  Why did Jesus choose to walk over the surface of the water, rather than make the crossing in the normal way, in a boat?  The miracle produced no benefit to anyone, so one may assume Jesus was merely performing a magic trick, showing off a superhero power, to impress his disciples and further convince them of his divinity.

3.  Shortly after Jesus boards the boat it reaches its destination, the other shore of the sea.  Was this also a miracle?  Did Jesus cause the boat to make more headway than it might have in the heavy weather?

3.  By choosing to cross the Sea of Galilee in the way he did Jesus arouses further suspicions of those people he had miraculously fed.  They are now more convinced than ever that is the Prophet, and they apparently want a piece of him.  Jesus has sought to elude them, but by working another miracle, he only has them on his tail again.