"15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going."
John 6:15-21
We come now to the second miracle recorded in the chapter, and its significance. What is said in 15 is crucial for a proper understanding of it. Jesus, we are told, withdrew from the crowd because He saw they wanted to make Him a king. This was evidence that they did not perceive the meaning of the miracle recorded in 1-14. It is against this background that we must understand what follows here. Why should the miracle of the walking on the water be recorded by the Holy Spirit at this particular point? Two things may be said. The first is this: It was a sign for the benefit of the disciples rather than the multitude. The latter had failed to see the message in the earlier miracle. Did His disciples see? Perhaps they did, dimly. This second sign was to teach them the same lesson, in a different way. The first sign taught Who He was, and so does this one. It is a great, stupendous miracle. He Who brought the seas into being by the word of His mouth now walks on their waves. And it was just as easy for Him to walk on them as it was to make them in the beginning. Thus, the sign bore witness afresh to His Godhead. But more, He was saying to them in different language the same thing as in 1-14: 'It is I you need, and life is but loss without Me. Whatever you have, if you have not Me, all is vain, and you are tempest-tossed and in jeopardy'. This illustrates the first miracle's meaning graphically. Men are not always conscious of spiritual hunger, although they are always hungry. It is the conscious times that reveal the need - when the clouds come on, when the storms begin to rage, and they stand alone. It is then the realisation comes. Mark 6:45 tells us Jesus sent His disciples across the sea - i.e., He sent them into the storm, to discover their need of Him, and He often does this today. The heart of God longs that men might become conscious of their need of Him.