What does John 6:21 mean?
The gospel of John records seven specific miracles, described as signs: events carrying specific meaning, purpose, or message. In John's case, these are collected as evidence that Jesus Christ really is God incarnate. Two are recorded in this chapter alone: Christ feeding thousands (John 6:1–15) and Christ walking on the water (John 6:16–21). Here, however, there is another miracle described in an almost off-handed way.Mark chapter 6 and Matthew chapter 14 give the details which John leaves out of this account. The men crossed the Sea of Galilee at Jesus' directive (Mark 6:45), encountering high winds and rough seas. Jesus, however, is watching from the shore, and walks out to them sometime just before sunrise (Mark 6:48). Even though the men are terrified at what appears to be a ghost, Peter works up the courage to walk on water, at least for a few steps, before being rescued by Jesus. The disciples then bring Peter and Jesus on board (Matthew 14:27–33).
This verse describes the "bonus" miracle of John chapter 6: when the disciples take Jesus into the boat, they are "immediately" at their destination!
John 6:16–21 contains the fifth of John's seven miraculous ''signs'' proving that Jesus Christ is God: Christ walking on the water. This passage also describes a ''hidden'' miracle, not counted in the main seven, involving the disciples and their boat. This incident is important for what it teaches about difficulty and suffering. The disciples found themselves in rough seas, after Jesus told them specifically to sail across the Sea of Galilee. Their hard time was not the result of disobedience; rather, their hard time came because they obeyed. Not all struggles are punishments, and not all storms come due to rebellion. At times, obedience to God means heading into a storm.
In chapter 6, Jesus feeds thousands of people who had been following Him. He does this by miraculously dividing the contents of a small meal, leaving more left over than He had to begin with. At first, the crowd is amazed and they enthusiastically praise Jesus. After sending the disciples across the Sea of Galilee and rescuing them from a storm by walking on the water, Jesus once again addresses the crowd. This time, He emphasizes the spiritual lesson behind His prior miracle. In response, most of those who had been praising Jesus turn away in disappointment.
