Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 6:19

"When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid." — John 6:19 (ASV)

The disciples were still a considerable distance from the shore at Capernaum (cf. Mark 6:47). As they looked back, they were terrified to see a human form coming toward them across the water. Jesus calmed their fears by speaking to them. When they recognized his voice, they were willing to take him into the boat. As the multiplication of the loaves and fishes showed his power over matter, so the walking on the water revealed his divine power over the forces of nature. It was one more step in the education of the disciples’ faith.