It seems that the crowd was dismissed and the disciples put to sea before dark. We generally think of this as a boat with just the disciples aboard, but it seems to be a commercial venture with more on it. Matthew says that “they all” worshipped him, which seems to expand the number. Mark comments that the occupants of the ship had not realized their earlier feeding to be a miracle because of their hardness of heart. It’s hard to believe the Apostles didn’t realize it was a miracle.

Now they struggle against the wind blowing across the Galilee. Matthew and Mark tell us that it was in the fourth watch. The Jews normally divided the night in three watches, but the Romans used four—changing guards every three hours. The fourth watch would have begun around 3:00 a.m. This means that Jesus had been at prayer and the disciples at sea for six to eight hours.

We concentrate on the miracle of Peter joining Jesus on the water, but there are two other places where Jesus imposed his authority on the physical realm. First of all, he quieted the wind, and secondly, they were moved from the middle of the sea to the shore instantly.

John tells us they were heading to Capernaum on the west coast, but perhaps because of the storm, they landed just north of where they started, at Gennesaret.