What does Luke 8:22 mean?

Mark's account suggests Jesus was teaching by the Sea of Galilee and got into a boat so the crowd could hear Him (Mark 4:1). After He taught the parable of the sower, He went to a more private place with the Twelve and other disciples where He shared several other parables (Mark 4:10). The evening of that day (Mark 4:35), Jesus decided to go across the lake. Matthew says that Jesus interacted with two potential disciples between the time He first gave orders to go to the other side and the opportunity He had to get into the boat (Matthew 8:18–23).

The term "disciples" is ambiguous. Luke sometimes uses the phrase to mean more followers than just the Twelve (Luke 8:9; Mark 4:10). It's also unclear how big the boat is, although "sail" in verse 23 infers a sailing vessel instead of a boat that is rowed with oars. Other boats followed (Mark 4:36), but their fate in the storm is not mentioned.

The "lake" is Lake Gennesaret, also called the Sea of Galilee. It is fed by the Jordan River on the north near Bethsaida and drains out into the Jordan on the south to feed the Dead Sea. Gennesaret is also translated Kinnereth and means "harp" in Hebrew; the lake is somewhat shaped like a harp, about seven miles wide by nine miles long. The western Galilean shore has gentler hills, while the eastern shore is a steep bank—perfect for out-of-control pigs with self-destructive intents (Luke 8:33).