John 6:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

NIV: Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

NASB: So they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

CSB: Then they were willing to take him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

NLT: Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

KJV: Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

NKJV: Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

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.

John chapter 6 occurs some months after the events of chapter 5, bringing the narrative to about one year prior to Jesus' crucifixion. As with the rest of the gospel of John, the purpose is not to repeat information from the other three Gospels, but to focus on Jesus' status as God incarnate. This chapter continues to expand the list of Jesus' miraculous signs and the witnesses to His divine nature. Here, Jesus also gives the first of seven ''I am'' statements found in this gospel. Chapter 7 will once again skip ahead to a major public step in Jesus' path to the cross.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.